Domaine de l'Auvézère

Surrounded by the undulating countryside of the Périgord Vert, this classic manor house is an invitation to immerse yourself fully in rural French life – and although the pace here is reassuringly slow, there’s plenty to keep all ages busy between this corner of the Dordogne and the region’s capital, Périgueux.

The interiors are charming, with plenty of nods to the property’s 300-year history in the form of four-poster beds, freestanding baths and elegant antique furnishings. This theme continues outside, where a turquoise salt-filtered swimming pool shares lawn space with an ancient well (secured) whilst the large vaulted cellar has been converted into a games room.

The local area

If you can bear to leave the glorious stillness of the property and surrounding hills, there’s plenty to explore right on the doorstep. In neighbouring Tourtoirac, you’ll find a night food market, a picturesque riverside square with shops and restaurants and a popular ranch for horse and pony riding.

Dining options are plentiful, with recommended restaurants within a 10-minute drive. The surrounding landscape and waterways play host to a range of activities: golf, tennis, canoeing, hot-air ballooning, zip wiring, truffle trails, vineyard walks, and velo railing (cycling along a disused railway line). An hour in the car brings you to the famous town of Sarlat, filled with cobbled streets and wonderful architecture. A 45 minute drive takes to you to Périgueux, well worth a trip for its imposing 12th-century cathedral, elegant streets and peaceful riverboat trips.

Domaine de l'Auvézère is set in the lovely rolling countryside of the Périgord Vert, 36km northeast of the beautiful regional capital of Périgueux. The Dordogne region, in the heart of the southwest is an area rich in all the delights France has to offer. Beautiful dramatic scenery greets you at every turn: castles perched high over the Dordogne River valley, the spectacular Gouffre de Padirac caves, tranquil rivers winding their way through limestone cliffs. Our earliest artists descended 17,000 years ago into the caves near Lascaux, on the Vézère River, to paint in breathtaking colour the animals they hunted; you can visit a replica cave, as well as many other prehistoric sites in the area. The fortified 'bastide' towns of Monpazier, Eymet, Villefranche and others are remarkably well-preserved witnesses to turbulent times. The mighty donjon of Bourdeilles castle looms imposingly, while Brantôme (the 'Venice of France') wears a more serene aspect, the beautiful Benedictine abbey gazing contemplatively down onto the river Dronne.

Our choice of French properties is diverse, ranging from simple charm to genuine luxury and style. Much of our portfolio is privately owned, and price alone is therefore not a universal guide. We contract all our accommodation in person, and each property has its individual appeal.

To help you make the right choice based on your own priorities, we have devised a simple grading guide to be considered in conjunction with each individual property description, awarding up to a maximum of five stars for the below categories.