The Périgord Noir has more castles, cliff villages and painted caves than you could see in a month. These are the ones we send our own guests to, all within an hour of Sol du Mazel.
Checked 11 September 2026. Hours and prices change, so follow the links to the official sites before you set off. Distances are from Sol du Mazel.
Sol du Mazel sits in the hills south of the Dordogne, about ten minutes from Domme and twenty-five from Sarlat. Almost everything on this page is a day out that leaves time for the pool afterwards. Distances are from the house and are approximate. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you set off.
Castles
The river was the front line of the Hundred Years War. Beynac held for France, Castelnaud for England, and they glare at each other across five kilometres of water to this day.
Château de Castelnaud
A fortress on a cliff opposite Beynac housing the museum of medieval warfare.
The trebuchet firings and the guided "assault" tours are the thing children remember. No booking needed. Open every day except Christmas Day.
Château de Beynac
An intact medieval fortress rising straight out of the village above the river.
Steep, atmospheric and proper. Under tens go free. Open daily, no reservation.
Château des Milandes
Josephine Baker's home from 1947, with her story told room by room.
The free-flight birds of prey shows in the gardens. Combine it with Castelnaud, which is next door.
Château de Commarque
A ruined fortress reached on foot across a meadow, with a prehistoric cave beneath it.
Feels like a discovery. A "little knight" trail for ages four to seven was added in 2026. Open April to September, with evening openings in high summer.
La Roque Saint-Christophe
A fort and village cut into a cliff 80 metres high and about a kilometre long, above the Vézère.
Ladders, ledges and reconstructed medieval machines. Guided tours and summer evening visits.
Villages
Domme
A royal bastide of 1281 on a cliff 250 metres above the river, with a cave beneath the market square.
Our nearest town. Thursday morning market, the walk round the ramparts, ice cream on the belvedere. The cave has a lift back up.
La Roque-Gageac
Houses stacked against a south-facing cliff, with palms and banana trees in the exotic garden by the church.
Board a gabarre boat here for the river view of the castles.
Sarlat
The best-preserved medieval town in France, lit by gas lamps at night.
Wednesday and Saturday markets, and the winter truffle market from December to mid March.
Monpazier
The model English bastide, founded by Edward I in 1284, with its grid of streets and arcaded square intact.
Quiet, flat and easy with a pushchair.
Belvès
A hilltop town with troglodyte dwellings six metres below the market square.
Saturday morning market, Wednesday evening market in July and August.
Daglan and Saint-Cyprien
Our two nearest Sunday markets.
Daglan is the small local one, five minutes away. Saint-Cyprien has 150 stalls or more in summer.
Caves
The Vézère valley has the densest concentration of prehistoric art in the world. Two rules: book online, and take a jumper, because caves are cool even in August.
Lascaux IV, Montignac
A full-size facsimile of the painted cave found by four teenagers in 1940, with a museum alongside.
The Sistine Chapel of prehistory. Tickets are sold online only, none at the door.
Font de Gaume, Les Eyzies
The last original polychrome painted cave still open to the public.
Seventy-eight visitors a day in groups of twelve. Online booking only since 2021; under 18s go free but still need a ticket.
Grotte de Rouffignac
An electric train runs a kilometre into a cave of mammoth engravings.
No walking, so it suits toddlers and grandparents. Book online.
Gouffre de Proumeyssac, Audrix
The "crystal cathedral", a vast chamber you can enter by basket, eleven at a time.
The basket descent must be booked. Under fours go free.
Grotte du Grand Roc, Les Eyzies
A small cave crammed with crystal formations, forty minutes to see.
Thursday evening visits by oil lamp in summer.
Grottes de Maxange, Le Buisson
Cave of eccentric crystals with a new play trail and viewpoint in 2026.
Short, sparkly and close.
Grotte de Bara-Bahau, Le Bugue
Engraved animals 15,000 years old.
Pair it with the aquarium next door in Le Bugue.
Roc de Cazelle, Les Eyzies
Cliff dwellings with reconstructed prehistoric scenes on a free-flow trail.
About an hour, outdoors, good for restless children.
Gardens
Marqueyssac, Vézac
150,000 clipped box trees on a spur above the river, with paths, a play area and a via ferrata.
Candlelit Thursday evenings in July and August, with 2,000 candles and a separate ticket sold online.
Manoir d'Eyrignac, Salignac
Formal green gardens around a manor, open April to October.
White picnics on Monday evenings in July and August, no booking needed for the gardens.
Les Jardins d'Eau, Carsac
Lotus and lily ponds with 500 metres of walkways, open May to September.
Children go free.
“You really don't have to leave the site, but when you do, the castles are twenty minutes away.”
A Sol du Mazel guest
Questions we are asked
- Which castle is best with young children?
- Castelnaud. The trebuchet demonstrations run daily from April to November, the museum is full of things to look at, and there is no booking. Milandes, next door, adds the birds of prey show.
- Do we need to book the caves?
- Yes for Lascaux IV, Font de Gaume, Rouffignac and the Proumeyssac basket, all of which sell online only or sell out. Book several days ahead in July and August.
- How far is Sarlat from Sol du Mazel?
- About 19 kilometres, 25 minutes by car. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday mornings.