4 Best Sights in The Dordogne, France

Périgueux's history reaches back more than 2,000 years, yet the community is best known for this odd-looking church, which was associated with the routes to Santiago de Compostela. Finished in 1173 and fancifully restored in the 19th century, Cathédrale St-Front seems like it might be on loan from Istanbul, given its shallow-scale domes and the elongated conical cupolas sprouting from the rooflike baby minarets. You may be struck by similarities between it and the Byzantine-style Sacré-Coeur in Paris; that's no coincidence—architect Paul Abadie (1812–84) had a hand in the design of both. After a mandatory visit to the cathedral, you can make for the cluster of tiny pedestrian-only streets that run through the heart of Périgueux.

With France as the world's fourth-largest producer of caviar—much of it from sturgeon raised in the rivers of the Dordogne—you'll be assured when a menu says "local caviar" it truly is. At this 50-acre estate, visitors are shown how caviar is produced, from the breeding ponds to harvesting, before tasting the homegrown delicacy. Neuvic offers "initiation" visits along with masterclasses (all booked in advance online) or you can just stop in between Monday and Saturday for a visit of the domaine. The on-site boutique sells all of the various caviars along with a host of other local delicacies. There's also a gourmet restaurant and a chic boutique hotel in the 19th-century Tudor-style chateau if you're looking for the full caviar experience. The domaine is almost equidistant (about 30 km/19 miles) between Perigeux and Bergerac.

A farmers' market is open daily on Place du Coderc from 8 am to 12:30 pm; on Wednesday and Saturday bigger versions spill over the square to the front of the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall). If you love your gras (fat) as much as the locals do, you'll also want to witness one of the many marchés au gras that run on Wednesday and Saturday, November through March. The Saturday morning marché aux truffes (truffle market)—held December through February on Place St-Louis—is tempting, too.

This museum is open year-round, but if it's truffles you're after, take a guided tour of the museum followed by the truffle groves in Sorges, a picturesque village northeast of Périgueux. Organized by the Sorges Truffle Museum (L'écomusée de la Truffe), the hour-long outings run every Tuesday and Thursday in July and August, beginning at 2:30 for the museum and 3:30 for the hiking trail.