Here are the available villas for rental in Dordogne.

Review by val from wigan

The Dordogne is such a special part of France, a river flowing through historic countryside with castles topping hills,prehistoric hillside caves to explore. exquisite towns to wander and shop.canoeing down the river for people who prefer a more physical activity or a lazy float down the river for people who prefer to chill. restaurants serving a variety of gourmand meals, specialities of the regional foods not to be missed. To make it special try floating over the dordogne in a hot air balloon,it is astoundingly awsome. Vineyards producing some fantastic wines to be sampled. I challenge you to visit the Dordogne and not to fall in love with the area.

Review by Eileen from Dronfield

Beautiful lush landscape alive with wildlife, dotted with fruit and corn fields. Magnificent Chateaux that once served to protect, now enchant and enthrall their many visitors. Fresh locally grown produts sold at bustling markets throughout the Dordogne. Living history presented through pre-historic sites that have been lived in at different time periods. Culturally and educationally enlightening, warm and welcoming.

French class

From the Daily Mail

We will never understand the French. In theory, we don't even like them. But we can't keep out of their country.
France remains the number one destination for British holidaymakers because it covers all the bases: sun, sumptuous food and landscape, a rich culture and a thick seam of sensuality.
In the dour days of January, it's enough to fuel a dream or two. The reality need not bust your wallet.
A good, mid-range hotel can be had for between £30 and £45 a night for a double room even in summer. Camping, of course, comes cheaper. And £40 should ensure a decent meal for two, with drinks. It may be much cheaper.
At first sight, the Dordogne seems tailor-made to promote well-being. The countryside runs with rivers (the Dordogne itself is merely the biggest).
Golden-stone villages climb up and even into cliffs, and glow in the morning sun. Forests and fat fields fill markets with some of France's finest food.
No wonder in summer it's standing-room only in the medieval and Renaissance streets of Sarlat and Perigueux. The abundant castles and fortified towns (bastides) were never originally designed as visitor attractions.
Beyond the buzzing restaurant terraces and zillion opportunities for recreational canoeing, the landscape has a tougher sub-text.
The must sees are the towns of Sarlat and Perigueux; riverside villages of Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac; Lascaux cave paintings reproduced at Lascaux II, Montignac; Roque St Christophe prehistoric cliff-face settlement; fortified towns of Domme and Monflanquin; castles at Hautefort and Jumilhac; Auvezëre Gorges.
The drawback is that in summer the main tourist sites throng, especially with British visitors, particularly in Riberac area. ... more

Secrets of the Perigord

From the Daily Mail

What is it about the Dordogne that draws tens of thousands of us every summer? Many spend holidays there; others have retirement homes having converted an old stone barn, perhaps, or restored a steep-roofed farmhouse tucked into a patchwork of orchards, fields and forest.
The Dordogne, like Tuscany, provides an idyllic version of the British countryside. The oak woods, rolling hills and broad, sweeping riverscapes have echoes of home - but with a better climate. Summers are long and warm - but with enough rain to keep the landscape green and fresh. We may be on holiday, but we feel at home.
And we also see it as quintessentially French: here are old stone villages, housewives gossiping on doorsteps, children running down cobbled streets clutching lunchtime baguettes, farmers pottering about on old-fashioned tractors and still selling their produce at weekly markets.
Given its popularity, how do you plan a holiday where you won't find yourself stuck in an endless traffic jam behind yet another car with a GB plate? Or where it turns out that the people in the neighbouring gite live just up the road from you at home?
Taking the Dordogne region by region, here's our guide to getting the best from perhaps the most beautiful countryside in France. Note that many people refer to the Dordogne by its pre-Revolutionary name of Perigord.
Perigord noir (Black Perigord) is the holiday heartland of the region. Most of the big sights are here, including the best of the Stone Age cave paintings and the most popular market town, Sarlat. But the region's roads can get choked with summer traffic and the tourist hotspots can become too busy for their own good.
That's not to say it doesn't make an excellent area for a holiday - it is popular because it's so pretty.
The long, sweeping meanders of the river, stone-built villages, the picturesque streets and squares of Sarlat - these are what most people identify as typical images of the Dordogne. You can enjoy them without being too bothered by crowds, as long as you pick your accommodation carefully. Take a gite in the hills north of Salignac, for example, still within striking distance of the sights and of Sarlat.
Perigord Pourpre (Crimson Perigord) coincides roughly with the Bergerac winemaking district. Much of the area immediately around Bergerac is dull and flat, but there are prettier parts especially up in the hills northwest of Bergerac, a wonderfully peaceful area of woodland and vineyards (the dry white wine here is excellent), and along the southern borders of the region around Issigeac and Monpazier. ... more

Out for a duck

The Palaeolithic cave paintings of The Dordogne are among the wonders of the world. They are beautiful and mysterious.
Not the least of their mysteries is that among the profusion of artfully delineated bison, woolly mammoth and reindeer, there is not a single duck or goose.
These days the region is in the web-footed grip of these birds. They abound in the fields, they crowd the market stalls, and they are ubiquitous upon the menus of every hostelry.
The beak excepted, almost every part of the bird make its way to the table. The cooks of south-western France pride themselves on their sturdy, flavoursome cuisine.
It is, as the local saying has it, 'sans beurre' and 'sans rapproche'.
This vaunted absence of butter should not be taken for some sort of low-cal option. For butter (and, indeed, oil) is simply replaced in most recipes by lashings of goose or duck fat.
The rich dripping is employed in preserving duck confits, blending goose pates, basting magrets de canard,and - in a rare excursion into the vegetable world - for sauteing the splendid potatoes sarladaise.
It seeps, too, from the local speciality, foie gras, the engorged liver of a force-fed goose or duck.
The Dordognoise seem to regard it as a duty to eat as much foie gras as possible. They serve it up whole, in pate or as a garnish. We were even presented with it as the base of a savoury creme brulee.
It is now so popular that supply struggles to keep up with demand. And it is a matter of local anxiety that false and adulterated foie gras is coming onto the market from Eastern Europe and beyond, tarnishing the reputation of the delicacy.
Oliver Gourdon, the charming young chef at Côte Bastide in St Foy le Grand, readily directed me towards his approved foie gras producer at the town's bustling Saturday market.
He also urged me to try the local goat cheeses, and to sample oysters from the Bay of Arcachon, west of Bordeaux.
Such tips are useful, for the markets are riots of choice. The towns come alive on market days -or, rather, 'market mornings'; by 1pm the townfolk have retreated behind their shutters. ... more