Dordogne river france map series#

The main season for tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September, with July and August being high season. In Périgord, the valley widens further to encompass one of France's main gastronomic regions, with vineyards, poultry farms and truffle-rich woodlands. In the towns, which are major tourist attractions because of their history and architecture, the quaysides are lined with eating and drinking places. Camp sites and holiday homes have proliferated wherever the valley floor is wide enough to accommodate them.īelow Argentat and around Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, the valley widens to accommodate fertile farmland, well-watered pasture and orchards. In several places the river is dammed to form long, deep lakes. The cliffs, steep banks, fast flowing water and high bridges attract both walkers and drivers.

Dordogne river france map series#

The upper valley of the Dordogne is a series of deep gorges.

The Dordogne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit the phenomenon of a tidal bore, known as a mascaret. It flows generally west about 500 kilometres (310 mi) through the Limousin and Périgord regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common estuary with the Garonne, at the Bec d'Ambès ('Ambès beak'), north of the city of Bordeaux.

The river rises on the flanks of the Puy de Sancy at 1,885 metres (6,184 ft) above sea level in the mountains of Auvergne, from the confluence of two small torrents above the town of Le Mont-Dore: the Dore and the Dogne. The Dordogne and its watershed were designated Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO on July 11 2012. The Dordogne ( French pronunciation: ⓘ Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France.