La Roque-Gageac

La Roque-Gageac is a single line of ochre houses squeezed between a south-facing overhanging cliff and the river, with no room to build in depth. The cliff shelters it so well that the microclimate supports palms, bananas, bamboo and cactus in an exotic garden planted on the slope, unexpected this far north. A troglodyte fort is cut into the rock above the roofs, reached by steps, used as a refuge in the Hundred Years War. Gabarres, flat-bottomed cargo boats of the type that once carried oak and wine downriver, run trips from the quay. Rockfalls have happened here, one fatally in 1957.

What you actually see

• The single street - houses pressed between overhanging cliff and river.
• The exotic garden - palms and bananas grown on a sheltered rock face.
• The troglodyte fort - a refuge cut into the cliff above the roofs.
• The gabarres - flat-bottomed river boats running trips from the quay.

When to go

April to October; boat trips are seasonal. The village faces south and is very hot in midsummer afternoons. Autumn colour along the Dordogne is good.

Honest expectations

The road runs right through the village between houses and river, which is noisy and tight. Parking is charged and fills. Sections beneath the cliff have been closed after rockfall.

Nearby

Beynac lies downstream; Domme is above on the opposite side.