Dordogne

The Dordogne River is 300 miles (483 kilometers) long and begins in the Auvergne mountains near Puy de Sancy, 1,885 meters (6,184 feet) above sea level. It begins with a series of steep canyons and then passes through skiing country before arriving at Argentat. It's an archetypal holiday country here in the Dordogne and Perigord regions, with the British obsession with the region dating back to the Hundred Years War between the English and the French, which concluded in 1453.

Dordogne is a beautiful river, with châteaux on its slopes and charming villages like Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne on its banks. It goes close to the sinkhole, the Gouffre du Padirac, and past La Roque-Gageac, a once significant port that is now a tranquil boat excursion down the river. Visit the gardens of Marqueyssac for a spectacular view of the river. It flows along Sarlat-la-Caneda, which has a fantastic weekly market, and then past Bergerac and St. Emilion before entering the massive Gironde estuary, Europe's largest, at Bec d'Ambès. At the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast, the Dordogne joins the Garonne.

Length: 483 km