If you plan to visit the Dordogne region of France for a holiday, you may be wondering where to stay. Many tourists will automatically head to the nearest hotel, however this will dismiss one of Frances specialties; the French gîte.
A gîte is a holiday home, available to be rented by tourists. Originally the word referred to a form of shelter, however modern day gîtes can range from very basic apartments to luxury holiday cottages. Generally, the word gîte now refers to any form of holiday accommodation. Quite often they will take the form of converted farm buildings and are well kept, with more and more featuring the standard appliances you would find at home, including kitchens, entertainment systems, en-suite bathrooms and more.
Horse Wine Charms
Gîte owners will often manage bookings themselves, advertising their properties via websites. If following tradition, the gîte owner should live nearby in order to provide a warm welcome and offer any assistance when it is required. Realistically this isn't always be the case, as some gîtes will be owned by people not living in the local area.
Depending on the type of holiday you are planning, there are different types of gîtes available. A self catered property in a remote location would be known as a Gîte Rural and would contain everything that a normal home would, with multiple bedrooms and modern facilities such as bathrooms and kitchens. The owner of a gîte would not normally stay there; often a gîte would be a separate building which sits on the same property as the home of the owner.
If you are planning a walking holiday then you may be better suited to a Gîtes d'Etape. These usually sit in less obvious places and give groups of walkers and cyclists a base from which to operate. A similar concept is the Gîte Equestre - a Gîte which includes stabling so that people travelling the countryside by horseback will have somewhere to keep their horse when they bed down for the night.
Gîtes are liberally scattered throughout all regions of France, and are encouraged by tourist boards and planning authorities as a way to attract investment and tourism. Gîtes in the Dordgone region can often include converted barns and other farming buildings. Usually these have been restored and converted into luxurious residencies.
If you plan to stay in the Dordogne department, you may well have already looked into the availability of Gites. Dordogne is a very beautiful region, filled with breathtaking scenery, rural charm and containing more than one thousand and five hundred castles in addition to the chateaux and important historical museums scattered around the area. In addition, the region boasts the Lascaux caves, a series of complex cave systems near Montignac which were made famous in the nineteen-forties after the discovery of upper Palaeolithic art dating back seventeen thousand three hundred years.
The Lascaux caves were closed to the public after exposure to light, carbon dioxide, and changes to the air circulating within caused damage to the historical artefacts. A fungus began to grow in the cave, which scientists have been unable to remove. A duplicate of the cave, known as Lascaux II, was created just two hundred metres from the original and contains reproductions of the original artwork. This cave is still available for viewing by the public whilst the original is now permanently closed.
The Dordogne is famed for its golden stone houses set amidst stunning scenery. There are also a number of stone villages including Monpazier, Rocamadour, Domme and La Roque Gageac. Whatever part of the Dordogne you choose to visit, make sure you leave yourself with enough time to get around in a relaxed manor. And when you've finished your pursuits for the day, head back to your holiday Gîte and relax for the evening with a glass of the local wine.