Camping in the Dordogne: 10 sites not to be missed for your first holiday in the Périgord

The Dordogne comprises a single department and four Périgord regions: the Black, the Purple, the Green and the White. Suffice to say, you can’t see it all in a weekend. For your first camping holiday in the Dordogne, the best approach is to choose a well-located campsite, pitch your tent, set up your caravan or motorhome, and explore the surrounding area for a few days before moving on to the next ‘colour’.

The department is one of the best-equipped in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in this respect. The range of outdoor accommodation is extensive and varied, from small family-run sites with thirty pitches to larger campsites with water parks and evening entertainment. With its blend of heritage, nature and fine dining, the region is ideal for a first camping holiday.

Here are the ten places we’d take a friend discovering the Périgord for the first time, divided into the four colours, with details of what’s nearby in each case: places to visit, activities and the type of campsites.

Périgord Noir: the picture-postcard Dordogne

1. Sarlat-la-Canéda

You explore Sarlat with your nose in the air. The old town has come through history virtually intact and boasts a density of listed monuments that’s quite rare in France. On Saturday mornings, the market takes over the narrow streets and you have to elbow your way through – which is all part of the fun: this is where you buy the produce that’ll end up on your campsite table that very evening.

A practical tip: parking a motorhome right in the heart of the town in August is a real challenge. There are plenty of campsites in the surrounding area, often set on the hillsides, and most have a swimming pool for the late afternoon. We arrive early in the morning, before the coaches.

2. La Roque-Gageac, Domme and the castles of the valley

Stretching over a few kilometres, the Dordogne river takes in La Roque-Gageac, nestled against its cliff face; Beynac and Castelnaud, which have been staring at each other like ceramic dogs ever since the Hundred Years’ War; and Domme, perched on its promontory. From the Barre viewpoint in Domme, you can see the river winding its way for kilometres. The Marqueyssac Gardens in Vézac make a fine addition to the itinerary.

For a first visit, this is the area with the highest concentration of waterside campsites, offering shaded pitches and mobile homes for hire at the larger sites. The gabares set off from La Roque-Gageac and the trip lasts an hour. Children love it, and so do adults – though nobody admits it.

3. Montignac-Lascaux and the Vézère Valley

Fifteen sites in the Vézère Valley are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Lascaux IV, in Montignac, recreates the original cave with uncanny accuracy, and the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies rounds off the visit. It’s the best place in the region to teach children a bit of history without boring them. And if the display cases start to wear them out, the caves in the area take over: Rouffignac can be explored by a little electric train, whilst the Proumeyssac chasm, in Le Bugue, can be visited in a gondola. These caves also have the advantage of being cool – ideal during the hot summer afternoons in the Dordogne.

Two villages not to be missed along the way are Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and Saint-Amand-de-Coly. A little-known bonus: the Vézère is calmer than the Dordogne for canoeing, and so are its campsites. A pitch on the banks of the Vézère in July offers a different pace to your holiday.

Purple Périgord: wine, fortified towns and the river’s meanders

4. Bergerac and the Monbazillac vineyards

Bergerac, with its quays, half-timbered houses and two statues of Cyrano. The Maison des Vins, housed in the Récollets cloister, provides a good overview of the appellations before you head off to taste them at the vineyards.

Just a few minutes away, the Château de Monbazillac overlooks the vineyards that produce the sweet wine of the same name, and the road leading up to it offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the Périgord Pourpre. As for accommodation, the campsites in the area are often smaller and cheaper than in the Périgord Noir, with places to visit just a thirty-minute drive away.

5. Monpazier

Founded in 1284, Monpazier is the best-preserved bastide in the South-West. Its Place des Cornières, lined with arcades, still hosts the market beneath an old market hall. The village is one of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’ and can be walked through in twenty minutes, though that doesn’t mean you can’t spend the whole morning there.

The enormous Château de Biron is a ten-minute drive away. You can visit both in a single day from a local campsite, and head back to the swimming pool just as the square starts to empty.

6. Lalinde and the Trémolat bend

Here, the Dordogne makes a 180-degree bend, and the Trémolat viewpoint offers a full view of it. Down below, the river is wide and calm, with a leisure centre and several campsites right on the water’s edge.

It’s a quieter spot than the Sarlat valley, less frequently photographed, and one of our favourites for a shaded caravan pitch in the middle of August. Water sports here are accessible to beginners, which isn’t always the case further upstream.

