Local boutiques and activities around Le Petit Manoir

We have selected friendly food stores run by local producers, and sports or discovery activities near Le Petit Manoir. If you are looking for something that is not listed here, please ask us, we will be happy to help!

In Vitrac

• Chez Ninon, place de la Mairie in the village of Vitrac. New multi-service grocery store and café. Within walking distance of the Petit Manoir, this convenience store retails bread and croissants for your breakfasts.
• La Fabrique, along the main road between Sarlat and Vitrac Port. Local producer store and cookie maker. Nice assortment of regional products, many of them organic. Excellent walnut "Craquelé" cake. Gift items from local craftsmen.
• Maison Layac, wood-fire coffee roaster, Vitrac, on the road to La Roque Gageac. A couple with a passion for coffee runs this shop, where they present the origins and the journey of the coffee before it reaches your cup! Selection of coffees from great origins, coffee machines, world teas.

Open-air markets

• Monday: Les Eyzies, Beynac in season
• Tuesday: 💚 Cénac (small well-stocked market with free parking), le Bugue
• Wednesday: Sarlat (food market mainly), Montignac
• Thursday: Domme, St Julien de Lampon
• Friday: Souillac (large market in the old town), La Roque-Gageac in season
• Saturday : Sarlat (large market), 💚 Gourdon (nice market with free parking in a beautiful fortified city), Montignac, Belvès
• Sunday : Saint Cyprien (large market, nice town), Saint Geniès, Daglan, Carsac in season

In high season, there are many gourmet markets in the evening with food trucks and banquet tables to eat here.

A complete list can be found here on the website of the Sarlat Tourist Office : day markets / night gourmet markets with catering. The full list is only available in French, apologies to our English-speaking guests, but these markets are well worth a try to use Google translate if you need to!

On the markets of Sarlat (in the covered market) and Cénac, the Maison Albié has a well-stocked stall. Their main shop is located in Les Eyzies opposite the mammoths at the exit of the village in the direction of Périgueux. Their semi-cooked foie gras with pepper is exceptional.
Still in Sarlat, on the market in front of the Notre-Dame Church or at the Ferme de Vialard, the fresh vacuum-packed duck breasts of the Ferme des Roumevies are excellent, the meat is tender and never dry.

On the Sarlat side, north of Vitrac

• 💚💚 La Ferme de Vialard, major local farm store, 5 avenue de la Borie de Vialard 24200 Carsac - signposted from the road leaving Sarlat towards Souillac. Products from over 50 local farmers and producers : bread, fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese and dairy products, preserves, jams, local wines, herbal teas, pastries, essential oils...
• Le Gourmet Périgordin, shop of the Distillerie de La Salamandre and the Conserveries Lembert, 5 rue de Tourny, in Sarlat, not far from the tourist office (old town). Bergerac wines, liqueurs and aperitifs, local preserves.
• 💚 La Maison Lissajoux, in Sarlat, opposite the Place Pasteur next to the Central Post Office. In my humble opinion, the best bakery around, and the most expensive... A light lunch menu is served daily to eat there or to go.
• Crèmerie Chez Pierrô, rue de la République, Sarlat. Renowned creamery and cheese store.
• La Salamandre distillery in Temniac, exit Sarlat towards Montignac on the right (follow the signs). Self-guided tour of the distillery, liquor tasting, shop selling local wines and spirits.

In the village of Carsac, beyond the cingle of Montfort

• La Cave de Pierre, in the village. Telephone 06 52 95 29 44. Wine merchant in love with the wines of the region, exclusively organic or natural, with a selection at low prices (<10€ the bottle). Call before you go as the opening times are unreliable!

