East of Bordeaux, the landscape changes character entirely. The flat Garonne plain gives way to the valleys of the Dordogne and the Vézère, where ochre-coloured cliffs rise above rivers of extraordinary clarity, and where the density of prehistoric sites — Lascaux, Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume, Rouffignac — makes this one of the most culturally significant landscapes in human history. Add to this the medieval villages of Sarlat-la-Canéda and the bastides of the Périgord Blanc, the black truffle markets of Périgueux, the foie gras producers of the Périgord Noir, and a cluster of châteaux overlooking the Dordogne itself, and you have a destination of inexhaustible depth. FFGR Bordeaux brings it within effortless reach from Bordeaux, by private chauffeur, in a single day.
Bordeaux to the Dordogne: The Journey East
The drive from central Bordeaux to the heart of the Périgord Noir — Sarlat-la-Canéda or Les Eyzies — takes approximately two hours by the most direct route, passing through Bergerac and the vineyards of its appellation. Our chauffeurs know the scenic alternatives: the route through the Dordogne valley via Castillon-la-Bataille, or the southern approach through the Lot-et-Garonne, that add thirty minutes to the journey but replace motorway driving with landscape that justifies the detour.
Departure from Bordeaux at 8 a.m. allows a full six hours in the destination area before the return journey, timed to reach Bordeaux before dinner. An earlier start, or an overnight stay in a local property, allows the programme to extend without time pressure.
Sarlat-la-Canéda: The Preserved Jewel
Sarlat is the most perfectly preserved medieval town in France — its compact historic centre, constructed almost entirely in the same warm limestone that characterises the Périgord, has remained largely unchanged since the fifteenth century. The Saturday market fills the Place de la Liberté and the surrounding streets with producers of foie gras, duck confit, black truffles, walnuts, and the saffron-yellow cèpes that define Périgord cuisine.
FFGR Bordeaux deposits clients in the town's designated drop-off zone and waits at a designated point. The historic centre is best explored on foot; two to three hours allows a thorough visit including the market, the cathedral of Saint-Sacerdos, the lanterne des morts, and the covered market halls. A lunch reservation at one of the town's traditional restaurants completes the Sarlat sequence.
The Prehistoric Sites: Lascaux and Les Eyzies
The Vézère Valley holds the world's greatest concentration of decorated prehistoric caves, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of extraordinary significance. The Lascaux caves — originally discovered in 1940, now accessible via the Lascaux IV international cave art centre — host the finest examples of Palaeolithic painting anywhere on earth. A privately guided visit, arranged through FFGR Bordeaux's concierge network, provides a substantially richer experience than the standard group format.
Les Eyzies, the self-styled "capital of prehistory," is home to the Musée National de Préhistoire and within walking distance of the Font-de-Gaume cave — one of the last remaining sites where original polychrome paintings may be seen by the public, in very limited numbers. Reservations for Font-de-Gaume must be made weeks in advance; our team can assist with this process.
Gastronomy: The Périgord Table
Périgord cuisine is among the most honest and most celebrated in France: foie gras in its proper form — neither overworked nor overcomplicated — duck confit, sarladaise potatoes, black truffles shaved over scrambled eggs or omelets, walnut oil on a green salad. These are not special occasion dishes in the Périgord; they are the everyday table. At the right restaurant, in the right season, a Périgord lunch is a profound experience.
FFGR Bordeaux's concierge function extends to restaurant reservations in the Dordogne: we work with a curated selection of addresses from simple ferme-auberges to the gastronomic tables of Sarlat and Les Eyzies, making reservations that align with the day's programme in terms of location and timing.
The Châteaux of the Dordogne
The Dordogne valley is watched over by a succession of medieval fortresses, many of them dating from the Hundred Years' War when England and France contested this precise territory. Beynac, Castelnaud, Milandes (associated with Josephine Baker), Marqueyssac with its extraordinary sculpted gardens — these are properties of enormous historic and visual interest, accessible from a single base in the valley floor.
A château circuit can be incorporated into a day that also includes Sarlat and a prehistoric site, depending on the season's visiting hours and the client's particular interests. Our team designs the sequence to minimise retracing of routes and maximise time at each site.
Planning Your Dordogne Day
A Bordeaux–Dordogne day trip is best booked with a minimum of forty-eight hours' notice to allow restaurant reservations and, where applicable, pre-arranged access to the most sought-after sites. We request an initial conversation about the client's interests — prehistory, gastronomy, medieval architecture, gastronomy — and build the itinerary accordingly.
The day is priced as a full-day chauffeur retention: a single flat rate for the vehicle from morning pickup to evening return. Entrance fees to sites, restaurant reservations, and any guide fees are additional, billed separately or arranged by the client directly. A proposed itinerary with estimated timings is shared in advance for client approval.