The Green Périgord: the Dordogne of rolling green hills

7. Brantôme-en-Périgord and Bourdeilles

Brantôme is nicknamed the ‘Venice of the Périgord’ because it is completely surrounded by the River Dronne. The Benedictine abbey is set against the cliff face, with cave-like rooms hewn into the rock and a Romanesque bell tower that is one of the oldest in France.

Eight kilometres away, Bourdeilles boasts two châteaux on the same rocky outcrop: the medieval fortress and the Renaissance manor house. The Green Périgord is more wooded, cooler, and its campsites are generally smaller. For those who prefer intimate establishments, where the owner still runs the bar himself, this is the region for you.

8. Saint-Jean-de-Côle, the Villars Cave and Lake Saint-Estèphe

Saint-Jean-de-Côle is tiny: a medieval bridge, a market hall, a church with a quirky bell tower and the Château de la Marthonie. In May, the Floralies festival fills the village with flowers and people.

A few kilometres further on, the Villars Cave combines stalactites and prehistoric paintings, with a constant temperature of 13 degrees all year round – the perfect solution to a sweltering afternoon. For a swim, head to the large lake at Saint-Estèphe, near Nontron: a lifeguard-supervised beach in summer, a walking trail around the lake, and granite boulders in the woods. We’re in the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park here, and you can really feel it. Several campsites are situated just a few minutes from the lake, offering a range of outdoor activities.

The White Périgord: the centre – often passed through, rarely visited

9. Périgueux

Périgueux boasts two thousand years of history packed into just a few hectares, and the town is best explored in two parts. First, the Gallo-Roman quarter, with the Vesunna Museum – designed by Jean Nouvel and built atop the ruins of an ancient villa – and the Tower of Vésone right next to it. Next, the medieval heart of the city and Saint-Front Cathedral, with its array of domes, a stop on the Way of St James.

The Wednesday and Saturday markets are well worth a visit for their local produce, and in the north-east of the department, the Château de Hautefort and its French-style gardens are well worth half a day’s visit. It’s a town that people often pass through without stopping – a mistake.

10. The Isle Valley, from Saint-Astier to Sorges

The River Isle winds gently through the Périgord Blanc, flanked by a greenway cycle route stretching some 100 kilometres. You cycle on flat terrain between Saint-Astier and Neuvic, visit Neuvic Castle and its botanical gardens, and carry on to Sorges, where the Truffle Ecomuseum explains this mushroom better than any restaurant. Further west, in the Forest of La Double, the large lake of La Jemaye makes for a second spot for a swim.

This is the least crowded of the four Périgord regions, with quieter campsites and more affordable rates. For a family cycling holiday, it’s a very good choice.

What are campsites in the Périgord like?

The options can be broadly divided into three categories, and it’s best to know which one you’re after before booking.

Firstly, there are the small, family-run campsites, with thirty to eighty pitches, a simple swimming pool, a snack bar that also sells bread, and no organised entertainment. This is the most common type in the Périgord Vert and Périgord Blanc.

Next come the mid-range campsites, rated two or three stars, which offer a paddling pool, a playground, a few mobile homes for hire alongside the pitch-only areas, and one evening’s entertainment per week.

Finally, there are the large campsites in the Périgord Noir and the Dordogne Valley, featuring a water park, slides, a heated swimming pool, daily entertainment and a full range of services: a grocery shop, a restaurant, and bike or canoe hire.

Whatever the category, the basic facilities are similar: toilet blocks, launderette, Wi-Fi at reception, and a waste disposal point for motorhomes. The differences lie in the rest. A paddling pool and a playground make life so much easier for parents of young children; a kids’ club and evening entertainment keep teenagers happy. Many sites also offer bike or canoe hire, which means you don’t have to arrive with a fully loaded trailer.

Within walking or cycling distance of the site, there are plenty of activities on offer: a river, a lake, a village with shops. In the Périgord, many campsites are situated a stone’s throw from a place of interest, and that’s worth more than all the facilities in the world.

None of these three categories of campsite is better than the others; they simply aren’t suited to the same kind of holiday. With eight-year-olds clamouring for water every day, a water park is well worth it. For a week spent visiting sights, villages and castles, a small, well-located campsite is more than enough and costs half as much. There’s a campsite to suit every taste in the Périgord.