Bordeaux to Siorac-en-Périgord: the crossroads of the Périgord Noir

8:45 a.m., a Wednesday in July. In the square, the market stalls are setting up—just as they have every Wednesday since Louis XIII granted the village this privilege in 1612. Near the train station, the TER from Bordeaux glides along the platform; two cyclists step off, their panniers full, heading for the valley. Between the two, the bridge built in 1857 spans the Dordogne exactly where the ford once stood that Blaise de Monluc crossed with his army in 1562. Siorac isn’t just a backdrop: it’s a crossroads that’s still very much alive.

Don’t look here for the Beynac cliff or the bastide town of Domme: Siorac is a village at a river confluence—where the Nauze meets the Dordogne—and a stopover. A strategic ford, then a toll bridge, then a railway junction: three centuries of serving the same purpose. It’s also one of the few villages in the Périgord that has been gaining residents for the past half-century, precisely because it has retained its train service, its market, and its shops.

And it holds some astonishing stories: a castle that houses the town hall, a co-lord who served as a weather vane and was executed in 1439, a name engraved on Mars by NASA, and the hero of a saga that has sold 6 million copies — Pierre de Siorac, from *Fortune de France* — who gave the town its name.

This guide covers everything in order—the origins, the Hundred Years' War, the two castles, the 1923 name, the train station, the river, and the surrounding area—as well as practical information, including how to get to Siorac from Bordeaux by train, by car, or with a private driver.

From the dolmen to the Gallo-Roman estate

The oldest monumental site in the area dates back to prehistoric times: the Cayre Leva dolmen, south of the village. The village’s name, meanwhile, dates back to antiquity: Siorac derives from the Gallo-Roman surname Severus—it was the “estate of Severus,” formed with the suffix -acum. In Occitan, it is still known as Sieurac de Perigòrd.

1153: The “Curtes of Ciourac” in a Papal Bull

The first written record is a notable one: in the first half of 1153, a few months before his death, Pope Eugene III issued a papal bull to the Benedictine Abbey of Sarlat that listed the “curtes de Ciourac” among its parishes. Ten years earlier, in 1143, the village’s first church—now known as Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens—had been built. Destroyed during the Hundred Years’ War, rebuilt in the Gothic style, burned down by the Protestant troops of the Viscount of Turenne, and repaired in the early 17th century: the current building alone encapsulates the turbulent history of the Périgord. Its four chapels were built by the co-lords of Siorac as their burial places; its largest bell dates from 1764, its stained-glass windows are the work of Jean Besseyrias and Antoine Bernard, and the cemetery surrounded it until 1900.

Fongauffier: A Duke Murdered and an Abbey Founded by a Woman

The village’s other origin lies in Fongauffier, on the Nauze River. Tradition holds that this is where Waïfre, the last Duke of Aquitaine, fled: taken by surprise by Pepin the Short’s soldiers while he was cooling off at the fountain—which took his name, Font-Gauffier—he is said to have “crossed the Dordogne at the Siorac ford” before being assassinated in 768. This is a local legend, to be taken as such—but the Abbey of Fongauffier, founded in 1095 by a woman named Eubolène—a rarity for the time—and affiliated with Saint-Géraud d’Aurillac, is well documented; its abbey town had been established as early as 1094.

Castel-Réal, the English-style fortified town that ended up in court

Before May 1288, the English founded a bastide in the hamlet of "Castel-Réal" — “royal castle” — on the Siorac estate, owned by the Abbey of Sarlat. The matter escalated into a legal dispute: the case went all the way to the Paris Parliament, with legal documents dating from 1268 and 1291. All that remains of this bastide today is its name—but few villages can trace their neighborhood disputes back to the 13th century.

A surprise for anyone who skims through brochures too quickly: Siorac has two castles. The parish priest Robert Laguionie noted this as early as 1838: “Siorac has two castles; one is modern, since it is only 61 years old. ”—it is this very sentence that allows us to date the completion of the large castle to around 1777.

Four lineages over five centuries

A few key dates mark this long family history. The house appears in a Parliamentary decree of 1281 — nearly 750 years of documented history. Among the d'Abzac family, we come across Adémar (died in 1414), also lord of La Douze and Montastruc, then Jean, known as "Pochi", who married Hélène de Montferrand in 1460, and Jean II “the Younger” (1474–1546). In the Sireuil family, the "Captain Sireuil" — an illegitimate son legitimized by Henry III in 1583 — distinguished himself in 1597 at the Amiens Conspiracy against the Spanish: after being captured, he was exchanged for prisoners. As for the transfer of the Laverrie estate, it was settled in court: the du Lion family’s property was awarded in 1705 by the Bordeaux Parliament, with possession taken in May 1706.

