Dordogne Experience
Walking and cycling in southern France
Dordogne Experience are a small, family-run business offering self-guided walking and cycling holidays in south-west France. They are owned and run by Cassie, who took over from Keith and Val, the previous owners, and have been arranging independent holidays in the region for over 40 years. Cassie plans and looks after each holiday herself, from first enquiry to departure, and often meets guests along the way. Keith and Val still offer advice, and the family has walked or cycled every route themselves.
Their holidays run inn to inn through the Dordogne, Lot and Ardèche. Each one includes welcoming, often family-run hotels, daily luggage transfers and detailed route notes. Breakfast is included every day, along with most evening meals, leaving a few nights free for local restaurants. Guests choose their own start dates, and most itineraries can be extended.
Their cycling holidays follow quiet lanes, riverside paths and manageable daily distances. Routes take in châteaux, prehistoric cave sites such as Lascaux and Les Eyzies, and some of France’s most beautiful villages. Bike hire is included, and e-bikes are available for riders who want extra help on the hills, so guests don’t need to be fast or highly experienced. They can also design a bespoke cycling tour around a guest’s own itinerary and preferred distances.
Cycling in the Dordogne
Tour Operator: Dordogne Experience
France
8 days (Bike: 4 days)
150 km (~38km per day)
Plus 2 optional rides
Leisure
Quiet roads, Some hills
Self-Guided
Semi-Supported
Self-guided and inn to inn: 7 nights in family-run hotels, luggage moved daily, hybrid bike included and e-bikes available. 2027 dates April to October, from GBP 1,250 per person.
Prices from
Self-Guided
£ 1250
Overview
Tour Operator Dordogne Experience
A week by bike through the classic Dordogne: riverside cycle paths, castles, four of France's most beautiful villages and the prehistoric caves of the Vézère.
Cycling in the Dordogne is an eight-day, self-guided, inn-to-inn loop from Souillac through the classic Dordogne and Vézère valleys. Riverside cycle paths lead past the Château de Fénelon and Carsac to medieval Sarlat, where a free day lets you ride out to hilltop Domme and cliff-hugging La Roque-Gageac.
From Sarlat the route rolls past Beynac, Castelnaud and the Château des Milandes to St Cyprien and the prehistoric heart of Les Eyzies, with a second free day for an optional ride to Commarque and the Abri du Cap Blanc. You then pass the cliff dwellings of La Roque Saint-Christophe on the way to Montignac and Lascaux IV, before returning to Souillac via St Geniès, Salignac and the Eyrignac gardens.
Bike hire, five dinners and luggage transfers are included, with characterful, family-run hotels personally known to owner Cassie, detailed route notes, GPX files and phone support throughout.
Highlights
- Four Plus Beaux Villages de France: Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme and La Roque-Gageac
- Mostly flat riverside cycle path along the Dordogne from Souillac
- Château des Milandes, once the home of Josephine Baker
- Cliff dwellings of La Roque Saint-Christophe, lived in from prehistoric times to the 18th century
- Lascaux IV, the remarkable replica of the famous cave paintings
- Formal 18th-century gardens of Eyrignac near Salignac
Surface and terrain
Quiet sealed country lanes and cycle paths, including a mostly flat riverside path along the Dordogne. Elsewhere rolling hills with moderate climbs of up to about 530 m a day and long downhills on the final day. Some sections are waymarked; otherwise route notes and GPX guide you.
Weather
Season runs April to October. Spring is mild with wildflowers but can be showery, with cool April mornings. June and September are warm and settled. July and August are hot, often 30°C or more, with occasional heavy thunderstorms. October is golden, cooler and slightly wetter.
Suitable for
Moderately fit, independent cyclists comfortable riding 30 to 47 km a day on rolling terrain and able to fix a puncture. Suits couples, friends and solo riders wanting history, villages and food at a relaxed pace. The e-bike upgrade makes the hillier options easy for less confident riders.