Sightseeing and Heritage sites
Within a radius of 15 kms from Le Jeanquet
Villeréal (3km)
Built in the 13th century “ the bastide of Villeréal is one of the many “new towns” in our region. They are all planned in the same way, with the main streets leading to a central square often flanked by arcades In Villeréal there is still a covered market (halle) on the square, a superb wooden structure with an upper storey in wattle and daub, This “halle”, as well as the fortified Church is listed as a National Heritage Monument. Villeréal (Town of the King) was originally built by Alphonse de Poitiers, Saint Louis’s brother, in 1265.
In addition to its historical importance, it is a delightful village with events and attractions all year round. You will find small shops (butchers, bakers and a wonderful cake shop) and services (banks, healthcare centre, pharmacy), a traditional pottery shop (“Les Loys”), 4 restaurants, a supermarket…
Events in Villeréal:
- The theatre festival “Bastid’Art” (early July)
- Horse racing at night on the racecourse
- The “Bodega”: a traditional summer festivity that takes place in the village streets on the last Sunday in July where you can listen to bands, eat tapas, drink wine and have fun.
- A local food market on Mondays in the summer, under the “halle”, where you can taste our regional specialties. Music & dancing
- An antique market twice a month (on Sundays, as well as on 1st May).
- Village market: Wednesday & Saturday mornings (during the summer period)
- The “Horse Festival”: on the last Sunday in September.
You can find out about upcoming Villeréal events on Tourist Office of Villeréal
Four more delightful “Bastides”:
Monpazier where scenes from several French movies were filmed, Beaumont, Castillonnès, Monflanquin. Visit them the day of their weekly market.
And also:
On the horizon, Biron castle village and surrounding forest can be seen and admired from Le Jeanquet. (5 min by car). Another favorite site for film makers. Bonaguil (30 min) and Gavaudun (20 min) castles: veritable jewels of the region, embodying hundreds of years of history.
Photos
Tourism in Dordogne
Bergerac (30 min), the city of Cyrano - a character created by the French author Edmond Rostand)
Sarlat (55 min), the Périgord capital.
The castles of Beynac and Castelnaud ( 45 minutes): tremendous fortresses and rivals during the Hundred Years’ War.
The castles of Hautefort, Lanquais, Losse, Bourdeilles, Puyguilhem, les Milandes …
The international capital of prehistory: The Les Eyzies caves and their rock art. Monuments Nationaux - Roque St Christophe.
The Abyss of Proumeyssac, Padirac and Cadouin Abbey.
Some exceptional gardens:
- Located on a rocky spur you can visit the Marqueyssac Gardens (50 min), made up of hundreds of trimmed box hedges from all over the world. Panoramic viewpoints offer breathtaking views over the valley. During the summer, you can walk around the illuminated gardens on Thursday evenings in the charming company of small jazz bands.
- The gardens of the Eyrignac manor.
- A romantic garden: Sardy
Did you know?
Castlenaud has a fascinating collection of war machines.
The castle of Milandes belonged to Josephine Baker, the famous African-American dancer who danced at the Folies Bergère in Paris.