The 18th-Century Castle: From the Reign of Terror to City Hall

François-Antoine de Laverrie de Vivans (1742–1798) had the castle built between 1760 and 1780 — a two-story residence situated between two asymmetrical pavilions, built on top of an older structure of which the cellars and masonry still remain. The Revolution caught up with it: its furnishings were requisitioned by the district of Belvès on March 16, 1794, the lord of the castle and two of his daughters were imprisoned, and his eldest son went into exile—before the amnesty of 1804. In 1818, the west wing was sold; the municipality requisitioned it as early as 1825 to serve as the rectory… and that is how the The Siorac Town Hall is now located in a castle, listed as a Historic Monument on May 23, 2013 — the only historic monument in the town.

And what about the other castle? That’s the medieval one—built around 1100, associated with the English and the coalition of 1373, burned down during the Wars of Religion, purchased in ruins around 1810 by the de Lavalle family, and rebuilt using its own stones. It faces the town hall: the two castles of Siorac look at each other. Please note: the interior is not open to the public—a museum of culinary arts and tableware has been set up in the historic castle, but check its opening hours with the town hall before visiting.

If there is one common thread running through Siorac's modern history, it is the railroad tracks. The "Siorac Station" opens the August 3, 1863, on the Niversac–Agen line of the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans—a route envisioned as early as 1853 by the Count of Morny as a section of a Paris-Madrid. When the line opens, there will be three direct trains a day between Agen and Paris; the fastest takes 14 hours and 45 minutes.

1882: The Turning Point That Changed Everything

The July 2, 1882, the line to Sarlat Opens from Siorac: the village becomes junction station. The recipes speak louder than words: 73,225 francs in 1878, 143,339 in 1881 — nearly double that. As early as 1883, the passenger station had to be expanded (the original had only two entrances, and the vestibule served as a waiting room), and a second track had to be laid from Le Buisson. In 1943, the German occupiers dismantled one of the two tracks heading south: the current configuration—double track up to Siorac, single track beyond—dates from that time.

The route that bypassed Villeneuve-sur-Lot

A behind-the-scenes railway anecdote: The reason the line runs through Siorac and the Lémance Valley rather than through Villeneuve-sur-Lot is that the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans, owner of the Fumel ironworks, insisted on a route that served its own factories. Le Bugue, however, had made its case by touting its shipments of fattened cattle, chestnuts, truffles, and truffle-stuffed poultry—the 19th-century sales pitch in all its glory. After the golden age, the decline was abrupt: the station’s revenue plummeted from 143,339 francs (1881) to 41,721 francs in 1886.

Today: The TER, and Ridership Skyrocketing

The Siorac station connects the town to the Bordeaux–Sarlat and Périgueux–Agen TER lines. For the Bordeaux–Siorac route, SNCF Connect listed five daily trips and a best travel time of 1 hour and 55 minutes on July 24, 2026; schedules vary by date. This service maintains Siorac as a rail access point to the center of the valley (official source).

Passenger traffic, as measured by SNCF Gares & Connexions, is expected to rise from 3,943 passengers in 2020 to 23,491 passengers in 2024, according to the “Station Passenger Traffic” dataset covering 2015 through 2024. The track was also upgraded in 2013, and Sarlat is now the terminus of the branch line.

As for the Sarlat-Cazoulès section, which closed in 1980, it has been given a new lease on life: its right-of-way has been transformed into a 21-kilometer greenway—including a 464-meter tunnel. You can start the route in Sarlat (half an hour from Siorac): it’s the perfect way to round out a day of cycling in the valley.

A Martian rock named Siorac

This is the most unlikely anecdote in this guide: In March 2021, NASA named one of the Curiosity rover’s analysis targets “Siorac,” located on a rock outcrop on Mars. At the time, the mission was naming its targets after villages in the Périgord region—the Nontron area even gave its name to a mineral, nontronite. A village of 1,082 residents whose name is etched on the Red Planet: that’s sure to be a talking point at the Wednesday market.

Pierre de Siorac, the hero of *Fortune de France*

The other claim to fame associated with the name is literary. Robert Merle (1908–2004) identified in Siorac the opening of his grand historical fresco Fortune of France — thirteen volumes, 6 million copies copies sold, including one million for the first volume alone. Its hero, Pierre de Siorac, a young Protestant nobleman from the Sarlat region, is the namesake of the village. Since September 2024, the TV adaptation is airing on France 2—filmed in part at the Château de Beynac, sixteen minutes from here. Reading Merle before you come means arriving on familiar ground.

