Exploring the Medieval French Town of Bergerac

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for this trip myself. All recommendations and opinions are my own.

We didn’t originally plan to visit Bergerac. Our two week holiday in France which included Toulouse, Cacassonne, Arcachon, Bordeaux was to end in Bordeaux, but we couldn’t get a direct flight to our nearest airport. During my search to find a way home, I discovered cheap direct flights departing from the nearby town of Bergerac which is only a 1.5 hour train ride from Bordeaux. I don’t believe I had heard of Bergerac before, in fact the first thing that popped into my head was of the ’80’s British TV show! A quick online search for travel articles on what to see and do in Bergerac didn’t actually bring up much, but from what I could see, it looked rather quaint, so we decided to spend a couple of nights there. I’m so glad we did because it turned out to be a wonderful end to our holiday.

Bergerac is in the south west of France and sits on the northern bank of the Dordogne River. This region is also called the Dordogne, and Bergerac is its principal town. Our train ride from Bordeaux to Bergerac was picturesque, passing through beautiful French countryside and fields of bright and cheerful sunflowers. We arrived in Bergerac’s central train station which is located in the newer part of the town. It was only a short walk from here to get to our apartment in the heart of the old medieval town on Rue des Fontaines.

I was immediately taken by this picturesque little town, with its beautiful historic buildings and lovely little gardens. I enjoyed the relaxed and laid back feel to it. It felt like the kind of place that I could happily live in. After checking into our apartment and delighting in the historic street views from our window, we decided to head out. It was rather hot, so after checking out the town map, we discovered a swimming lake in a local park just out of town called Parc Public de Pombonne.

It was about a 30 minute walk away, and on our way to the park we walked through the historic town and then into the more modern part of the town. We visited the large church Église Notre-Dame de Bergerac. Beside it is a lovely pastry shop called Pâtisserie François (5 Rue Sainte-Catherine, 24100 Bergerac) with exquisite and delicious sweet creations. The church is on the main shopping street called Rue de la Résistance and we spent some time shopping along here before heading onto the park.

Parc Public de Pombonne is a large treed park with lots of trails running through it and 3 lakes. Two of the lakes are fenced off as nature reserves with hides allowing you to observe the wildlife without disturbing them, but the third one is a small man made sandy shored swimming lake. There are lifeguards on duty from the end of June to the start of September. The lake was lovely and warm as it had heated up over the summer. We spent the remainder of our afternoon swimming and sunbathing and enjoying the peace and quiet after the hustle and bustle of Bordeaux. Afterwards we enjoyed dinner and a drink from the wonderful nearby cafe and bar that sits beside the lake called La Guinguette du Lac Pombonne. They do a delicious frites et moules night (fries and muscles) during the week. If you are heading here by car, then the car park beside the cafe is just off Route de Podestat.

The following day we planned to spend the morning exploring the town. Dotted around the town are tourist maps on information boards which map out a trail which takes in the towns highlights. This town is incredibly picturesque. We started with the medieval town where we were staying which was full of lovely boutique stores, cafes, restaurants, and of course, delicious bakeries. We wandered the ancient lanes and visited Place Pelissiere – the square by the church Eglise St Jacques which features an attractive bell-tower. In front of it was a pretty garden with a piano, lost amongst the flowers. In this square is a statue of a rather long nosed character called Cyrano. I’d never heard of him, but an online search revealed that he was the creation of Edmond Rostand who wrote the popular romance, Cyrano de Bergerac, inspired by the life of Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac. Set in the 1640’s, Cyrano was a swashbuckling hero with a ridiculously long nose. If this sounds familiar, that’s because the play inspired the more recent spin-offs movies including the French Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Gerard Depardieu, and the modernized American adaptation, Roxanne, starring Steve Martin.

From Place Pelissiere we continued down Rue des Récollets until we got to an old Protestant Temple. Across from it is a small garden called Place de la Mirpe which is surrounded in medieval half timbered houses. We felt like we were in a film set.

We walked through onto Rue des Conférences where we found the remains of an old mill, with the deep workings of the underground water which turned the water wheel.

