Forget Provence – Meet the Village in the Dordogne That’s Winning British Hearts

How a golden bastide in southwest France quietly became the next big thing for anglophone travellers.

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The River Dordogne seen from Beynac. All photos © French Moments

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Time to Look Beyond Paris and Provence

I’ve always had this thing for castles. Not the polished kind you visit on a school trip, with velvet ropes and neatly trimmed lawns.

No — the real ones. The brooding, lichen-covered fortresses clinging to cliffs. The kind where you half expect a knight to come clanking down the stairs. If it had battlements and a story involving a siege, I was in.

So you can imagine my reaction when, years ago, I opened a coffee-table book and saw a photograph that didn’t even look real.

A golden fortress overlooking a lazy, winding river, with mist hanging in the valley like a theatre curtain.

I was living in Australia at the time. France felt very far away. But that picture… I think it planted a seed.

My wife, meanwhile, just gave me a look. You mean the Dordogne? We used to go every summer.
Of course she did. She's British. I’ve since learned that the Dordogne — especially the Périgord Noir — is basically a rite of passage for British families.

While I was learning to spell “Charlemagne”, she was wandering the cobbled streets of Sarlat and eating duck confit at rustic tables. Jealous? A little.

So in September 2012, we went. Two weeks, no agenda except to explore. And it was everything I’d imagined and everything I hadn’t.

On our visit to Domme in September 2012

The castles, yes. But also the villages that look like they’ve never heard of the 21st century.

The markets that smell like cheese, walnuts and something sweet baking just out of sight.

The river, doing its thing quietly like it has for a thousand years.

That trip stayed with me.

And now, years later, I’ve noticed something. The British media — The Times, The Telegraph — they’re all talking about it again. Domme. Beynac. La Roque-Gageac. The old favourites are creeping back into the spotlight.

Even Americans — who usually make a beeline for Provence or the Riviera — are beginning to turn their heads this way.

So what’s going on?

Let me explain. Or better yet — let me show you.

Beynac

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The Return of the Dordogne (and Why It Matters)

Let’s be honest — when most people think “holiday in France”, they picture three places: Paris, Provence, and maybe the Loire Valley if they’re feeling particularly refined.

Normandy sneaks in there too, thanks to D-Day history and Calvados.

But the Dordogne? That tends to draw a blank stare. Or a polite “oh yes, I’ve heard it’s lovely” from someone who very clearly hasn’t been.

Unless they’re British.

The British know. Or at least they used to.

Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Dordogne was the place.

Cheap ferries, rustic charm, space to breathe — and crucially, lots of property ripe for buying and renovating.

A whole generation of Brits packed up their Range Rovers and moved south. They restored old stone farmhouses, grew lavender in their gardens, and learned how to pronounce “foie gras” without choking on it.

For a while, it felt like half of Devon had decamped to southwest France.

But then… it faded. EasyJet started flying to Barcelona. Package deals to Turkey exploded. People traded stone villages for beach resorts, and the Dordogne became a bit, well, forgotten.

Too quiet. Too rural. Too many steep hills and not enough cocktails.

Until now.

Something’s shifted. Maybe it’s the post-pandemic craving for space and slow living.

Maybe it’s the rise of “authentic travel” that doesn’t involve battling for a sun lounger.

Or maybe people just got tired of the heatwaves in Provence.

Whatever the reason, the British media has noticed — The Times recently ranked Domme among the most beautiful villages in all of France.

On a list with Provence heavyweights like Gordes and Roussillon.

That’s a bit like an indie film sneaking into the Oscars.

The fabulous gardens of Marqueyssac

And as for Americans? They’re not here yet — not in large numbers anyway.

But you can feel the curiosity building. A few adventurous souls are starting to wander inland from Bordeaux.

A travel blogger mentions La Roque-Gageac. Someone on Instagram posts a drone shot of Beynac at sunrise and boom — it begins. The great rediscovery.

So if you’ve never heard of the Dordogne — or if it’s been sitting quietly on your “someday” list — now might be the time to take a closer look.

Let me give you seven very good reasons why.