The circuit along the water

From La Roque-Gageac, board the Caminade Gabarres for a 55-minute trip. Enjoy an exceptional panorama of one of the most beautiful villages in France and discover various sites, both private and public, such as the manor houses of Tarde and Fage, the village’s Romanesque church and its lauze roof or the troglodytic fort of La Roque-Gageac.

On the outskirts of the village, in the commune of Vézac, a magnificent castle stands in one of the deepest meanders of the Dordogne: the Château de la Malartrie. Victor Hugo called this type of construction a “folly”, because it is a mixture of architectural styles from different periods. Immediately afterwards, you can see two twin houses: the maladreries. These are the old leper houses of the village of La Roque-Gageac, dating from the 16th century.

At 132m above the Dordogne, 192m above sea level, a metal platform appears at the top of the cliff. The end result of a visit to the Marqueyssac gardens, the belvedere offers a spectacular view of the entire valley of castles, from Domme to Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and even Beynac if the weather is good.

The medieval fortress overlooks the Dordogne. The first traces of the castle date back to the 12th century. The name of the castle, but also of the village, comes from the deformation of “château neuf”. Indeed, the medieval building was first built in wood before being rebuilt in stone. Listed as a historical monument, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle has undergone two restoration campaigns to bring it back to its former splendour and is now the most visited castle in the South-West.

In the distance, on the cliffs, appears the Marqueyssac estate with its surrounding wall and part of the gardens. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful gardens in the valley, in addition to the magnificent Italian gardens, the 22-hectare estate offers a magnificent walk lasting an average of two hours in the heart of the endemic vegetation of the Périgord: holm oaks, pubescent oaks, Montpellier maples, arbutus trees, etc…