exploring southwest france & beyond

Visit the Stunning Château de Biron and Monpazier Village

Château de Biron and the bastide town of Monpazier are about ten minutes apart in the south of the Dordogne, right on the border with the Lot-et-Garonne. Together they make a perfect day out — a massive castle in the morning, a beautiful medieval town for lunch and an afternoon wander.

Château de Biron

Biron is enormous. It’s classified as the largest castle in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, which is saying something for a part of France that has more castles than it knows what to do with. It sits on top of a hill at the edge of the Périgord, and the views from the terraces and ramparts are stunning — green rolling countryside in every direction, with the village of Biron tucked below.

Biron was one of the four great baronies of Périgord, alongside Beynac, Bourdeilles, and Mareuil. If you’ve been to Beynac (and you should), Biron is an interesting contrast — Beynac is compact and warlike, built purely for defence. Biron is sprawling and shows the transition from fortress to stately home over the centuries.

The castle has also been used as a filming location for movies including Le Pacte des Loups, Les Visiteurs 2, and Ever After. You can see why — the place looks like a film set even without the cameras.

Dogs are welcome on leads, which is always appreciated.

Stairs leading up to a historic stone castle with a red and white flag, surrounded by greenery and overcast skies.
An ancient stone courtyard of a castle, featuring arched windows and a balcony, with a cloudy sky overhead.
Close-up of a stained glass window featuring a red and orange geometric design, with rainfall droplets visible on the glass and a view of green fields in the background.
A view of a medieval castle with distinctive towers and a stone structure, surrounded by green fields and trees under a cloudy sky.

Monpazier

From Biron, drive ten minutes north to Monpazier. This is one of the best-preserved bastide towns in southwest France — founded in 1284 by King Edward I of England. The grid layout, the arcaded central square with its 16th-century market hall, the stone houses — it’s all still intact, and it’s beautiful. Monpazier is classified as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France and has over 30 listed historic monuments within its walls.

It’s also a proper working town with artisan shops that are worth browsing. The standout for us was a stained glass artisan whose workshop is in the town — she worked on the restoration of the famous stained glass dome at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, which is one of the most spectacular pieces of Art Nouveau glass in the world. Seeing that kind of craft happening in a small Périgord village is a reminder that French artisanal expertise isn’t only found in the cities.

The Bastideum is a small museum housed in a former 17th-century convent, explaining the history of bastide towns using Monpazier as the example. It’s interactive, with 3D reconstructions, aerial footage, medieval games for kids, and a medicinal herb garden with views over the Dropt valley. Not huge, but well done and worth an hour if you want to understand what you’re looking at when you walk around the town.

Lunch

We ate at Privilège du Périgord, on rue Notre-Dame in the heart of the bastide. The lunch menu starts at €21.50, which for this quality of cooking is remarkable. The seasonal carte menus run €32–37. The food was absolutely delicious and the restaurant itself is very pretty, warm yellow colored stone connected to a courtyard with plants and dappled light. Book ahead.

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