We were now at the river front. The sun was shining and the water was still, beautifully reflecting the scattered clouds and arches of the old bridge over the Dordogne river. Along this street is the entrance to the wine museum Les Maisons des Vins. Even if you are not interested in the museum, it is worth a visit just to see more of the old 17th century cloister that its housed in. If you are keen to visit museums, then nearby is Musée du Tabac, a museum dedicated to the history of tobacco which is housed in a 17th century mansion. There is a small entry fee.

We walked over the bridge where there is a quieter retail area with several more historic buildings including an old church. We returned to the historic town centre again and walked up Rue Neuve d’Argenson to see the Town Hall, but afterwards we just allowed ourselves to wander and get lost through the narrow and winding medieval streets.

In the afternoon we were keen to squeeze in some more relaxation time before heading home the following day, so we returned to relax at the lake again. It was a lovely warm evening, so we spent our final evening enjoying some French wine and cuisine at L’Imparfait (8 Rue des Fontaines, 24100 Bergerac). It was on the pricier side, but I thought it offered good value, as they had set menus to choose from. I really enjoyed our meal here, with good service and beautifully presented food.

In the morning our accommodation hostess took us to the airport for a small fee. The airport is tiny, so if you need food, buy some in Bergerac before heading off. But the great thing was it was so quiet that we didn’t have to stand for ages in line. We had a wonderful time in Bergerac, and I hope I’ve convinced you to stop by for a visit whilst on holiday in this region.

Accommodation Options in Bergerac

Search available accommodation in Bergerac

Budget

• Europ’hotel – a short walk to the historic town and features a swimming pool
• ibis budget Bergerac – budget hotel near Bergerac
• duvet and coffee Cyrano – we stayed here, it’s an apartment in the heart of the historic town

Moderate

• Habitation Saint-Clar Vieille Ville – an apartment in the heart of the historic town
• Maison Raphaël Kafka B&B – overlooking the bridge over the Dordogne
• Hotel The Originals de Bordeaux Bergerac – near the historic old town and features a swimming pool
• Chambres & Tables d’Hôtes L’Ostal de Pombonne

Luxury

• There are no super luxurious hotels in Bergerac, but there are some very nice moderately priced accommodation options that I’ve listed above.

Practical Tips for Visiting Bergerac

• How long should I visit Bergerac for? Bergerac is quite small, so you can see most of the sites and attractions in one day. But if you want to enjoy some time relaxing by the lake, then put aside a couple of days.
• Getting to and from Bergerac airport into Bergerac town centre: 
  • The airport is only a short 10 minute drive to the old town centre. It’s a tiny airport so there are very little services there, but on the positive side, you won’t be standing for hours in a line. However, there are no airport buses or shuttles so you will need to take a taxi, but it doesn’t cost much to get into town. Our accommodation host drove us to the airport for a small fee.
• Getting around Bergerac: During the summer months there is a little tourist road train that tours around the sites of the town.
• Tourist Information Centre in Bergerac:
  • 97 Rue Neuve d’Argenson, 24100 Bergerac
• Eating and drinking out in France: Due to the different licensing in France, some café’s and restaurants are only licensed to sell alcohol with food, so in order to drink you must also order food. Bars have a different license that allows them to sell drinks without food. From my experience, establishments do try to make this clear to tourists, but it does end up causing confusion for some.
• Language: French. Although a lot of English speaking tourists visit Toulouse, we found quite a lot of people did not speak English, so do try to have your French translation app at hand. Here are a few French words to get you started:
  • Yes = oui (wee)
  • No = non (no)
  • Please = sil vous plait (seal voo play)
  • Thank you = merci (mare-see)
  • Hello = bonjour (boh(n)-zhoor)
  • Good evening = bonsoir (boh(n) swarh)
• Currency: Euro
• Tipping: The service charge is included in the bill, so there is no need to tip.
• Electricity: The electrical current is 220-240 volts, 50-60 Hz. Wall outlets take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in France as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
• Navigating: Use Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow this detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps. Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices. You can also grab a local map from the Bergerac Tourist Information Centre I’ve listed above.