Sightseeing & Our Links

The excellent location of Villars enables our guests to enjoy the area and its treasures without spending hours travelling. And with advance booking, for those without their own car, we can arrange trips out by taxi or in our air conditioned coach – whether you wish to go to a vineyard, to a local Château or a local market town.  We’ve given you some information on places to visit below on this page and also some website links.

Local events 2012:

April 28 – Violin & guitar in the Villars church. Alexandre Benderski & Eric Sobczyk www.festivillars.com

May 12 and 13 – St Jean de Cole “Les Floralies” – the great floral weekend

May 30 Bourse aux Armes celebration in Villars

June 19-20 Le BallTrap in Villars (Clay pigeon shoot and dinners

June 21 – Musical festivals throughout France

June 30 – Trio Shape: Annual Jazz concert sponsored by Chateau de Villars at Boschaud Abbey! www.festivillars.com

July 10 – Comite des Fetes dinner in Villars Church Square – this year with a Caribbean theme!

July 14 – Bastille Day celebrations

August 15 – Morning Mass at Abbaye Boschaud, with an afternoon ‘World Music’ concert with Carlo Rizzo sponsored by FestiVillars at the Cistercian Abbey. www.myspace.com/carlorizzotamburello

Picnic on the grass and enjoy the afternoon event! www.festivillars.com August 15 is a National holiday and various festivals throughout France

August 19  - Fetes de Villars weekend, ending with a firework display with music and lights, over Chateau de Villars on August 21

September 16: Fete du Patrimoine throughout France.  Third Annual Flanerie Artistique in Villars: Made by Hand –  artists will display their work in and around the village.  www.festivillars.com

And now, some places to visit in our area of the Perigord

The Villars caves, Château de Puyguilhem, Abbey de Boschaud and the ancient village church St Martial are all within walking distance. Brantome, St Jean de Cole, La Chapelle Faucher to name a few, are within 10 minutes drive and of course all around us is the most idyllic countryside.

Classified as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, St Jean de Cole is justly proud of its 11th Century Byzantine church, the Château de la Marthonie, the cloisters, stone bridges and picturesque houses and roofs. In May it hosts a renowned flower show and during the summer months there are musical concerts and recitals held in the church. It’s a lovely place to browse around with craft and gift shops and some good restaurants.

The caves here at Villars are a maze of some 13 kms of tunnel and form the largest underground network in the Périgord. Inhabited since prehistory, there are fine examples of Aurignacian painting, bison, antelope and witches and the famous Magdalenian white horse. The spectacular stalactites and stalagmites will fascinate children, not yet that interested in cave art.

This incredible Chateau was built during the sixteenth century by a courtier of Francois I. Designed to rival and in the style of the great Loire Chateaux. It is today the best preserved Chateau in the Perigord. Rich in sculpture and decoration it provides a record of the enormous talents of its builders.

The drive to Jumilhac is magical, often along the banks of the River Isle, then climbing to the town of Jumilhac. The Château has stood for centuries and is now known to have been a centre of alchemy in the 17th century, with splendid symbolism on its rooftops. The tour of the Château is most interesting and the gardens are also open to the public in the summer months.

Capital of the Dordogne, the city has been a major centre since Roman times. Roman ruins are scattered throughout and a new museum highlights the best. After the Hundred Years War the city enjoyed prosperity brought about by the many rich merchants who lived here. The beautifully preserved Medieval old town is full of charm. Narrow alleys packed with boutiques, bars and cafes lead onto many squares where one can observe the more bourgeois side of French life.

The Venice of the Perigord. Due to the convergence of two rivers an Island was formed, Brantôme occupies this island. Undoubtedly a highlight of the area. Friday is market day and in the morning stalls fill the town, even stretching across some of the many bridges. This clears in the afternoon to reveal a truly picturesque sight. Brantôme has many interesting shops, the Abbey with the oldest bell tower in France, troglodyte caves and much more.

An incredibly quaint village set on the banks of the river Dronne. An ancient bridge crosses the Dronne past the water mill, built in the shape of a boat. The village clusters on the hillside with the castle compound on the summit. The compound consists of a medieval castle and a beautiful renaissance Château. The Château is full of remarkable furniture and tapestries.

Web Links

Bergerac (www.pays-de-bergerac-com)
Brantome (www.ville-brantome.fr) (www.brantome-en-perigord.fr) (www.brantome.info)
Dordogne (www.dordognedirectory.com)
Limoges (www.ville-limoges.fr)
Perigueux (www.tourisme-perigueux.fr and www.ville-perigueux.fr)
St.Jean de Cole (www.ville-saint-jean-de-cole.fr)
Thiviers (www.thiviers.fr)
Villars (www.villarstourisme.com)
Villars Caves (www.grotte-villars.com)
Château de Puyguilhem, Villars (puyguilhem.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/)
Jumilhac-le-Grand (www.chateaux-france.com/jumilhac/)

Chateau holidays in France with FrenchConnections.co.uk (http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/en/search/chateau)
Les chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle (www.chemins-compostelle.com)
Brantome Kayak/Canoe (www.brantomecanoe.com)

Chateau de Villars Gluten Free Holidays (www.chateaudevillars.co.uk)
Les Sabots, Villars – 18th century luxury accomodation from CdeV (www.sabotsvillars.com)

Chateau de Villars on Facebook (www.facebook.com/chateaudevillars)
Chateau de Villars on Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com)

Kevin Saunders Photography (www.kevinsaundersphotography.com)

Jane Smithers (who led our Paint & Sketch holidays at Cdev for several years) www.janesmithers.com

Juvela (www.juvela.co.uk)
Coeliac UK (www.coeliac.co.uk)
Helen Savage (www.helensavage.com)