Domes and turrets of Cathedral de Saint Front stood out on the Isle River. Périgueux is the capital of Dordogne, a department in southwestern France that serves as a good base while traveling in the magnificent villages of Dordogne. Their tourism office gave it a moniker, Supérigeux with the emphasis on super and together we'll discover why it is so.
This is the second part of my Dordogne River Valley Series when my family and I took an unplanned road trip to Dordogne during our vacation in France in the spring of 2019. Previously, we have explored the peaceful yet scenic village of Bourdeilles.
Allow me to take you on a virtual tour. On y va!
Things to do in Périgueux
Explore Périgueux on Foot
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, on the day of my daughter's birthday. We stayed in a budget hotel at the heart of the city, a stone throw away from the closed Tourism Office. We took to the cobblestone streets immediately after breakfast.
View from Pont de Barris
Cathedral de Saint Front
The Saint-Front Cathedral, also known as the Périgueux Cathedral is a Catholic Church built in the 4th and 5th Centuries. It sits majestically at the medieval center of Périgueux.
Who is Saint-Front though? I grew up in a Catholic School but his name didn't really ring a bell. Saint-Front is the first bishop of Périgueux who came to Perigord on an evangelical mission. He lived in a cave as a hermit. His body is currently resting in the Monastery of Puy Saint-Front.
Thouin Garden (Jardin du Thouin)
There's a beautiful garden with a stunning viewpoint around this historical complex.
View from Thouin Garden
Monastery of Puy Saint-Front
Interesting to note that these Romanesque-style buildings are classified as French Historic Monuments and were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 even though it was restored in the 19th Century.
View from the bridge, Pont de Barris
Long City Walk
Explore small alleys and the rich architecture of this Dordogne jewel on the Isle River for a 6- kilometer walk.
At one point, I tried to imagine what it felt like living here. My husband and I had a solid discussion on the downsides and advantages of living in an apartment in an old building.
There's just something romantic about walking on cobblestone streets to buy fresh baguettes every morning, to catch up with a friend in a bistro at the heart of town, and a relaxing stroll along the river. I often wonder whether residents here share my sentiments but I guess I'll never find out.
The Eschif: A House Built on Top of a Wall
This eye-catching oak timber frame structure supported with struts is nestled just across the quay. It's 700 years old which served as a lookout that was built on the preserved medieval ramparts.
Visit Traditional Markets & Taste Locally-Produced Specialties
What's great about Grand Périgueux is the easy access to local produce not only on Sundays. Here, it's possible to meet the farmers directly from Wednesdays to Sundays with their own dedicated schedule to showcase their locally produced specialties.
The Poultry Market and Foie Gras
Once a month, they hold food tastings here so enjoy your foie gras with fig or sample duck rillette.
Truffle Market
They hold truffle fairs with truffle hunting and tasting events annually from January to February.
The Red Pearl of Périgord
Strawberry is the favorite fruit of the French according to this article since it's low in calories with lots of antioxidants. Dordogne is known for strawberry farming.
Popular strawberries and raspberries of Périgueux
Gourmet Night Markets
The streets come alive with gourmet night markets during the summer where wine producers and artisans of the region celebrate culinary delights with live music events.
Hiking Trails around Périgueux
Grand Perigueux is packed with 96 loops of walking and hiking trails fit for the young and old, whether you're an avid hiker or someone who just fancy an easy stroll in nature with gorgeous views.
We went for a long afternoon stroll and here are some of the views we've seen.
It was a full day of walking. We got lost a few times in the trail but that was part of the fun. Our evening ended with a nice birthday meal at Courtepaille (nothing fancy) where I ordered my favorite ratatouille with a slice of beef tenderloin.
Thank you for reading and for joining me on this virtual tour. Catch me next week for another part of my Dordogne River Valley Series.
Reference:
Superigueux Tourisme
Wikipedia: Perigueux
Looks awesome. That house built on the wall is so cool. Its a wonder that it stayed up all these years.
I've never had truffles before but if we ever make it to the Dordogne region I will make sure that I try some.
Hello @leaky20, they say it has been used to store grain and one needs a ladder to get to the side entrance door. I'm sure you'll have an excellent time exploring narrow alleys and streets. Make sure to provide lots of SD Card storage space. 😀
What an awesome place! I'm particularly fascinated by the Eschif, that house built on top of a wall. How will they access the level above? Is there a stairway or ladder leading to the upper part?
Yes, the side entrance door is high up and a ladder is required to access it. I failed to take a picture of the other side.