Near Cénac and Domme

• Les Délices de Pito, bakery in Cénac. On the market place, along the main road, south of the village on the right. Open every day from 6:30am. Large selection of breads, excellent quiches and savoury tarts.
• 💚 La Ferme de Quinte, opposite Délices de Pito on the market square in Cénac. Open every day, even on Sunday morning. Local farm store with a slightly different range of products to Ferme de Vialard, although some producers sell at both farms. Excellent meats, and the ice creams and sorbets of Master Roland Manouvrier.
• Carrefour Contact south of the village of Cénac towards Daglan / Gourdon, a small but very convenient store selling, among other things, good meat.
• In the fortified bastide of Domme, we really like the 💚 Glacier artisanal Lembert on the esplanade, opposite the church. Opening hours are scarce, so it's crowded as soon as the doors open!
• In Domme, on the main square opposite the market hall/tourist office, the 💚💚 Gourmandises Café is run by our friend Laura, who will treat you to a sweet of her making if you tell her you're from Le Petit Manoir!
• Next to Le Gourmandise Café is Le Cellier du Périgord, selling local producer items and a large selection of local wines and spirits.

From Castelnaud and Beynac

• 💚 Maison Carré, bakery-pastry shop in Castelnaud, below the Dordogne Bridge. Excellent pastries, reasonably priced. Credit card over 10€ only.
• Maison Lembert, Capeyrou, in Beynac, at the entrance to the village on the left coming from La Roque Gageac. Excellent Périgord canned food. You can visit the cannery and taste their products at the Auberge above the store at the entrance of the village of Beynac (see restaurant selection).
• 💚 Les Gourmandises de Lucco, bakery-pastry shop in Beynac (at the entrance to the village towards Vitrac) and in Castels, along the main road before reaching St Cyprien. The must for pastry in the region!

Supermarkets and hypermarkets

• Leclerc to the south of Sarlat, avenue de Madrazes, with the cheapest Leclerc petrol station in Sarlat opposite. The Leclerc shop is open Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 7:30pm, and Sunday morning from 8.30am to 12.30pm.
• Picard Surgelés in the shopping centre opposite Leclerc
• Biocoop organic retailer, in Le Pontet shopping centre, on the left when arriving in Sarlat from our side.
• Carrefour Market to the north of Sarlat, on the Brive / Montignac road

In the Céou valley

Wine lovers, treat yourself to an escapade in the ancient vineyard of Domme, accessible via Cénac and then towards Daglan / Florimont Gaumier. Allow half a day from the Petit Manoir, with a visit + tasting of the cooperative cellar or the Domaine de Lasfargues and the climb up the Moncalou tower to enjoy the sweeping view.

A pretty country road leads you through the countryside in the south of the Dordogne to the wine region of the Céou hillsides. This is the closest wine growing area to Sarlat. In the past, the hillsides of this valley were covered with vines. The phylloxera epidemic in 1879 destroyed almost everything, leading to a massive rural exodus. The remaining vineyards produce table wines that we find pleasant.

• 💚 Cave coopérative des Vignerons de Domme in Florimont-Gaumier, hamlet of Moncalou.
  Since Roman times, vines have been grown on these hillsides. Today, 17 producers still cultivate 27 hectares of vines in a beautiful landscape around the cooperative cellar. In the cellar, open every day in summer, they take it in turns to offer you tastings and talk with passion about their life of the land. We like their dry rosé, and the red wine aged in oak barrels, called "Périgord Noir".
• 💚 Domaine de Lasfargues, Moncalou, Florimont-Gaumier. Tel +33 (0)6 87 49 13 81
  Tasting room opens Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays from 3pm - 7pm. The property is located near the panoramic tower of Moncalou, look for signs along the road on the opposite side of the hamlet of Moncalou. The Duclaud family has been growing vines here for several centuries. A pioneer in organic wine making, this producer offers an excellent Chardonnay (white), a very pleasant sparkling rosé wine, Floréal, and an outstanding organic walnut wine, organic walnut oil as well as wine vinegar. Their products are on sale at the Ferme de Vialard, but the tour up to the Domaine by appointment preferably is a nice one. Beautiful tasting room on the property.
• Moncalou panoramic tower, Florimont-Gaumier
  On the plateau between the Lasfargues estate and the cooperative cellar, you can't miss the metal panoramic tower of Moncalou. From here, the view extends eastwards to the Massif Central mountains. The panorama and the orientation panels are worth the climb, from up there you can see many villages and valleys. Nice wooded picnic area below to take a break in the shade with the children. The restaurant at the foot of the tower is on our list.
  A few steps away, take a stroll in the peaceful hamlet of Moncalou. It retains the charm of yesteryear.

