In Bordeaux, treat yourself at la Tupina, by the Porte de la Monnaie, for some of the finest pork you’ll ever eat. In the main square is an off-shoot of the Vieux logis, rather cheaper and simpler, called Le Bistro en Face. The best restaurant in the area (my daughter insists I add ‘the world’) is Le Vieux Logis in Tremolat. The house wine, sold by the liter or half-liter, is almost always from the Bergerac, and is decent enough. So these are all restaurants where one can enjoy these traditional local dishes, while also being able to explore other local foods like game and fish. One can tire of foie gras, followed by confit or cuisses de canard and tarte aux noix, all slammed into a menu touristique for 12-16 euros. Where to Eat: The region is famous for its food, but the restaurants can become boring with their endless offerings of the local classics that tourists are assumed to crave. They could film another version of The Three Musketeers here without changing anything except for a few modern shop windows. Sarlat is magical, a town whose centre was largely built in the 16th and 17th centuries and has changed little since. I usually end the tour at the lovely old town of Sarlat where we simply enjoy the charming old town for a few hours. We then drive on to the magical village of La Roque Gageac for lunch, and then to the hilltop medieval town of Domme with its great views. The black American nightclub artiste Josephine Baker bought it in the 1930s and bravely turned it into a Resistance centre in World War II and it’s a good place to visit. The wife of the lord of Castelnau thought the place a bit grim, so persuaded him to build the charming Chateau de Milandes close by. Chateau Beynac is where they filmed Joan of Arc, and boys of all ages delight in Chateau Castlenau, with its reconstructed medieval siege machines like mangonels and trebuchets and the chance to don some armor and try a sword fight. When showing friends the area, I start in Le Bugue (on Tuesdays, it has the best market in region), take the road to Le Buisson (a good market on Friday) and then head upstream.Įssential stops are the two great castles of Beynac and Castelnau, from which the English and French glowered at each other during the Hundred Years War. It occupies a splendid piece of 17th century architecture, with the charming Récollets’ cloister named after the Franciscan beggar monks who built a monastery there on the orders of Louis XIII.įor an afternoon of vineyard visits and wine tastings, I recommend Chateau de Tiregand, Chateau Belingard and Chateau de la Jaubertie, but do visit the famous cave of Julien de Savignac in Le Bugue, one of the world’s great wine stores (and the inspiration for the wine shop in my Bruno novel, The Dark Vineyard.)ĭay 3: Visiting the Castles and Villages of the Dordogne In Bergerac, don’t miss in the heart of the old city, la Maison des Vins. The Chateau de Monbazillac also does a decent Pécharmant red. In Monbazillac, visit the delightful Renaissance chateau, with a good café for lunch on a terrace overlooking the Dordogne valley and tastings of the lovely sweet white wine. I prefer L’Antre Deux Verres, an excellent wine bar with decent food at the foot of the Tour du Roy. The Hostellerie de Plaisance offers excellent food, but is not cheap. The tourist office has good advice on visiting local vineyards. St Emilion is a lovely old town, very good for strolling, and with fascinating underground cellars, quarries and sights and a famous underground church. On Friday or Saturday, the market to visit is Le Marche des Capucins, a covered market.ĭay 2: Tasting Wine in St Emilion, Monbazillac, and Bergerac On Sunday, try the market of Le Marche des Quais (Quai des Chartrons). The Musee des Beaux-Arts, founded in 1801 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is worth a visit if only because of its location in the Palais Rohan (the City Hall of Bordeaux). The Porte Cailhau, the 15th century entrance to the city, has a great view from the top. The Place de la Bourse is sublime and don’t miss the monument to the Girondins in the Place des Quinconces. In Bordeaux, visit the old wine quarter known as the Chartrons, where the wine negociants built fine houses and where you will find the History of Wine Museum.īordeaux’s other must-see sites include the marvelous main riverfront of the west bank, which is like an urban version of Versailles and delightful to stroll along. Today, the regional wine trade is worth € 15 billion a year and they produce almost 1 billion bottles. Just in time for summer travel, and the launch of his new title, The Crowded Grave, Walker shares his itinerary for an ideal vacation in this picturesque region.ĭay 1: Exploring the Wines and History of Bordeauxīordeaux was built on wine. Mystery author Martin Walker is often asked by his readers for vacation recommendations in the area where his bestselling series, about a police chief in the Dordogne, is set.
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