The Dordogne in southwestern France is such a large, beautiful and picturesque area so it is hard to pick out just one village that took our breath away but Brantome truly did!
We weren’t even that lucky with the weather, on the day of our visit, but funnily enough the dramatic skies and lack of people really added even more to the atmosphere of the stunning views at every turn!
Set on either side of the Dronne river the first building we came across was the spectacular Abbey. We then crossed one of the dreamy arched bridges and walked along sweeping terraces which where nothing short of incredible … we honestly felt as if we were walking through an amazing oil painting!
So much lush vegetation, landscaped gardens, trailed blossom walkways, magical reflections in the water along with jaw dropping architecture with weathered facades! Such a concentration of back to back beauty here … and real colours of France too!
We can imagine that in the height of the warmer months the river and Brantome itself would be bustling with life, markets, canoe fun on the water etc but we were so happy to have visited out of season where the feeling of stepping back in time was tangible and the stillness so calming!
Quintessentially French the village of Brantome is a ‘must see’ if you are exploring the Dordogne region. Not only is it so very beautiful but it felt tranquil, friendly and a happy place to wander along cobbled streets, eat an al fresco meal over the water, stroll through manicured gardens and lose yourself for the day in this work of art!
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