Dordogne and Lot & Garonne

Château du Rayet offers so much to enjoy that you may never wish to leave. However, should you choose to explore beyond the estate, the surrounding region promises a wealth of delights waiting to be discovered.

Château du Rayet is on the border of two Departments in South West France - Dordogne and the Lot & Garonne. Both of them offer stunning scenery, beautiful medieval towns, majestic chateaux and lots of activities and things to see and do. We are very lucky to be located a 5 minute drive from Villeréal, a lively and picturesque town with lots of restaurants and shops and one of (open all year round) and a vibrant weekly market used by locals and tourists alike.

The area is also known for its wine and gastronomy and there are endless choices of restaurants and vineyards for you to visit.

Villeréal

Our local town, less than 5 minutes away, was founded in 1269 by Alphonse de Poitiers. It was occupied by the English from 1279 to 1453. King Edward I of England signed the “Charte des Coutumes de la Cité” on 20 April 1288, which set the rules of life in the village community and fixed Saturday as the market day. The market day is still every Saturday, as it has been for nearly 750 years, around the amazing 14th century market hall.

The Tourism Office has a guided walk through the village so that you don’t miss the Leper House with its elaborate sculpted door. Recently Villeréal has been awarded the status of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, one of the prettiest villages in France. 

Market: Saturday morning

Antiques market: every 2nd Sunday of the month

There are often other events going on in Villeréal, check out the events calendar of the Tourism Office.

Monflanquin

Another bastide town that is only 15 minutes away, perched on top of a hill with fantastic views over the Lède valley and to Château de Biron. It’s the original bastide, of which the other 300 in the southwest of France are based around, with two cart roads connected at regular intervals on a grid pattern with pedestrian alleys. Apparently, Chicago’s town planning was based on it! It’s worth walking around the village, which is another of the Plus Beaux Villages de France.

Monpazier
Monpazier is well worth a visit, perhaps during their weekly market on Thursday mornings. It’s a beautiful medieval bastide village founded by Edward I of England with restaurants and cafés. 12 minutes from Rayet.

Sarlat 

The medieval crown jewel in the crown of the Dordogne, but packed full of tourists. Parking can be a difficult, especially on market days (Wednesday and Saturday mornings) and in the height of the summer. 1 hour’s drive from Rayet.

Historical attractions

Lascaux IV is the world-renowned cave with drawings made by prehistoric man. The real caves have had to be closed to the public for decades, so that they don’t get damaged. We advise booking tickets in advance. It’s a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Rayet.

Château de Biron is on the other side of Monpazier. Amazing views and nearly 1,000 years of history have sculpted this stone giant, offering a unique blend of medieval, Renaissance and classical architecture.

Cadouin – UNESCO Abbey and the Gothic ‘Flamboyant’ cloisters are well worth a visit.

Domme – a stunning hilltop village, well worth visiting for it’s views over the Dordogne valley. It’s also one of the plus beaux villages de France.

Château de Castelnaud, a mediaeval castle towering over the Dordogne with amazing displays of weaponry.

Château de Milandes, the home of the incredible Josephine Baker, well worth a visit. Amazing gardens, flying displays of birds of prey, and of course the story of the remarkable Josephine.

Château de Beynac is a mediaeval castle and seat of one of the four ancient baronies of the Périgord.

Château de Bonaguil - Lord Bérenger de Roquefeuil (1448-1530) devoted more than 30 years of his life to building this exemplary castle, which was inhabited until the French Revolution. It’s open every day of the year.

Gardens

Latour Marliac A water garden with waterlilies and lotuses founded in 1875 by the intrepid M. Latour Marliac. His hybrid coloured waterlilies were so modern that he exhibited them at the Paris Exhibition in 1889 at the foot of the new Eiffel Tower. Monet was so blown away by them that he ordered all his waterlilies from Latour Marliac, which he then went on to paint.

Jardins de Marqueyssac, gardens overlooking the valley of the Dordogne with beautifully clipped box hedging.

Les Jardins du Manoir d’Eyrignac are a group of 7 different gardens with the most amazing topiary.

Activities

Children’s adventure activities

  • Parc-en-Ciel (20 minutes) has adventure courses in the trees and a mini-golf course.

  • Activifun (30 minutes away) has paintballing, archery wars, target archery, bubble ball (when you wear an inflatable bubble suit and crash into each other), football darts.

  • Château de Bridoire (35 minutes away) is filled with different games for children of all ages.

  • Univerland (50 minutes) is a collection of different attractions, including an aquarium where you can feed the animals and fish, and a climbing attraction.

  • Aqualand (1 hour away) in Agen is a big aqua theme park.

  • Walygator Sud Ouest (1 hour 5 minutes away) is a theme park for all the family.

Canoeing

Canoeing down a river is an amazing way to explore an area, for anyone 5 years or older. We recommend organising a canoe ride in which you’re first driven upstream to your starting point, and then you canoe back down to your car in your own time. Otherwise you start by caneoing and then have to wait for a minibus to take you back to your car, which can take much more time. Here’s information about the canoeing possibilities.

Cycling and bike rental

You can rent bikes from Aquitaine Bikes who will deliver your bikes to Rayet, adjust them for you and give you a crash course on cycling around here. He’ll then pick them up at the end of your stay.

You can also hire e-bikes from Bees in Monpazier, who will also deliver to Rayet. With the amount of hills around us, you might prefer this option!

There are great cycling routes in both the Lot & Garonne and in the Dordogne

Golf

  • Golf de Lolivarie – 35 mins away, an exceptional setting between castles and picturesque sites, an 18-hole, 6,000-metre course.

  • Château les Merles – 35 mins away, on the edge of the beautiful Liorac forest and the Bergerac vineyards, 2550 metres, 9 hole golf course par 35.  

  • Château des Vigiers – 1 hour away, offers a 27-hole course made up of 3 combinations of 9 holes offering a variety of 18 holes.

Hiking

There are other walks nearby, this website has a good selection, you can zoom out on the map to find ones further away. 

Tennis

There is a tennis club in Villeréal with 2 outside courts and 1 inside court, which you can book at the Tourism Office.