Orphéo-Négro

Start your Dordogne getaway with trips to Périgueux (for the Vesuna prehistoric museum, Perigord Museum of Art and Archaeology and the spectacular Cathedrale St-Front) and Bergerac (the National Tobacco Museum and National Wine Museum would be solid choices), before exploring what’s below the surface: Proumeyssac’s gulf, Rouffignac cave, and cave paintings at Les Eyzie-de-Tayac-Sireuil and Lascaux are all within an hour’s drive of Orphéo-Négro. Attention, tipplers! You might hear through the grapevine (sorry) that this part of Dordogne is dotted with vineyards and wineries, so you’re going to want a designated driver that will gladly follow you from tasting to tasting. Try La Grande Maison, Château de Montdoyen, Pécharmant and Château de Monbazillac, all within half an hour, then venture further afield for the rest. There’s more to châteaux than wine and there are plenty of prime choices nearby to keep history buffs enthralled, with particularly stunning examples to be found in Lanquais, Montréal and Neuvic. For the more pious historians, the 12th-century Cadouin Abbey is a must…