Walk in the Périgord Pourpre, from Monpazier to Biron

One of the most beautiful bastides in Périgord

Meet near the church of Monpazier. On the ground, you see a punch which marks the place where the line was drawn to draw the perfect grid of this bastide. The bastides are new towns, which in the Middle Ages, must meet the needs of accommodation, food and trade. They are arranged with rigor, in very straight and perpendicular alleys to facilitate the circulation of goods and people, but also to improve living conditions and hygiene.

In the center, a square with arcades which served to protect the stalls of the merchants from the rain. The Halle de Monpazier is particularly beautiful, with its period whitewashed beams.

The bastides are numerous in Périgord and in the south-west in general, they all have their own characteristics, while respecting this regular and harmonious design. We also recommend that you visit the small bastide town of Eymet not far away (very English, so British!), or in Bergerac, the smallest bastide town in Périgord: Molières.

The Château de Biron, one of the 4 baronies of Périgord

The Château de Biron is a strategic place, which belonged for more than 800 years to the same family, the Gontaut-Biron. Redesigned many times, it is now an attractive place to visit, hosting very pleasant summer concert evenings: Les Villégiatures. Exhibitions are often held at the castle, which is unfurnished. Its history, which you will discover during the visit, left it bare and defenseless, until the Department of the Dordogne took possession of it and made it a living place.

Article produced in collaboration with the site “Guide to Périgord”.