Essential Europe Travel

Picturesque Dordogne Medieval villages by bike

5 days 4 nights

All breakfasts, 1 lunch and 2 dinners
4 night accommodation
Fully equipped quality hybrid bike
Daily routes on detailed maps
Route notes and regional advice
Luggage transfers
Emergency phone call support 7 days a week

Day 1

Arrival in Souillac

Welcome to the Dordogne! We will meet at the train station and transfer to your first hotel, where we will provide you with your bike, maps, routes notes, etc... You'll have time to explore the ancient streets of Souillac (the town dates back to the foundation of a Benedictine Monastery in the year 655!), with its cobblestones, boutiques, and 11th century Saint Mary's Abbey. Wander down to the banks of the Dordogne, which you will be following over the next few days. Night and dinner included in Souillac.

Day 2

Souillac to Domme 40 Km

Your first day's ride is beautiful, following the bends and curves of the Dordogne. En route you will spot the Chateaux of Felon and Montfort. Chateau de Montfort is particularly stunning, clinging to the side of a hill, overlooking as it does the "Meander of Montfort", a large tight curl in the river below. As with so many of the region's castles, the site was attacked, damaged, and rebuilt a multitude of times over the centuries. You finish your day in the medieval village of Domme. This village, an excellent example of the Bastide villages (fortified villages) of Medieval France, was built in the 13th century by Philip the Bold; there are still examples of medieval graffiti by the templar knights! Night in Domme, with options for you for your dinner.

Day 3

Loop Domme to Domme 35 Km

The loop ride for the day is one of the most picturesque, passing through some of the "prettiest villages of France" (this is an official national rating!) and castles lining the river that warred across from each other... You will discover typical village such as Beynac, with its imposing castle built by the Barons of Beynac. The sheer cliff overlooking the Dordogne was excellent protection on one side, and they experimented with many new protective fortifications on the other side. Also La Roque Gageac, with its narrow houses flat against the cliffside overlooking the Dordogne, built around original troglodyte dwellings. Night and dinner back in Domme.

Day 4

Domme to Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac 36 Km

Your route today takes you via Sarlat, one of the best preserved medieval vestiges of Europe. The town is set in the middle of the Dordogne's rich countryside, where truffles and cep mushrooms, walnut orchards, and grapes grow, and where you shouldn't be surprised to see goose and duck farms, for the famous foie gras. Your ride continues to the prehistoric capital, Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac with the National Prehistory Museum, ad the Font de Gaume cave paintings. Night in Les Eyzies; you have many restaurants to choose from for your dinner.