Dordogne, France
Now this was something I was not expecting. My mother and I visited this relatively unknown part of France for a friend’s wedding, and were absolutely blown away. Here’s why:
Getting here
First and foremost, you gotta fly into Bordeaux, then rent a car and drive another hour or so (depending on where in this region you are going). Was that totally worth it from Nice? Not sure. It would have been about a 6 hour drive straight from Nice compared to a 1+ hour flight and a 1+ hour drive, but alas, that is what we did.
Where to stay: Hotel Restaurant Bouilhac
Montignac is the name of the town we were in (one of the cuter in the area), and the hotel we stayed at was one of the most spectacular I have ever been to in my life (my mother’s as well). It was the converted home of one of the most successful doctors in 18th century France, and had a great balance between regal and boutique, modern and old.
What to do:
What to do:
Lascaux Caves Museum IV is the main attraction here, as it is some of the earliest works of human art. They have done an insane job replicating the caves to the millimeter for conservation purposes, and have housed it in an architecturally stunning museum that is very much so worth the visit!
Hop from town to town. Montignac was our base, but with our rental car, we were able to visit all the surrounding towns, which were each just beyond cute. Sarlat la Caneda was probably our favorite town, it just truly felt like something straight out of a fairytale! I’ll let these pictures do the rest of the talking:
You’ll also find a lot of wild house-inside-rocks situations in this part of France, like the La Madison Forte, so definitely check them out between towns.
Anyway, this is just a really cute part of France, very romantic (ideal for a wedding), and I highly recommend you visit. You can also combine this with a trip to Bordeaux or to the lavender flower fields, both of which are nearby.
