20 Attractions to Explore Near Le Gouffre

A 17th-century manor house which was located at Salignac-Eyvigues. The castle was surrounded by a Italian Renaissance garden and an elaborate topiary garden which gives a greenish shade to the castle which is set on the top of a hill. The castle and the garden is a good example for the ancient living style and the garden is listed by the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

Pech Merle is one of the most striking cave art sites which was open to the public. A large cave with over two kilometers of underground tunnels and caverns which was decorated with prehistoric paintings. The walls of seven of the chambers at Pech Merle have fresh, lifelike images of a woolly mammoth, spotted horses, bovids, reindeer, handprints, and some human figures. One of the nice location which is famous in this area.

The garden of Marqueyssac is one of the finest achievements in the history of French gardens. It consists of six kilometers of shaded alleys, edged by 150,000 had pruned, hundred-year-old box trees. This garden was set on a rocky spur which overlooking the Dordogne valley. This immaculately maintained garden was developed around a traditional 17th-century chateau and offer a befitting belvedere balcony from where visitors can enjoy glorious views of the Dordogne Valley 130 meters below.

A majestic 12th century castle which stands high over the Dordogne valley, with magnificent views of the Châteaux of Beynac, Jardins de Marqueyssac and the medieval village of La Roque-Gageac. It was now a museum displaying the art of warfare in the Middle Ages. Inside, it has a unique private collection of arms and armour, as well as furniture from the period. The castle has a picturesque setting on the side of a hill and offers magnificent panoramic views over the Dordogne Valley.

A 12th-century majestic castle which was one of the most authentic and well-conserved in the region. It offers a magnificent view over the valley of five castles. It was built on a plateau with a sheer cliff to one side on the banks of the Dordogne River. Surrounding the chateau is the lovely village of Beynac-et-Cazenac, one of Frances Les plus beaux villages de France or designated Beautiful Villages.

The Château des Milandes is a French castle located in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, in the Dordogne department. It was built in 1489 and was then the main residence of the lords of Caumont who also owned the castle of Castelnaud. The windows mullioned covered windows are pierced but turrets, spiral staircases, and gargoyles, architectural elements from the Middle Ages are kept. It was one of the renowned attractions in this area.

Lascaux is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac. It houses some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings. There are around 600 paintings which are mostly of animals. Besides these paintings, which represent most of the major images, there are also around 1400 engravings of a similar order which are dated to c. 17,000 – c. 15,000 BCE.

The castle of Commarque takes place on the town of Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil. Built on a rocky outcrop in the Beune Valley, it faces Laussel castle on the other side of Beune. This castle has been nicknamed the Fortress forgotten because of its difficult access. One of the majestic building of the 15th century and it will be a worth visit.

Pont Valentré is a 14th-century six-span fortified stone arch bridge crossing the Lot River to the west of Cahors, in France. This massive bridge took 70 years to complete from 1308 to 1378 and never saw combat, although its arduous construction lead to a legend of a deal with the devil. The bridge was classified in 1998 as a world heritage site and it can only be crossed by foot.

The cave of Font-de-Gaume is an ornate French cave located in the former commune of Eyzies-de-Tayac, in the Dordogne department. Its walls have more than 200 Magdalenian engravings and paintings. It is among the last major decorated caves in France with polychrome works, which are open to the public. The works are comparable in their richness to those of Arcy-sur-Cure, Altamira or Lascaux , even if their state of conservation is much less.

The Grand Roc cave is located on the territory of the French commune of Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in Périgord Noir. the particularity of the Grand Roc lies in its extraordinary eccentric formations which give the impression of evolving in a "mineral forest". Throughout the tour, it is only a tangle of crystallizations of great diversity: stalagmites, eccentric concretions, fistulas , gours, triangles, columns, draperies, etc.

Rouffignac Cave is one of the largest caves which was located in the Dordogne département which contains around, which contains over 250 engravings and cave paintings dating back to the Upper Paleolithic. There is over 8 km of underground caverns and tunnels which was open to the public. Visitors are taken to the prehistoric art on an electric train and a journey deep into the cave that lasts about an hour.

The Proumeyssac gulf is a natural cavity in the town of Audrix, in Dordogne, in the department of Dordogne, in region New Aquitaine. It is open to visitors. Among the natural sites of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the site ranks fifth in terms of tourist attendance in 2018 with 131,036 visitors.

The Périgord Noir aquarium is, with more than 6,000 fish, the largest private freshwater aquarium in France . It is located in the Dordogne department , in the commune of Bugue , just next to the village of Bournat. Pike , catfish , sturgeon and other fluvial species are presented to the public through bay windows. Different species of fish are visible in the different rooms of the aquarium.

The Château de Hautefort is a French château and gardens located in the town of Hautefort in the Dordogne. The castle was originally a medieval fortress that was reconstructed in the 17th century, and embellished with a jardin à la française. In 1853, the landscape architect, Count of Choulot, redesigned the gardens, adding a landscape garden, geometric flower gardens, topiary gardens imitating the domes of the château, and a long tunnel of greenery.

The Bonaguil castle is a marvel of medieval architecture situated between Périgord and Quercy in the village of Saint-Front-sur-Lémance near Fumel which was built in the 13th century. It forms a set, unique in Europe, of gigantic proportions and in an outstanding state of conservation.

The Château de Biron is a castle in the valley of the Lède in France. Chateau de Biron occupies a strategic position on the borders of Périgord and Agenais not far from the fortified town of Monpazier. Today the castle belongs to the département of the Dordogne and is listed among the Major Sites of Aquitaine and as a Historical Monument. The present château bears additions over the centuries that make it a picturesque ensemble.

Puy Mary is one of the highest points in Cantal at 1,780 meters in altitude. Seven glacial valleys surround its summit in a star pattern. Part of an old, dormant volcano with a diameter of nearly 80 kilometers, the iconic and majestic Puy Mary is a protected site, certified a Great Site of France since 2012. One of the nice trekking destinations and also a nice picnic spot.

The Mounts of Cantal are a mountainous massif in the mid-west of the Massif Central, France, made up of the remnants of the largest stratovolcano of Europe, which was formed 13 million years ago and last erupted approximately 2 million years ago. However, the main part of the volcanic activity was concentrated between 8.5 and 7 million years ago. Thereafter, the original volcano was largely eroded, massive landslides occurred, and it was further eroded by glaciers and water.

Périgueux Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral. Located in the city centre of Périgueux, it has been classified as a historic monument since 1840 and World Heritage in 1998. It is an imposing historic monument that dominates the skyline of this town in the centre of the Dordogne department in south-west France.