This is a guest post from Michelle, who blogs at Fifty & Fab.
We have just returned from one of the best holidays ever, well, post-empty nest anyway! Two weeks driving through France in our soft top car, just the two of us. The weather was mostly kind, and we loved the quiet roads, the stunning countryside and the cute little villages. We stayed with a family who lives in the Dordogne and visited some fantastic medieval villages.
One of our favourites was La Roque Gageac, about a 25-minute drive from Sarlat-la-Canéda. It is named one of ‘the most beautiful villages in France’. We’d had some thundery weather, but the sun reappeared for our afternoon visit. The clear blue skies made the views along the Dordogne River even better, with the cliff reflecting in the water below.
The village of La Roque Gageac has been built into the yellow limestone rock on the north bank of the Dordogne River. Pretty paths wind their way up and along the cliff, past cave dwellings and traditional French houses. You can view tropical-style gardens with exotic plants at every turn. It is a gorgeous explosion of cobbled streets with a troglodyte fort to visit and a Romanesque church. Children will love exploring the paths and visiting the fort. The climb up is fairly gentle but wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with mobility difficulties. However, it is accessible with a small pram.
We arrived in time for lunch after exploring nearby Domme in the morning – fantastic views there too! We chose a lovely café bar at La Roque Gageac called Les Terrasses de La Roque, just below the church and looking across to the river towards the Chateau. After lunch, we ambled along the river, where there were a number of independent, craft-style, local shops to enjoy before we started the gentle ascent through the limestone cliff and into the beautiful gardens. Plants are labelled for the botanists among us, and there are plenty of photo opportunities. I recommend taking a boat trip from just next to the car park. There is plenty of parking but be prepared for queues during the high season. The boats used are known as a gabarre, a traditional flat-bottom barge originally used to transport goods.
After our walk, we stopped for a drink and ice cream in the café by the river. We whiled away an hour people-watching and admiring the view of the Dordogne River with the Chateau beyond.
Perfect for lunch and an afternoon visit, La Roque Gageac is one to add to your Dordogne itinerary.
