Plan the perfect Dordogne trip in one evening, not three weeks of research
Ready-made itineraries, every place pinned on Google Maps, and honest advice from six trips to the valley
You've been googling "Dordogne itinerary" for an hour. Sound familiar?
Three different names for the same region. Forum threads from 2019. Blogs written by people who spent four days there once. And still no answer to the questions that actually matter:
Where should we base ourselves? Do we really need a car?
Which castles are worth going inside , and which are better from the river?
Is Sarlat as crowded as everyone says?
The answers exist. They're just scattered everywhere. I spent six trips collecting them so you don't have to.
Thank you
What's inside ?
Everything you need, in the order you need it.
Ready-made itineraries (3, 5, 7 and 10 days)
Day-by-day plans designed to minimize driving and dodge the crowds. Each one comes with its own clickable Google Map — open it on your phone each morning and go.
The base camp decision, solved
Sarlat, Beynac, La Roque-Gageac, Domme or the countryside? My honest verdict after staying in all of them, including the exact places I'd book again.
Castles, caves & gardens, ranked
My priority order for every major site: which to go inside, which to admire from outside, and which to skip entirely.
Day trips beyond the valley
Rocamadour, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Collonges-la-Rouge and the loops most visitors completely miss each one a full planned day with parking, lunch and timing.
Where to eat, from €15 lunch to Michelin star
My favourite restaurants, the market stalls worth queuing for, the cheese shop I’d cross France for, and the complete weekly market calendar for the whole valley.
The practical stuff nobody tells you
What to book months ahead (and what to wing). Real costs for a week. Driving, parking and the rainy-day plan. Plus a Q&A with the questions I get asked every single time.
+Exact location for all the photos in the guide
Thank you
This is not another copy-paste travel guide
I've kayaked the river. I've stayed in three different villages across six trips. I've been to the Saturday market before 9am and after 11am (never again). I've eaten foie gras for breakfast and I regret nothing.
Every recommendation in this guide is a place I've personally been. Every itinerary is a route I've actually driven. When I tell you the Marqueyssac belvedere is worth the walk most people skip, it's because I've stood there.
I won't send you somewhere I haven't stood myself.
Why trust me?
Hi, I'm Ersilia
I’ve lived in France for over 10 years, and the Dordogne is the region I keep coming back to. More than 7 trips so far, staying in different villages each time, so I know exactly how it feels to wake up in Sarlat versus a quiet farmhouse down the road.
Everything in this guide comes from those trips: the routes I’ve driven, the castles I’ve queued for, the restaurants I’d happily go back to tomorrow.
If I haven’t been there, it’s not in the guide.
I wrote it so your first trip feels like your third.
Happy travels!
Dordogne in Your Pocket Ebook
The complete 2026 Dordogne travel guide — 126 beautifully designed pages with ready-made itineraries for 3, 5, 7 and 10 days, interactive Google Maps with every place pinned, honest castle, cave and restaurant recommendations, a full market calendar, and day trips to Rocamadour and the Lot Valley.
Written from 7 personal trips — every place recommended is somewhere the author has actually been.
Instant PDF download, optimized for phone and tablet.
Thank you
Who is this for ?
Made for you if...
You're planning your first trip to the Dordogne and don't know where to start
You'd rather spend your evenings dreaming about the trip than cross-referencing forums
You want honest opinions — what to skip, not just what to see
You're travelling as a couple or family and want days that flow, not days that exhaust
Skip it if...
You're backpacking without a car (the Dordogne genuinely requires one — the guide explains why)
You want a guide to all of France (this is 126 pages on one region, done properly
Thank you
Not ready to buy yet? Read the first chapter for free
Before you spend a cent, see how I plan a Dordogne trip. I'll email you Part 1 of the guide: when to go, where to stay, what a week really costs and what to book before you leave.
FAQ
Your questions answered
No — it's a digital PDF you download instantly. It's designed to work beautifully on your phone, which is exactly where you'll want it when you're standing in Sarlat deciding where to have lunch.
Yes — there's a dedicated 3-day itinerary, and honestly, three days is enough to fall in love with the region. The guide will make sure you spend them on the right things.
The guide covers every season, including what closes in winter. Still, many activities covered are best in summer. Visiting castles and villages, though, it's still possible on cold days.
Yes. The itineraries keep driving short, and the guide points out the most kid-friendly castles, kayaking and caves.
Yes. Future updates are free, and they’re sent to the same email you bought with.
The guide links to Google Maps, so you'll want to download offline maps before you go — the guide explains exactly how, because some valleys have patchy signal.