Okay. I see. It's simply an interesting piece of architecture! Thank you, Arni for giving us a taste of Périgueux!
Thanks, Erne, I just finished browsing some luxury real estate I came across on Perigueux. Fancy buying an old manor and a castle with a pool? Would be nice to renovate the interiors while keeping the facade as it is.
Hmmm...yeah, that's a lovely idea! But before that, let me hire a dozen staff and a cleaning company first to take care of maintaining the vast spaces within that massive property lol 🤣
Hahaha, tell me once you've hired them and we'll throw a big party 😂🤣
Well done for the top feature! Congratulations Arni, cheers! 😍
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Thanks so much, highly appreciate it 😀
Love the view from Thouin Garden :) i am shure your daughter had a great birthday :)
Hi Katrin, oh she was so thrilled to discover the city. Glad she didn't complain about walking the entire day. I'm sure you'd enjoy this part of France. Have a great weekend!
haha I can imagine that ;) maybe I will visit this part after corona ;) thank you have a great weekend too :)
Périgueux is a paradise! Loved the beautiful place. That little restaurant is very creative and adorable. I would too think like you of staying at that place. It's amazing. That Eschif is the most interesting one, like how amazingly structured and how strong it still stands after so many years. Your little girl must had a blast celebrating over there.
Hope you are safe and having a wonderful weekend:)
Hi Sahiba, we were all pleased to have selected this place to book our hotel. There were many restaurants to choose from and the tranquility there was something we really enjoyed while we were there. Thank you for reading and leaving a nice message. Hope you have a great weekend as well!
That place seems like straight out of a movie! The Romanesque-style architecture is wonderful. The city seems really neat and less populated. How interesting it would be to live here, I could totally relate to your sentiments. It would be a very simplistic yet lovely lifestyle. Anyways, your daughter must had a happiest celebration of her birthday in Périgueux.
Keep flourishing!
Hi Praditya, I was also surprised despite having seen a few travel documentaries about the region many years ago. Each village had something unique to offer. It was a great idea to celebrate her birthday this way, a quiet dinner after a long day of walking. Thank you and wishing you a great weekend!
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This was such an unexpected surprise! Thank you very much @choogirl and @pinmapple team for making my day 😀
What an amazing place to visit! I love France and the Auvergne region is so beautiful all year round, but, especially in the Fall when it starts to get cool in so many other places. Your show of the architecture is glorious and you include so many details to make the post wonderful.
I loved their markets there and yours did not disappoint! Thank you for being a part of #MarketFriday!
#MarketFriday has survived the pandemic and has been presented in so many unusual ways, along with more common ones. This, of course, adds more charm to the mixing bowl. The challenge points out our differences, but, then, it also shows many things our cultures share. When the day is done, it shows off how human we all are and how we basically all care about our families and others. We embrace each other as humans.
I love the experience of it all. I appreciate the love and support given to #MarketFriday! Thank you! Truly! Your participation adds a piece of your world, and I have to say, people are interested in is seeing it. This entire challenge has opened up the world to me and so many others. Thank you again for being a part of all this! I am so happy to see you here! I hope you have a fabulous day! Hive on!!
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Upped and reposted
Thank you so much @dswigle for your lovely message. Hopefully, I'd be able to feature an interesting place one of these days from where I am currently based during #MarketFriday. Have a beautiful weekend!
It was a wonderful post! Thank you!
I toured Bordeaux a couple of years ago and your post brought back fond memories. Loved that part of France. Nice post.
Sorry for my late reply, less sleep and lots of work lately. I'm glad this brought back travel memories of France. Wonderful isn't it how villages and regions in France are never the same, there's always something new to discover. Thank you for reading and for your kind words.
It’s really an amazing city, nice markets. And pretty fascinating buildings. Have a nice walk there..
Hello @razack-pulo, I'm always curious to check out markets of every place I visit. Getting to know the city by their food and local produce. Whenever possible, by taste as well. Thank you very much for the Foodies Bee Hive mention by the way.
Wow! What a wonderful trip! I especially loved the house on the wall. Was it the original or just a reconstruction? It was interesting to see it on top of that little "wall". Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Hello @xcountytravelers, thank you for reading, it was a pleasure to sort through travel photos, write about it and re-live the moment. The medieval house was built in 1347 and is an original one as well as the little wall which was an original part of the ramparts that they were able to preserve. The rest of the ramparts sadly were destroyed when they built the big house beside it.
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