© Soigner en Périgord, un site web du Conseil départemental de la Dordogne et de la CPAM de la Dordogne
Welcome to Périgord !
Welcome home !
Are you looking to settle in a privileged environment? Are you looking for a change? Are you aiming for new professional projects? Do you aspire to flourish in an region full of authenticity? Are you looking for an internship in a welcoming environment?
And why not come and settle in Périgord ?
Here, we guarantee you a protected living environment where you will be able to live at your own pace. Only Périgord can provide such an alliance of stunning landscapes, nature and heritage wealth.
You will appreciate the Périgord for its climate and its gastronomy, in a privileged environment.
Périgord is the definition of art of living : take the time, breathe, walk, surpass yourself, enjoy, create. Weekends are true escape moments: festivals, exhibitions, markets, night outings… In Périgord, you never get bored.
415 417 inhabitants
3rd department by its size
505 municipalities, 20 intermunicipalities
3 million tourists welcomed per year
1st department in terms of agritourism
45,507 private and public establishments for health
Discover the Dordogne ant its 4 Périgord
Rich in its history, its craftsmen, its heritage, its environment, the men and women who live there, this department of the South-West will offer you an exceptional living environment in which to live.
Dordogne or Périgord ?
The Périgord is defined by the history and its traditions which go back to the Gallic people of the Petrocorii (the Petrocores or Pétrocoriens today Périgordins) who gave it its name. In 1790, the National Constituent Assembly decided to use surnames related to hydrography to name the 83 newly created departments. Thus, by decree of January 15, 1790, the department of Périgord became the department of Dordogne in reference to the name of the Dordogne river which crosses it from east to west in its southern part.
Today the department bears the two names of Périgord for its historical past and Dordogne for the administrative present.
And why four Périgords ?
Today, Périgord is adorned with four emblematic colors emanating from a variety of reliefs and vegetation that make up a harmonious color palette.
Périgord Blanc
Périgord blanc covers the central part of the department. It takes its name from its plateaus and limestone cliffs deeply cut by the bed of the rivers. Less wooded than the other Périgords, it is relatively agricultural.
Périgord Pourpre
Périgord Pourpre refers to the vineyard which is very present in this part of the south-west of the Department, the second vineyard of Aquitaine. This Périgord is rich in a wide variety of landscapes and a heritage renowned in particular for its bastides.
Périgord Noir
Périgord noir extends over the south-east of the Department. The black color alludes to the dark foliage of the holm oaks which are very present in this part of the Dordogne. The black would also come from the charcoal and the forges present in certain sites in the region. This Périgord is rich in a thousand vestiges to discover.
Périgord Vert
Périgord Vert owes its color to the green of its vegetation, its wooded hills and its valleys dotted with crops and meadows abundantly watered by numerous rivers. The rich heritage of the Périgord Vert, the diversity of its fauna and flora, the aquatic environments, the geology and the landscapes of the west and north of the Dordogne will enchant you.
6 good reasons to settle in Périgord
Périgord is pure, authentic, wild, dynamic, inspiring, energizing, creative, attractive…
Those who come to settle in Périgord never leave.
Here are 6 good reasons to come and settle in Périgord. Here is a taste of your future home.
Périgord : Land of HistoryPérigord : Land of manPérigord : Land of tastePérigord : Land of sportsPérigord : Land of culturePérigord : Land of excellence
Living in Périgord, to soak up its history and its nature
The Périgord will impress you with the beauty of its exceptional natural sites:
- Caves and shelters adorned with paintings, engraved or sculpted walls ;
- Villages and troglodyte sites ;
- Cavities and chasms with crystallizations ;
- Archaeological deposits.
Learn more about the Lascaux cave and prehistory in Périgord
Périgord will amaze you with its rich heritage
The Périgord tells a long journey through nearly 450,000 years of history, from the Lower Palaeolithic to the present day.
Its Gallo-Roman remains will impress you as well as its thousand and one castles from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, its manors and country houses, its bastides, its medieval fortresses and abbeys, its houses, mansions and attractive squares.
Périgord will charm you with its :
- 3 towns of art and history: Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat-la-Canéda ;
- 10 most beautiful villages in France ;
- 2 small towns of character ;
- Medieval fortified town ;
- 63 municipalities classified as tourist municipalities in 2017 ;
- 2 towns labeled tourist resorts: Sarlat-la-Canéda and Périgueux ;
- 3 religious buildings classified as World Heritage by UNESCO as part of the routes to Santiago de Compostela ;
- Picturesque villages.
