Dordogne Road Trip: Camper Van Itinerary | VAN-AWAY, give yourself the freedom to roam

About this road trip

170 km

Short (2 to 4 days)

Sud-ouest

This weekend road trip in Dordogne in a converted camper van, starting from our rental agencies in Toulouse, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, or Brive, will let you explore all the wonders of this valley: breathtaking landscapes running along the Tarn and Dordogne rivers, stone villages frozen in time, medieval castles perched on hillsides, caves and chasms taking you back to prehistoric times. Natural and cultural sites follow one after another, a feast for the eyes—along with perfect picnic spots and swimming breaks along the Dordogne…

This road trip will delight you!

Feel free to extend your trip over 3 or 4 days to give yourself time to wander.

It’s incredibly easy to find beautiful spots to park your van at night: Dordogne is the perfect place to experience the freedom of van life!

View the itinerary

This first loop can be done in two, or even three days if you have the opportunity. The suggested starting point is Souillac, which you can quickly reach via the A89 (Bordeaux) or A20 (Toulouse-Montauban) highways. Périgord and Dordogne Valley to the West, Quercy to the East: you are at the junction between two magnificent regions! • Start your visit by following the D703 towards Rouffillac. Cross the bridge, and take the other bank of the Dordogne towards Saint Julien de Lampon then Saint Mondane and Veyrignac, via the D50 • You’ll quickly get into the heart of the matter: beautiful landscapes along the river, and Fénélon Castle. The road follows the Dordogne to Groléjac • Cross the bridge again towards Carsac Aillac, a superb village, where we strongly advise you to take the first left, to return to the very small D703 towards the Monfort Cirque and its castle. You won’t come across many motorhomes there! Fantastic landscapes… • Continue on the D703 with mandatory stops in the villages of Domme, La Roque Gageac, Castelnaud-la-chapelle, Beynac-et-Cazenac.

La Roque Gageac village along the Dordogne River

• The Gardens of Marqueyssac are really worth a visit. Very nice treasure hunt for children, magnificent boxwood gardens, and sumptuous residence. The view is breathtaking. After this orgy of visits to villages more sumptuous than each other, take the D57 to end your trip on the superb Sarlat-la-Caneda, an ideal playground for your evening. Several possibilities for the night: o You can enjoy a night with all the comfort of a Freecamp spot at a preferential rate with our partner Flower Camping and spend the night at Camping Les Ondines where Salomé will be delighted to welcome you.
o You prefer to taste the pleasure of a night in the middle of nature, along the river: you will have no difficulty finding a quiet little spot with your van! Don’t hesitate to consult the website of the city of Sarlat for your stay in the Dordogne Valley, very useful!

Gardens of Marqueyssac with scenic views of the valley

You think you’ve seen it all??? A second loop in Quercy will take your breath away… If the medieval villages are as beautiful, the landscapes of the Quercy limestone plateaus will seduce you, and the must-see and very impressive visit to the Padirac Chasm will delight young and old. • From Sarlat, head back to Souillac, then follow the D803 towards Baladou then Martel, a pretty village with seven towers! • From Martel, continue on the D80 then D43, along the Dordogne, towards Carennac. This village is classified among the most beautiful in France. Renaissance houses with sculpted windows and brown roofs intertwine around an 11th-century priory where Fénelon lived. Near the Romanesque church and its cloister, the Deans’ Castle invites you to discover the riches of the Land of Art and History of which Carennac is a part.

Scenic view of the Vézère River in Dordogne

• Continue towards Loubressac. Perched on a promontory from which you can enjoy a superb panorama of the Dordogne Valley and the surrounding castles, Loubressac offers visitors the charm of its medieval houses with ochre stones and raised roof tips. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church and the castle, a manor from the 15th and 18th centuries, are well worth the small climb to reach them… • From Loubressac, don’t miss the Autoire Cirque, to reach the magnificent village of the same name, along an amphitheater of impressive cliffs. A short steep path leads to the side of the cirque from which a 30-meter-high waterfall gushes. From this viewpoint, the view is grandiose and extends to the Limousin, with the village of Autoire appearing nestled below, like a raspberry on a bed of moss. • Nestled in the hollow of a narrow valley with steep cliffs, the village of Autoire occupies an exceptional site. The Quercy character is present at every corner of the small streets, you can find magnificent half-timbered houses, sumptuous residences with turrets, a 15th-century manor, and a Romanesque church refurbished in the 18th century.

Underground river in the Padirac Chasm

• The Padirac Chasm is only 7 kilometers from the village. World-famous, it is the largest chasm in Europe. At 103 meters underground, the visit is partly by boat on the underground river and then on foot. Immense rooms, breathtaking beauty, we advise you to book your tickets in advance to avoid long hours of queuing… • To conclude this beautiful loop, Rocamadour is only a few minutes from the chasm. The sacred city clings to the cliff in a superposition of houses and chapels. From the castle that crowns this audacious construction, there is a drop of some 150 meters at the bottom of which the Alzou stream winds. On the way to Santiago de Compostela, the Saint-Sauveur Basilica and the Saint-Amadour Crypt, listed as UNESCO World Heritage, offer themselves to visitors once they have climbed the 216 steps of the pilgrims’ staircase. For children, the Australian park and the Monkey Forest are two friendly and fun sites that will allow you to beautifully complete this superb circuit.

Rocamadour village built on the cliffside