Activities and services

Massages : Equilibre et Sérénité at Domaine de Ravat, 28 côte de Ravat in Sarlat. Parking on site. Reservation on line. Amélie Behaghel is a naturopath and beautician, and offers beneficial treatments and precious advice in the superb setting of the Domaine de Ravat.

Canoeing on the Dordogne :

• At Vitrac Port, on the other side of the bridge, the Canoe-Loisirs water sports base offers a 10% discount to our guests, on site, upon presentation of a Petit Manoir business card on their leaflet, available in the welcome book. For online booking, please use the code LPMDV to get the discount and avoir standing in line on the day of the ride.

You can also canoe down the Vézère, which is wilder than the Dordogne (more current). Some operators leave from Montignac or 💚 St Léon sur Vézère ("plus beau village de France"), which we did not test.

Bike rental and bike routes : we do not recommend cycling on the roads of the Périgord Noir in season, especially not with children. The traffic is dense, the roads narrow and winding, the hills are steep. Above all, the locals drive without precautions for cyclists. All our visitors, bar none, who have tried biking around confirm that it is dangerous and not very pleasant. However, there are two more or less safe bike routes, with bike rental companies on the spot that allow you to practice this activity for half a day in relative safety, which we list here.

• Sarlat: Liberty cycles from the Sarlat-Cazoulès bike path on an old railway line. Very busy, safe bike and pedestrian path.
• Castelnaud la Chapelle: Bike Bus and Castel Bike rent bikes at the start of the "voie verte" which runs up the Céou, a small river which flows into the Dordogne at Castelnaud. This voie verte 💚 is superb, winding its way up the Causses to the pretty village of Daglan and offering, along the way, many places to stop for a picnic or a dip in the Céou. The small farm roads are shared with light traffic of local vehicles. Castel Bike also offers several loop routes on its website to discover the Dordogne Valley by bike (not on secured roads).

Horseback riding :

• L'Etrier de Vitrac, between Le Petit Manoir and Sarlat.
• 💚 Les Eymaries, in the horse valley between Les Eyzies and Le Bugue. A natural space dedicated to horses in a bucolic setting, ideal for children or horse riding enthusiasts.

Hot air ballooning : Several operators offer their services in the Dordogne valley. One of them was recommended to us by enthusiasts who flew several times during their stay at the Petit Manoir, and appreciated the safety conditions offered for their flights. We did not test the outfitter, but we trust our guests : Montgolfières et Châteaux in Beynac.

Farm visits : an activity much appreciated by children. Perigordian farmers are welcoming and will give you an opportunity to discover today's agricultural life in our beautiful land. On the Bienvenue à la Ferme website, you will find information in French only about farm visits and farm stores throughout the region.

• We particularly liked the Ferme des 4 Vents, in Peyrillac and Millac on the road to Souillac, where you get to meet its herd of Angora goats and Highland cows. Angora wool shop on site.
• Close to the Petit Manoir, opposite the cingle of Montfort, and accessible from the bridge of Vitrac by a small country road, the Ferme de Turnac proposes visits around the geese and the walnut. The setting is well worth the winding drive, with the largest walnut grove in the Périgord on the knoll hemmed in by the meander of the Dordogne, and dominated by the Château de Montfort. Shop on site.
• Between Vitrac and Sarlat, the Chèvrerie du Lac de Roudet also offers tours and excellent goat's milk cheeses and products in its shop, open every morning 10-12:30 am except Sunday. This young farmer deserves all our support!

Our partners

• The linen sheets are woven with Normandy linen by a company from the Basque Country, Couleur Chanvre, whose ecological values we share.
• The crumpled cotton bed linen comes from Linvosges Hôtellerie, a division that only sells to professionals, unless you order through us for delivery directly to your home, in France and Europe.
• The small charpoys, rope armchairs, cushions and Indian plaids come from Delphine Precetti, creator of the Caravan Café in Figeac and Marcilhac sur Célé, in the Lot area. She sells her creations online with transport to other regions.