Curious how your holiday could look like ? Have a look at the below of how you could spend your week.
Friday (arrival day)
Install yourself in your accommodation, enjoy your first dive in the pool and finish the day with a nice pizza at the “Guinguette” of Laussou, our ‘neighbor’ at only a few 100’s of metres walk :) A great place to go with kids.
Saturday: Market day
Start your holiday with a visit to the beautiful medieval village of Villereal. The Saturday market is one of the nicest markets in the region with plenty of fresh foods, wines and all sorts of other regional products. Don’t forget to pass at Sophie’s to try a traditional Tourtière. It's our favourite cake and we're curious to hear how you like it ;) In case you're love cakes, just like ourselves, have a stop of bakery "Au four à Pain" to try their nut cake (another regional specialty!). To avoid summer holiday busyness and shop with the locals, make sure you arrive before 10h.
Yes, groceries are done! Now let's ease down to holiday rhythm with a great afternoon at the pool.
On Saturday we offer an home-made made "Lavish Lasagne" . A super tasty lasagne with a French touch.
Even though our example program is too filled to get the slow holiday you might imagine, we've still missed so many nice things the region has to offer.
But you've understood: Chateau Barayre is a great place for the active traveller, but also if you prefer to take it easy and fill your holiday with long pool days!
Sunday: Games & Galettes
Start your Sunday with the best croissants in the region from bakery Andraline in Monflanquin . If you arrived on Saturday and are in need of groceries, or in case you just love farmers markets in romantic villages; visit the farmers market in Issigeac. Just be aware, the setting is beautifull, but it can get very busy in summer! Close to Issigeac you’ll find the castle of Bridoire. A beautifully restored castle with a large field of medieval games and a labyrinth to get lost :) You can buy lunch at their restaurant but they also allow for onsite picnics with your own food in their very nice and shaded picnic area.
Galette evening! We offer all guests a warm welcome with homemade Breton Galettes and pancakes Laussou style Nice way to meet the hosts and the other guests.
Monday; Medieval (feast) day.
Many different medieval festivals take place in the July and August period. They are very well organised (not too commercial) and attract a nice mix of tourists and locals often dressed in medieval attire Although the theme 'medieval' - is similar, the size, type and program make that the festivals are pretty different. Want to go local? We have plenty of medieval outfits available at the castle for small and big queens, kings and knights. Next to the festivals there are plenty of beautiful castles. Our favourite castles are those of Biron (biggest castle of South-West France, also nice possibilities of horseback driving) Duras (great shows!), Bridoire (great for kids with many medieval games), Bonaguil (beautiful mix of half ruin, half intact and dark dungeons).
Back at 'home' in the castle, let's heat up some coles for a BBQ night ?
Tuesday; Canoe day
Canoeing combines the best of worlds: tourism and activity. If you leave from Saint Cyprien, they bring you with a van a few kilometers upwards. From there on you descend the Dordogne river along plenty of beautiful castles. If tired after canoeing, it's not a bad idea to chill out on one of these river beaches
Tired to cook? Have a stopover in Monpazier for dinner at “Privilege du Perigord”. Take some time for a stroll in the village because it’s breathtakingly beautiful. Alternatively, no less beautiful would be a stop in Molières (on their romantic still unpaved market square!) We recommend bistro Le Piquelin. Buisson de Cadouin (Unesco Heritage Cloister) or village (with medieval underground homes) of Belves are other great alternative stops on the way home.
Wednesday: Brocante day
Visit the best brocante of the region in Belves (every Wednesday in July and August with both professional as well as private sellers. Have a food or a picnic after the market in along the Dordogne. By the way: in the past the rivers Dordogne (as well as the Lot) were important for trade and activity. Not much is left of all this the historic activity, but the medieval paper mill in Couze-et-Saint-Front is very much worth a visit.
Maybe you had already discovered the concept of the 'marché gourmande', something that almost all villages in the region organize, but if not, it's about time that you do! On an evening market local restaurants and caterers present fresh foods which can be consumed at long tables. Usually accompanied by a band its a great atmosphere. If you like it, you can find evening markets at every night of the week!
Thursday: Wine tasting day
We're surrounded by the wine regions of Bergerac (north), Duras (west) and Cahors (east). The famous Saint-Emilion is only an hour drive. Although we know great vineyards in all regions, we ourselves are big fans of Cahors. Have a tasting at one of our favourite vineyards. Want to make your wine visit unforgettable? Book a wine tour with local winemaker Clement Paganie through the beautiful Lot valley (where they make Cahors) in a Deux-Chevaux! Very nice to do in this area as well: visit the village of Puy de l’Eveque and from there, take a boat trip over the river Lot. The trip is nice and well organised and through beautiful scenery.
If you're not the biggest wine drinker or just prefer an easy day; work on your table tennis skills, play babyfoot, badminton, pétanque or Kings Game. Or just les your kids go wild on the ninja parcours while you are enjoying your favourite book :)
Pizza night at the castle! Bake your own wood over pizza's in our Ooni oven. You'll see, it's great fun! In case you don't want the hassle of making your own dough, we can offer you our own home-made pizza dough. Isn’t the day long enough? Chill out with a glass of wine at a campfire.
Friday: Dordogne day
Will you go for the prehistory parcours along the world famous caves of Lascaux and La Roque Saint-Christophe ? Or will you go for a visit to the village of Domme with its cave under the market square ? A visit to scenic village of Domme can very nicely be combined with visits to Castlenaud (beautiful restored castle in amazing village and impressive large weaponry), Jardins de Marqueyssac with their unique garden and the 'voie ferree'; a secured climb along a steep mountain ridge. Also worth a visit are the scenic castle of Milandes (previous home of Josephine Baker) or Domaine de Vielcroze (nut museum) for those that like to know all about nut production!
If you don't mind a longer drive: the Gouffre de Padirac is a unique natural gem. Be sure to reserve your visit in advance.
In case you don't want to cook on your last evening, visit one of the best evening markets. What's a better end of your holiday than great food and a little dance? The marché gourmande (evening food market) in Tournon d'Agenais is known for its festive atmosphere.
