Bergerac provides a wonderful combination of gentle countryside, picturesque old town and local, gourmet specialities.

The Dordogne, one of the most beautiful rivers of France, winds it way through Bergerac and was once of enormous importance to the region’s economy; it now plays a vital role in local tourism (gabare excursions, fishing, walks along its banks etc.).

Magnificent flower beds adorn the town of Bergerac (which won ‘four flowers’ at the Best Decorated Towns and Villages competition) but, far from being simply a pretty ‘picture’ town, Bergerac lives and thrives thanks to its legendary local gastronomy, regional wines, multitude of activities, flourishing markets, antique fairs and pedestrian walkways.

The renovated old town has been restored to its former beauty and a pleasurable afternoon can be spent simply strolling its streets and relaxing in its shady squares while admiring the museums and restored buildings.

Bergerac’s heritage has been carefully preserved and all renovation carried out with great attention to architectural style:
In the heart of the old town, in the Peyrarède House, the Museum of Tobacco recounts the social and cultural history of tobacco and of civilisations through the ages.
In a brick and timber frame house on the Place de la Myrpe, the Wine and River Transport Museum retraces the tale of a once-flourishing river trade and Bergerac’s river heritage, and of the evolution of wine and the vineyard.
The heart of the old town is formed around the Place de la Myrpe, bordered with delightful timber frame houses, the Place Pélissière, towered over by St Jacques’ Church - a halt on the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage road -and the Récollects Cloisters, now used by Bergerac’s ‘Maison des Vins’, as a wine showroom.

Text :  Bergerac