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Discover the route of the French Dordogne and the Perigord by motorhome, car or on your own with the great Instagramer family @omplintlavidaenmotorhome. A trip that will make you fall in love through the story of a trip to the great France of the most amazing villages, caves, prehistoric sites and castles in France.
Without a doubt this Catalan family of 4 are one of our favorite instagramers in the world of caravanning and campering. Their posts on Instagram add value to the world of motorhome and camper and help inspire us to plan and decide on future routes.
They are a family from Barcelona made up of 4 members: Ignasi y Laura, and their little ones Would go y Aran.
They are very active, curious, dreamers, with illusions to fulfill. They love to travel, do different things, discover new places, go on excursions, they are very fond of the mountains but also of the sea.
In 2019, you could fulfill one of your greatest dreams to buy your motorhome and since then, your biggest hobby is thinking about new destinations to discover, new routes to do, in kilometers to travel and thus be able to transmit this way of life to your children and see world.
"Omplint Life in a Motorhome / Filling Life in a Motorhome”Defines very well this idea of not only going through life, of being alive, but the attitude of filling it with everything that makes them happy.
Basic guide to travel to the French Dordogne and the Perigord by motorhome
Regulations and motorhome culture
Traveling in France in a motorhome is the easiest. Without a doubt, the motorhome routes in France are among the best in Europe.
France by motorhome is very easy as it has the largest network of motorhome areas in Europe. Motorhome areas with all the services of emptying and filling with water and many with electricity. Most of the overnight areas for motorhomes or campers are municipal free or at very low prices, less than € 10 24 hours.
In practically all points of interest or tourist towns you will find a motorhome area, and generally always central or well connected to the center of the towns.
The French have a PhD in camping and caravanning and it shows.
In most areas it is also allowed to take out tables and chairs, there are few prohibitions, more than common sense so as not to disturb the rest of the motorhome or neighboring neighbors.
The regulations in France also regulate that you can park and spend the night anywhere that a vehicle can do it, as long as it is not camped (you leave the perimeter of your vehicle, that is, take out tables, chairs, etc ...). You will not see signs of prohibited motorhomes as can happen to you in Spain or in other countries.
Carreteras
In general the roads are very good in France. The national ones usually have a hard shoulder and are usually fine, although depending on the area you will find many changes in grade, curves and a lot of two-way traffic.
The route: The French Dordogne and the Perigord by motorhome or camper a real success
First of all it must be said that we declare ourselves absolute in love with France ... France never disappoints ... but in our opinion, the Black Périgord and the Dordogne Valley (located just a few hours from the border) is the destination of southwestern France that not to be missed.
The route that we are going to do in the French department of Dordogne (Dordogne) around the river that gives its name to the department is in the part of the so-called Black Perigord (through villages and castles) is one of the most beautiful that can be done, and it has an incredible charm.
The Perigord is divided into 4 zones that are distinguished by different colors:
- The Green Perigord (Perigord Vert): This territory, located to the north, revolves around Brântome. It is a land of castles and forests, in which the Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park stands out, an area of green meadows crossed by many streams.
- The White Perigord (Perigord Blanc): located in the center of the region, it is the territory that is around Périgueux, and owes its name to the color of the limestone so characteristic of this area.
- The Purple Perigord (Purple Perigord): it is located to the southwest and is the territory that is around Bergerac, the city of Cyrano. It is the region of the fortified cities or medieval bastides, and of the vineyards. The color of its wines gives it that purple name.
- El Black Perigord(Black Périgord): it is the oldest of the four areas and is located in the southeast of the region. It is the area around Sarlat, whose name and color is given by the thick mantle of chestnut and oak forests, and by one of its most representative products: the truffle.
Reasons to visit the Dordogne Valley and the Perigord by motorhome or camper
Among the 154 French villages with the seal "The most beautiful villages in France”10 are in the Dordogne department, of which 9 are in the Périgord Noir.
These 10 charming villages: Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, Beynac, La-Roque-Gageac, Saint-Jean-de-Côle, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Saint-Amand-de-Coly, Limeuil, Domme, Monpazier and Belvès allow walks in exceptional architectural settings.