That’s another major draw of Siorac: it’s a hub for day trips. Within a 20-minute radius, you’ll find two of France’s “Most Beautiful Villages,” a UNESCO-listed abbey, a “star-filled” cave, and the world capital of prehistory.

Belvès, the town of seven bell towers (7 min)

Perched above the Nauze River, Belvès (one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France) boasts seven bell towers—and hides its most astonishing attraction beneath the town square: eight cave dwellings occupied by the poorest residents from the 13th to the 18th century, which can be visited 6 meters underground (7 €). The 15th-century market hall rests on 23 pillars, one of which still bears the remains of the pillory. An unexpected connection: Bertrand de Got, Lord of Belvès, was elected pope in 1305—Clement V, the pope associated with the Templar affair. The village also cherishes its traditions: an air show held every August 15 since 1913, the Bach Festival (25th edition in 2025), and the legendary “100 km de Belvès” ultra-marathon, which began in the 1970s and hosted the 2013 European Championships.

Cadouin: Louis XI’s Cloister and a “Shroud” from Egypt (14 min)

TheCadouin Abbey (founded in 1115, listed on theUNESCO (in 1998 as part of the Routes of Santiago) owes its Flamboyant Gothic cloister to Louis XI, who financed its reconstruction in 1482. For eight centuries, pilgrims came there to venerate the “Shroud of Christ”… until 1934, when a Jesuit read the Kufic inscriptions on the fabric: a textile Fatimid Egypt of the late 11th century, which opens with the Islamic creed. The pilgrimage was canceled in 1936—but the fabric, one of only two known intact Fatimid pieces in the world, remains a treasure (a facsimile has been on display since 2012). The poetry of builders: at each equinox, a ray of sunlight streams through the three aligned oculi of the abbey church, which was consecrated in 1154. The site (31,000 visitors in 2022) is complemented by the village market hall—also a gift from Louis XI.

On the road, in Le Buisson, the Maxange Caves show off their famous eccentrics, these formations that grow in all directions (~40,000 visitors/year). Their story is like a fairy tale: they were discovered on August 15, 2000 by Angel Carallero at the family's building stone quarry, which was open to the public on Easter Sunday, 2003—the family closed the quarry to make way for the cave. The name? A contraction of Maximilien and Angel, the father and the son.

Saint-Cyprien, Limeuil, Les Eyzies

Just 9 minutes away, Saint-Cyprien hosts a market every Sunday that was named “the most beautiful market in the Périgord” (TF1, 2019)—80 vendors in the winter, up to 180 in the summer. Thirteen minutes away, Limeuil (one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France,” population 342) overlooks the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers from its panoramic gardens—created after 1902 by Fernand Linarès, physician to the Sultan of Morocco, and purchased by the town in 1997. They even brew “La Lutine” there, an organic beer… made with walnuts, and the pottery market is holding its 28th edition.

And just 20 minutes away is Les Eyzies, the “world capital of prehistory”: the National Museum of Prehistory (approximately 6 million artifacts, housed in a building designed by Jean-Pierre Buffi that’s built into the cliff) and the Font-de-Gaume Cave, one of the last major polychrome caves open to the public — 78 visitors per day, not a single one more, to allow the cave to “recover” each night. In 2026, a study used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of its large bison painting: it was painted approximately 13,300 years ago.

A rare feature for a village of 1,000 residents: Siorac has a direct TER train from Bordeaux—which is often easier than driving. By car, the trip takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

By train: the smart choice

The Bordeaux-Sarlat TER (Line 33: 166.6 km and 24 stops end-to-end, operated by dual-mode railcars) serves Siorac directly—best travel time 1 hour 56 minutes, with about 5 round trips per day via Libourne and Bergerac. The station is free to enter, with parking and bike racks; it’s a five-minute walk from the bridge and the market. Few destinations in this guide can say the same—in fact, this is the only one where we can say without hesitation: the train is often the best option. Just be careful on the return trip: there are no evening services.

By car

Valley route: D936 via Libourne, Castillon, and Bergerac, then along the banks of the Dordogne—163 km, very few tolls, with the option to stop in Saint-Émilion or Bergerac. Highway route: A89 via Périgueux, then down into the valley, with tolls—slightly longer in kilometers, but comparable in travel time.

By chauffeured car

Door-to-door service has two advantages: the luggage and the late return (the last TER leaves early), and the circuit — a stop in Saint-Émilion on the way there, a detour through Belvès or Cadouin, and drop-off at the campground or bed-and-breakfast. With a chauffeur service, a fixed rate guaranteed in writing, starting at 287 € One-way ticket for 1 to 3 passengers.