Périgord will dazzle you with its landscapes, its light
The Périgord is rich in its diversity and its preserved nature :
- The Dordogne valley and its Dordogne basin registered by UNESCO in the world network of biosphere reserves (1st basin benefiting from this label worldwide) ;
- The Vézère valley classified as a Grand National Site procedure in 2016 ;
- The department has 21 sites listed in the European Natura 2000 network ;
- The Dordogne has been classified as a “floral department” since 2016 ;
- The department has 33 parks and gardens open to the public ;
- The Dordogne groups together 35 towns classified at the national level as towns and villages in bloom.
Living in Périgord, to live happily at your own pace
A privileged family life
Settling in Périgord means enjoying the great outdoors and savoring your free time after your day’s work. The Périgord is in itself a great playground for running, shouting, playing, having fun, relaxing.
No time wasted in traffic jams or in transport. Instead, we breathe… The Périgord is ideal for a fulfilling family life.
A completed education
In Périgord, the schools are on a human scale and the quality infrastructures guarantee education in the best possible conditions.
The Department of the Dordogne depends on the Academy of Bordeaux and includes :
• 410 schools
• 46 colleges
• 31 high schools
• 9 family and rural houses
• 90 courses in higher education
Affordable housing
In Périgord, the cost of land and real estate is affordable.
Estimated price per m² of sales in the department :
- Apartment sale Average price per m² from 1.298 € to 2.597 €.
- House sale Average price per m² from 1.202 € to 2.405 €.
- Sale of land Average price per m² from 24 € to 29 €.
Estimation of the price per m² of rents in the department :
- Apartment rental Average price per m² from 6.9 to 16.6 €.
- House rental Average price per m² from 6.8 to 12.8€.
Learn mor about the real estate market and prices by location
Easy movement
By the road :
- Périgueux – Bordeaux : 1h30
- Périgueux – Limoges : 1h30
- Périgueux – Paris : 550 km
- Périgueux – Lyon : 400 km
BY train :
- TGV access to Paris less than an hour via Angoulême, Libourne or Bordeaux via TER connections from Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat.
- LGV Sud Europe Atlantique.
By plane :
By coach and bus :
- Transpérigord: the department is crossed daily by bus lines at a single rate of €2.
Connections are planned and facilitated between the lines and with the SNCF network. - Bus networks are available for your intra-municipal trips.
- School circuits are organized for all students.
By bike :
- More than 400 km of cycle routes – greenways await you.
- In the wheel of Lawrence of Arabia you can discover Périgord thanks to 400 km of route between Castillon-la-Bataille and Châlus.
- You will take advantage of the many cycle circuits and loop routes developed throughout the department.
Discover ideas for hikes in Dordogne
Its geography and climate
The Périgord is a transition between the last foothills of the Massif Central and the first plains of the Aquitaine basin on the one hand, between the Causses of Corrèze and the Lot and the Charente champagnes on the other.
Very hilly, sculpted by magnificent rivers, the geographical location of Périgord at the crossroads of geographical influences gives it a very wide variety of natural environments and landscapes.
The Périgord concentrates on its territory natural and heritage riches of international renown.
The Périgord as a whole benefits from a temperate and sometimes moderately oceanic climate under the influence of the Gulf Stream. The temperature is mild and pleasant and the summer is regularly hot and dry.
Let go of traffic jams, pollution, stress and take the time to live.
Living in Périgord is the art of living par excellence
The earth, so generous, offers you a crossing of flavors. Périgord, land of good food and good food, promotes hedonism.
The gastronomy of Périgord is world famous thanks to its quality products :
• The Périgord truffle;
• Foie gras, duck breast and confit of duck or goose (IGP for duck with foie gras);
• Caviar from Neuvic, Montpon-Ménestérol and Les Eyzies;
• Périgord walnuts (AOC since 2002);
• Ceps;
• Chestnuts (appellation “marron du Périgord”, Villefranche-du-Périgord is recognized as a “remarkable site of taste”);
• Périgord lamb (IGP);
• Wine: Bergerac wines (AOC) and Périgord wine (IGP), Domme wine, part of the Cognac appellation. The Bergerac vineyard represents 900 winegrowers spread over 93 villages and 12,000 hectares. The Pays de Bergerac is nationally labeled “discovery vineyards” with 7 appellations: Bergerac, Côtes de Bergerac, Monbazillac, Montravel, Pécharmant, Rosette and Saussignac.
• Distilleries (Sarlat-la-Canéda, Villamblard…);
• Cheese: Cabécou du Périgord (appellation), La Trappe cheese dairy in Echourgnac;
• Biscotterie La Chantéracoise in Saint-Germain-du-Salembre;
• Bovetti chocolate in Terrasson-Lavilledieu,
• Périgord strawberries (2nd producer department, IGP);
• Limousin apple (AOC);
• And more recently: beer, saffron…
You won’t be able to resist the famous local recipes: truffled foie gras, Périgueux sauce, Périgueux pâté, Sarladaise potatoes…
Throughout the seasons, you will enjoy the incomparable atmosphere of the local produce markets. The traditional markets, farmers’ markets, local producers’ markets, award-winning fat markets, porcini mushroom market in Villefranche du Périgord, truffle markets in Sainte-Alvère and Sorges will enchant you in a joyful effervescence, in the middle of colorful stands.