As for the cities, Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat, they are declared "Cities of Art and History"
For us it is an ideal area to visit with children as it has numerous leisure activities to do with the family., especially with the little ones: canoe rides, canoes or gavarras along the river, visiting ancient troglodyte cities, bicycle rides along greenways with a special charm, children's theme parks, castles, caves, gardens with incredible panoramic views ...
So if you are one of those who like places that reflect the essence of a culture, who love tranquility, magical paths through forests, bordering rivers, and arriving every few kilometers to a town that seems an enchanted place, With its stone houses, roofs, frozen in time and the charm of yesteryear combined with lavish castles perched on rocky ledges overlooking a river and countryside, this is the Dordogne valley, one of the French rural paradises that to we loved visiting.
The 8 essential plans of the French Dordogne and the Perigord by motorhome or camper van
Sarlat- La- Caneda is one of the most famous cities of art and medieval history in France and the first town in Europe for the number of protected buildings per square meter….
In our view, visiting these 10 towns is FORCED If we go through the area, they are fairytale villages in an exceptional environment with magnificent views over the valley and the rivers ...
Apart from seeing castles and fortresses of the 10 most beautiful villages, you should consider visiting 5 more castles on the French Dordogne and Perigord route by motorhome.
An essential first. Le Maison Forte de Reignac, is a fortress-castle attached to a natural rock wall in order to be protected and hidden in times past….
Eyzies has a beautiful “Troglodyte Refuge” that merges between the houses of the town and the large rock that shelters it.
You can visit the inside, but seeing it from the outside is also worth it….
The Marqueyssac Gardens are one of the most romantic and picturesque in France, offering over 6 kilometers of shady walks, surrounded by 150.000 hand-felled century-old box trees and adorned with terraces, rockery, water paths and spectacular views over the valley. , an essential for your route of the Dordogne and the Perigord in motorhome ...
The Proumeyssac caves are mainly a huge cavern and inside there are some incredible collections of stalactites and stalagmites ...
Les Cabanes du Breuil is located between Sarlat (9 km) and Les Eyzies (12 km).
It is an original farm made up of a set of dry stone buildings dating from the XNUMXth century, in the heart of the Dordogne forest ...
Located in the town of Le Bugue, on our route through the French Dordogne and the Perigord by motorhome, we find this theme park that shows what life was like in France in 1900. It is worth investing the whole day in your visit as it offers multiple things to see and do ...
Motorhome areas and campsites on the route of the Dordogne Valley and the Perigord by motorhome
When we did this route we still did not have our motorhome and we were staying in one of the many campsites in the area: Le Moulin de Roch. It should be said that in summer there is a large influx of visitors, so there are many campsites that also offer many activities for children and adults: canoe or canoe rental, miniclub activities, night shows, almost all with swimming pools.
All the motorhome and camper areas that are in this area are paid but they have all the services and are very well located to visit the towns:
SARLAT LA CANEDA BY MOTORHOME
44.895401, 1.21258 (lat, lng)
N 44 ° 53 ′ 43.44 ″, E 1 ° 12 ′ 45.28 ″ (lat, lng)
DOMME IN MOTORHOME
44.8008, 1.22175 (lat, lng)
N 44 ° 48 ′ 2.88 ″, E 1 ° 13 ′ 18.3 ″ (lat, lng)
LA ROQUE GAGEAC IN A MOTORHOME
44.8244, 1.1841 (lat, lng)
N 44 ° 49 ′ 27.84 ″, E 1 ° 11 ′ 2.75 ″ (lat, lng)
TIME IN MOTORHOME
44.824501, 1.16955 (lat, lng)
N 44 ° 49 ′ 28.2 ″, E 1 ° 10 ′ 10.38 ″ (lat, lng)
CASTELNAUD LA CHAPELLE BY MOTORHOME:
44.81562, 1.144095 (lat, lng)
N 44 ° 48 ′ 56.23 ″, E 1 ° 8 ′ 38.74 ″ (lat, lng)
