Ste Foy la Grande

This busy market town on the Dordogne is actually in the Gironde department. It straddles the river Dordogne and it has our biggest local shops and nearest main-line railway station.

Ste Foy is a lovely market town, nestling on the banks of the Dordogne, below the wooded hills to the north of the plains which produce the Bergerac wines. Ste Foy was built as a "bastide", a fortified town, by the English in the 11th Century, and its notable architecture spans the ages from that time right through to the early 20th Century.

Porte-Ste-Foy has several hypermarkets and supermarkets, while the old town with its relaxing walks on the banks of the river has several excellent and inexpensive restaurants. There is also a good selection of shops and banks. One of the outstanding things about Ste Foy is its important Saturday market which fills all the streets of the town centre.

Local attractions / amenities -

• On the Dordogne River,

•  11th century bastide town

•  Bergerac wine region

•  Several supermarkets and hypermarket

•  Excellent restaurants

•  Saturday market

St Emilion

St Emilion is regarded as one of the top wine-producing districts in France. It lies outside Castillon-La-Battaille in the direction of Bordeaux, just off the road that runs from Bordeaux to Ste Foy-La-Grande and Bergerac.

St Emilion is a small pretty town of medieval appearance, built on a hill. Almost every square foot of soil as far as the eye can see is covered with neatly trained vines. The little town is a major tourist centre; the vast Tourist Information Office is called La Maison de Vin, and is the centre for many conducted tours of the town and the vineyards surrounding it.

There is car parking both at the foot of the town, and at the top, out of sight of people on foot most of the time. Apart from the stone-built, tile-roofed appearance of the place, its attractions include a wide choice of restaurants, wine merchants (of course), art and craft galleries, and an ancient underground church built into the cliff below at the very top of the town.

Local attractions / amenities

• One of the top wine producing areas in France

• Small pretty town

• Major tourist centre

• Wide choice of restaurants art and craft galleries

• Ancient underground church

Montpon

The other local town is Montpon which grew from the twin villages of Montpon and Menesterol. Montpon is now a market town of 6000 people, and Menesterol is a village amongst pretty scenery on its north western outskirts.

Montpon sits 37 miles from Bordeaux. It is now bypassed by a new auto-route, with an interchange just south of the town. Montpon's main claim to fame is as "the Organ Capital of Europe", which means that several of its pretty churches have notable church organs. What is more likely to attract most people, is its position on the edge of the Double Forest, with its long distance walks, cycle ways, canoeing, and fishing, and its location on the banks of the River Isle. The Isle is one of the largest and prettiest tributaries of the Dordogne.

Montpon's Chandos Leisure Park includes boating facilities. There are a number of places to eat in and around Montpon. It is not a centre of tourism, but it is a useful and attractive country town. On the edge of the square on the main road is an excellent and helpful Syndicat d'Initiative (tourist information office).

Local attractions / amenities

• "the Organ Capital of Europe"

• River Isle Boating facilities

• Long distance walks, cycle ways, canoeing and fishing

• Syndicat d'Initiative

Bergerac

Bergerac is the second largest town in the Dordogne, second only to the administrative capital, Perigueux. As the centre of a major wine-producing area, with a river port with access to the sea via Bordeaux, Bergerac was formerly the most important town in the region. Now it is a busy market town.

Apart from the well-known "Bergerac" wine, the region makes a range of wines including Montravel and Montbazillac. Most of the vineyards lie on the flood plain of the River Dordogne, and on the slopes of the low rolling hills bounding the plain to the north and south. Its harbour on the great River Dordogne helps to explain Bergerac's importance. From here the "gabarres" or river barges carried the wine downstream to the seaport of Bordeaux. Today the gabarres carry tourists up and down the beautiful river. There are many galleries, restaurants and museums. The "old town" lies between the main shopping streets and the river. It is very compact, and is packed with medieval buildings. You can walk along by the river here or take a river trip.

Local attractions / amenities

• Bergerac,

• Montravel and Montbazillac wines On the River Dordogne

• Boat trips

• Galleries

• Museums

• Medieval buildings