Corrèze Dordogne Valley

Here you are in the heart of a sumptuous region of Corrèze, which will never cease to surprise you… The Dordogne river meanders languorously through the mountains, offering breathtaking landscapes from the numerous viewpoints. Climb the hills to gain height and then descend near the flow of the generous water where welcoming towns and villages are settled. In this region, tourism gives pride of place to heritage, you will be delighted by visits to mysterious castles, remarkable towns and villages with timeless facades, an abandoned town which will reveal all its secrets to you... Do you want more? Climb into a gabarre to find out more about the epic of the gabariers of yesteryear, get on a mountain bike to hurtle down the trails, put on your sneakers to take on the trails and hiking trails, grab a paddle to spin in a canoe on the Dordogne, find a harness for climbing or via ferrata in Argentat. As you get closer to the interior of the department, you will come close to the Plateau de Millevaches... So let's go?

Map of the Dordogne Corrézienne Valley

Along the Dordogne in Corrèze, remarkable towns and villages

Several solutions are available to you to discover this part of Corrèze. Why not follow the course of the water? We start together in Bort-les-Orgues, a town that certainly has a seaside character! It is on the edge of a sumptuous dam reservoir. Here, water is omnipresent and is part of the landscape and part of life. Stroll through the city, but don't hesitate to go to the top of its organs (which you can see perfectly well from afar, from Avenue Gambetta) to appreciate this original rock formation which gave its name to the city. Bort-les-Orgues is also home to its dam (which we recommend you visit to find out how electricity is produced, it's fascinating!) and its leisure and swimming area at the foot of Château de Val. Between the water and the surrounding hikes, sporty holidaymakers are spoiled for choice to expend their energy. Perfect places for family holidays, very well located, Bort-les-Orgues will allow you to continue your discovery along the river or to go for a day on the Monédières side or the Millevaches plateau.

The organs of Bort

The Château de Val and the Site de la Vie viewpoint

We continue along the Dordogne, towards Soursac and the town of Spontour, passing by the Aigle dam. Did you know that there is a hike specifically oriented on dams? The Dordogne of villages in dam: it crosses 200km of nature in 8300m of elevation gain (August!), 15 unforgettable days of walking! Put down your backpack and embark with the barges of Spontour, for a river trip to meet the gabarriers of yesteryear, their way of working, the nature of their boat... All this in the middle of the Dordogne gorges, in a setting of lush vegetation!

The Aigle Dam and the Gabarres de Spontour

Let's continue this getaway to the sumptuous town of Argentat-sur-Dordogne, at the gates of Xaintrie, a magnificent region where the Cère, the Maronne and the Dordogne flow to form beautiful chasms and gorges, deep and mysterious forests... Argentat is a city very focused on sport, you can practice all the joys that nature offers in Corrèze: mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, climbing and via ferrata. We're not going to stop at natural sites? The city itself offers many attractions, stroll through its medieval streets, stroll along the water's edge on its quays. Here you can also take a boat trip and even some with theatrical performances (the departure quay is located upstream of the city). In Argentat, lovers of birds and biodiversity like to go for a walk in the Gravières d'Argentat, a preserved natural area in a former stone extraction area, where birds now nest. Not far from Argentat, go to meet the Cascades de Murel, a natural site to explore on foot and for swimming, think of the pretty Lac de Feyt, which also promises beautiful fishing trips. Argentat is a very pleasant city for holidays, well located it will be an ideal starting point to radiate in the surroundings.

Argentat, a pleasant town

Les Gravières d'Argentat, the Splash aquatic center

Two most beautiful villages in France

It is in this Valley of the Dordogne Corrézienne that 2 of the 6 Most Beautiful Villages of France are found in Corrèze: Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne and Curemonte.

Beaulieu is an absolutely charming town/village. Here, a microclimate makes the vegetation lush, everything is green and brings out the beautiful stones of the medieval village houses. Stroll through the center of Beaulieu before reaching the quays, pass by the beautiful Saint-Pierre Abbey Church, let yourself be tempted by a trip in a barge or a canoe descent on the Dordogne, very pleasant at this place. Bring your fishing rod, cross the Aubarèdes footbridge which faces the village and offers a superb view, before casting your rod.

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne

By canoe from Beaulieu and Saint-Pierre Abbey in the center of the town

Curemonte is a pleasant village for a half-day walk. You will enjoy a magnificent view of the village by parking in the car park above. Installed on a promontory of limestone, Curemonte enjoys a beautiful panorama over the countryside. 3 castles are to be seen in the village, they spice up the visit! You are here on the lands of our ancestors and the Museum of Neanderthal Man will tell you all about it.

The charm of Xaintrie, a natural region of Corrèze

Xaintrie is a region full of charm and surprises, you will find something to satisfy your thirst for adventure, visits, nature. It is a natural region, dug with valleys, gorges and chasms, by 3 rivers. Here there are only small winding roads where each bend reveals the promise of a following! A few viewpoints here and there will make you stop the car. Starting with the one offered by the Tours de Merle. It is a somewhat magical place... An old co-lordship partially in ruins, but preserved and enhanced to allow everyone to walk there and project themselves into what life could be like on such a site, of such magnitude, at the time of its full activity (between the 12th and 15th centuries). If you like this kind of site, but in an even more "wilderness" version, go to the Tours de Carbonnières, the same style of remains, with the addition of an old village encircling 2 towers still standing. To explore this site, we recommend that you take the free treasure hunt walk with the Tèrra Aventura app.

Merle Towers

The towers of Carbonnières and the Rock of the Painter

To learn more about the uses and customs of the region, let yourself be transported to the atmosphere of the Farms of the Middle Ages, a unique place, a kind of life-size eco-museum, an experience too! You will visit an old medieval village with farms like in the Middle Ages in Xaintrie. The association that manages this site has done a lot of research to offer its visitors a very immersive stroll, with interpretation panels, workshops and demonstrations in season. It's a real gem!

Medieval farms, a unique and atypical site to discover

We are getting closer to the mountains...

To the northwest of the Dordogne, we approach the foothills of the Plateau de Millevaches.

In Neuvic, you are in the heart of the Vicomté de Ventadour, stroll through the town with medieval accents, then set off to conquer the Château de Ventadour, nestled at the top of a hill. Its remains are impressive and still resonate with the music and words of the troubadours who lived here. Then head to Lac de la Triouzoune for a swim and water activities, without forgetting (before or after) to go to the very top of Puy de Manzagol to admire the 360-degree view of the lake and the Monts du Cantal and from the Puy de Dome. From Neuvic, you are not far from the Viaduc des Rochers Noirs, a historic site surrounded by nature with a pleasant walk to discover it. Another remarkable point of view in the direction of Bort-les Orgues: The Site of Saint-Nazaire and just opposite the belvedere of Gregeolles.

Neuvic and its views of the mountains and the Château de Ventadour

The Puy de Manzagol

Égletons to the west is a strategic place for holidays, perfectly located. It is also an old medieval city, propelled in the 12th century by the family of the Lords of Ventadour. Visit the Middle Ages Discovery Center to find out more.

Come and visit Ussel, the City of Ventadours, a short walk in the old town will take you through the Musée du Pays d'Ussel. Ussel is well placed to then radiate on one side towards the gorges of the Dordogne and on the other towards the Haute-Corrèze of which it is the capital.

Egletons and Ussel