Beynac-et-Cazenac Travel Guide

 balhannah Says:  THIS IS A MUST DOIf you have a car, take the drive up the top to the Chateau, or if walking, try to make the effort to reach the top. No need to visit the Chateau, because from here, there are many vantage points for views over the valley. We could see the Dordogne River and... 

 balhannah Says:  Yes, you read correctly, there are two parts to the Village, The Upper & The Lower. If we hadn't wanted to see the Chateau, we would have never realized there was more than the Chateau up the top of the cliff face!This village has the title of "One of the most beautiful... 

 balhannah Says:  We arrived at Beynac-et-Cazenac knowing that we were going to do this River Cruise. The car was parked in the carpark, and as we walked the short distance to the Promenade and ticket office, we could see the Gabarre [boat] waiting at the Pier. Quickly, we bought our tickets... 

 balhannah Says:  The Chateau de Beynac sits high above the village on a limestone cliff top. What a sight this is!It was built in the 12th century, to close the valley off by intruders. When we saw the sheer cliff face it was built on, I doubt if this would have been a problem, at least not... 

 Beausoleil Says:  Beynac et Cazenac is built up the side of a cliff and is on two levels. The castle is at the top (of course; castles always are) and there is a small piece of town outside the castle. The larger part of town is down along the river and you can walk along the river or take a... 

 hquittner Says:  Befor we left the grounds we walked to the church. Iy looked Romanesque with an early Gothic recessed door on the north side. It was locked, so we could not really tell.( It should be late 12C). Above the doorway at the roof line were the type of modillions we saw elsewhere... 

 hquittner Says:  The South Bastion has views out over the river and valley, the castle walls and the castle platform. On our tour we were taken there via a battlement passage and an inner courtyard with a Renaissance balcony above. From our view point we could see the nearby castles (which... 

 hquittner Says:  Off the Great Hall is the Oratory which houses a charming naive 13C fresco of the Last Supper. This is supplemented by some unusual early tapestries, but the light was very dim. The original inner staircases were narrow, steep and spiral for defensive purposes but a fine... 

 hquittner Says:  The castle can only be seen via a guided tour (7 euro fee) in French (although special groups can get it in other languages). The first room entered is the Hall of State with a tall slightly pointed modified barrel stine vaulting. It has a fine carved fireplace and some... 

 hquittner Says:  The fortress was built in the 12C on a quadrilateral plan. The austere keep was added in the 13C. Bastions reinforce the lower levels on the river side, but of course the defenses are directed toward the plateau to the north. It has a double moat and double crenelated walls.... 

 tomorino Says:  The view from the top of the chateau where you get a stupendous sweep over the surrounding chateaux in the Dordogne valley. 

 edwis Says:

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 Radiomom Says:  This restaurant is located in a hotel in the town La Roque Gageac...just down the road from Beynac. I think I had the best meal of the trip here! Oysters on the half shell, but they'd been lightly poached in cream, with truffles. oh yum. I rarely order steaks, but this filet... 

 balhannah Says:  We liked Beynac et Cazenac and were surprised to find another similar pretty village only a few kilometres away. This is another of Frances 'MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES."In fact, it may have been a twin! Similar golden yellow houses with Perigord rooves, Cliffs, a Chateau, an... 

 hquittner Says:  Unless you have pictures from different angles to refer to or a guide with descriptions and a map, it is hard to identify buildings you have never seen before. In cities with tourist offices, brochures and maps may be provided. Recently many of them have begun to charge for...