You will taste beautiful moments of conviviality shared around a table : nine Michelin-starred restaurants, twenty-five master restaurateurs, a multitude of restaurants and twenty-three labeled farm inns are counted in Périgord.
You will participate in events related to gastronomy : International Gourmet Book Fair (every 2 years in Périgueux), Fest’Oie in Sarlat-la-Canéda, truffle festivals in Sorges, Sarlat-la-Canéda, Sainte- Croix-de-Mareuil… The turkey festival in Varaignes, the strawberry festival in Vergt and Nabirat, the boletus and veal festival in Saint-Saud, the chestnut festival in Villefranche-du-Périgord, gourmet nights, truffle pasta evenings in Sorges… and join one of the gourmet brotherhoods.
Living in Périgord means living intensely
Périgord is a land of sports, major sporting events (stages of the Tour de France, Golden League of handball, etc.) and athletes who make the Dordogne shine at national and international level (Basketball, aquathlon, canoeing, rowing , athletics, artistic fencing, etc.).
Jock ? Hobbyist? The Périgord will delight fans of gentle or extreme sports, experienced sportsmen, competitors and leisure sportsmen. It is a great playground ideal for outdoor sports and a great invitation to walk with family or friends.
In Périgord, you can practice in particular :
• Climbing: 10 approved sites and 1 caving site;
• 12 acrobatic courses at height (accrobranches);
• 1 Via ferrata;
• Paragliding sites,
• 1 rail-bike,
• Hot air balloons;
• 7 certified golf courses;
• 2 waterskiing and wakeboarding sites;
• 6 leisure bases;
• Canoeing: the Dordogne is the 1st department in the practice of canoeing with 556 km of navigable rivers, 25 nautical stops on 6 rivers and a departmental center for canoeing-kayak training;
• Cycling: 17 loop circuits, 2 cycle routes – greenways and themed routes;
• Horse riding: 26 equestrian establishments;
• Pedestrian activity: 1,130 km of long-distance hiking routes (GR), 7,638 km of short-distance hiking routes and themed routes.
You can register in one of the 1,300 sports clubs approved by a federation and practice one of the 65 sports activities listed in 2,644 sports facilities excluding walking and hiking routes.
You can participate in sporting and outdoor events: Rando Silex in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère (MTB), raids including the “Périgord Raid Aventure” and the “Val Natura / seniors”, “Active summer” on the bases departmental leisure activities, the Ronde des villages à Salignac (hiking…), the Marathon des Forts, La Grappe de Cyrano (motorbike), the 100 kms of Belvès, Rand’Auvézère… Running, walking, swimming await you to take a big breath.
Living in Périgord, to take the time to live well
The Périgord is the privileged place for many celebrations, festivals and cultural events throughout the year..
More than four thousand events are organized between June and September and major festivals: MIMOS in Périgueux, the theater games festival and the film festival in Sarlat-la-Canéda, SINFONIA, the Périgord noir festival, the dance festival and world music in Montignac, La Vallée, Musical Summer in Bergerac, Crimson Jazz, Baroque Route in Green Périgord, La Félibrée…
For lovers of artistic practice: cinemas and theatres, approved stages, a national circus center in Boulazac Isle Manoire and its circus arts school, music, dance and drawing schools are there to welcome you and awaken your creativity.
You will find a very large number of ideas for outings offered for all tastes, all ages and in all places.
Festivals, exhibitions, markets, events… For your outings in Périgord, consult the cultural agenda
Living in Périgord, to create and undertake
A land of environmental excellence, Périgord is multiplying initiatives to become an exemplary territory in terms of sustainable development: strengthening the use of organic and local products in collective catering, enhancement and management of natural environments, rivers, aquatic environments and wetlands, development of an eco-responsible purchasing policy, installation of wood-heating networks, creation of a Digital Biodiversity House, etc.
Périgord is known for its relaxed lifestyle and recognized throughout the world thanks to the reputation of its productions in the food industry, high-tech industries (electronics, technical, chemical and medical-surgical equipment), luxury and leather. (Repetto in Excideuil, leather goods and saddlery sites, Ayrens umbrellas in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, etc.) but also SOCRA in Périgueux, nontronnaise cutlery, the lime factory in Saint-Astier, Pastels Girault in Montignac…
Follow the route des Métiers d’Art and discover more than 80 artisans et artists
Culture, Leisure, Nature, Heritage…The unmissable sites !