Beaumont   website
Beaumont has a large church that is worth visiting as part of a tour of surrounding churches and abbeys (along with Montferand, St. Avit Riviere, Cadouin and Belves). It has a supermarket and a petrol station. The town has an excellent ironmongers on the narrow road straight from the village square.

Markets are held in the Place Centrale in Beaumont on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Belves    website
Belves is a beautiful town perched on a hilltop and quite distinct from other surrounding towns with its beautiful faded ochre colours and turrets, perhaps more reminiscent of town in Umbria.

Belves has a supermarket, a selection of bread shops and butchers, a number of small bar, a weekly market held on Saturdays and an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts. There is a good family restaurant on the way into town from Monpazier with a terrace and lovely views.

On the main road below Belves, on the junction with the back road to Domme, is a very good restaurant: Auberge de la Nauze.

Cadouin
Cadouin is a valley village also about 8 kilometres from Le Mas. Cadouin is famous for its cloistered medieval Abbey which was home for many years to one of the shrouds of Christ. The main square has a couple of bars with outdoor seating and in another adjoining square there are a number of interesting galleries and atelier. On the road out of the village towards Beaumont is a good pottery shop

Domme    website
Domme is a stunning walled medieval town located on top of a steep hill overlooking the Dordogne valley and the mighty Dordogne River. On a clear day the views are breathtaking. During the summer time it is full of tourists but don't let that put you off visiting this special French town, especially if you combine it with lunch at L'Esplanade, one of our favorite restaurants (see the Eating Out section) which is situated on the cliff edge with fantastic views from it terraces. Be sure to eat outside if the weather is good or ask for a window table if not.

Issigeac
Issigeac is a pretty medieval town on the road from Villereal to Bergerac. The square and church are worth a look and the restaurant, Chez Alain, is highly recommended.

Les Eyzies
Les Eyzies is home to some of the most significant archaeological finds (see the Dordogne History section). It is an attractive, if a little too touristy, village at the foot of sheer cliffs.

Monflanquin
Monflanquin is a hilltop bastide town on the way to Villeneuve-sur-Lot. It has a fine central square which is unusually set on a slope. Les Arcades on the corner of the square is a great stop for lunch.

Montferand du Perigord
A rural medieval hamlet on a hillside off the road between Beaumont and Cadouin. Pretty but very quiet with no shops, cafes or bars. There is a very pretty little Roman chapel about a kilometre from the top of the road through the hamlet (follow signs).

Sarlat-la-Caneda    website
Known simply as Sarlat, this lovely Renaissance town grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century.  Caught between French and English territory, it was almost left in ruins during the Hundred Years War and again during the Wars of Religion.
Despite this. Sarlat retains a distinctive medieval flavour with its honey-coloured sandstone buildings and enticing streets.

On Saturdays there is an excellent market.  Depending on the season, foie gras, mushrooms, truffles, wonderful vegetables, breads and other delicious fayre are traded among a racket and press of vendors and visitors. Sarlat is definitely worth a visit.  If you want to avoid the crowds, it best to go during the week, to catch the market and get a parking place.... go early.

Siorac-en-Perigord   website
There is a good Intermarche in Siorac and a useful hardware store. There is also a nine-hole golf course nearby!

Villereal    website
Villereal is, along with Monpazier, one of the best preserved bastide towns in the regions. It is an attractive town and worth a stop for coffee if you are traveling south. It has a larger supermarket than found at Monpazier, Belves and Beaumont.