Dordogne Castles and Gardens

The best Dordogne castles we saw were Castelnaud and Beynac, close to each other on opposite sides of the river. Domme is a fortified hilltop town with good ramparts and views.

I 2nd Beynac. it may be the prettiest place I visited in the Dordogne. Great views from the castle at the top. Great walk down from the castle to the River as well. Incredibly picturesque for photographers..

I agree about Beynac. One of the best views was from the dining room in our gite, but there are plenty of others. One of my favorite views was the Dordogne from Domme. The photo is in my travel blog, at the link I'm going to insert, but I'm not sure that's permissible. http://mainelywinenews.blogspot.com/2016/04/end-of-week-in-dordogne.html

A chateau in the Dordogne that is quite unusual is Les Milandes, the home of Josephine Baker. The interior is filled with her memorabilia and showcases her incredible life. I actually got a bit choked up watching the film of her being presented with the medal of the Legion of Honor by Charles Degaulle and seeing the photo of her marching beside Martin Luther King at the great March on Washington.
Not very far away are the gardens of Marqueyssac. Like none I’ve seen before.

The view from Beynac is amazing. That's why they built these castles where they did. Check out this panorama from Google Maps (https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.8399353,1.1453602,3a,75y,119.12h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPaV-zxK9jk2NU3NycsJaSmMujbTe0OYKw0Vl_j!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPaV-zxK9jk2NU3NycsJaSmMujbTe0OYKw0Vl_j%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya297.1534-ro0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096?hl=en)

Thank you for the responses so far! This really helps me budget our time. No garden lovers? I've encountered a few in my reading.

I’m saving Dordogne posts for a future trip. Jules, if you’d name those gardens I’d be very grateful. Thanks

We visited the gardens of dordogne Marqueyssac -- great views to the river and castles from there -- a garden of sculptured hedges not flowers. We also visited Milandes which is more interesting historically than as a castle.
Here is a less visited chateau ruin most recently made famous in one of Martin Walker's mystery books set in the Dordogne:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/perfect-place-for-murder-commarque-chateau/
And here are a couple of the little villages we visited plus a little Easter egg in the countryside -- a 12th century little church which was a pleasant country walk from one of the towns.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/montferrand-du-perigord-and-its-12th-century-stone-church-st-christophe/

Be sure to do a canoe trip on the Dordogne -- the day we spent canoeing past chateaux and exquisite little villages is one of my best memories of France. We pulled into a riverside cafe for lunch. Go with a vendor who drives you up river so you can float back down to the start at your own pace. We just picked one a bit downriver of La Roque-Gageac -- we spent several hours on the river and that area is very scenic.

@Jane, Is "bruno, chief of Police", the same book as "Death in Dordogne"?

@Denny, of course as I read, I come across a lot of gardens and now I can only find a few. Jardin D'Eyrignae, Jardins De Marguessac, and there are public gardens in Domme with a great view of river valley.

@Rosalyn, when you say, "like none you ever seen before", what does that mean? The images I see look like sculpted box hedges. . .

There are about a dozen Bruno books by Martin Walker best read in order but at least start with Bruno Chief of Police. The one I referenced is The Templar's Last Secret which uses the Commarque castle as its focal point. There is not one named Death in the Dordogne as far as I know. (just checked and yes there is one being marketed as 'Death in the Dordogne' which may be another name for the first Bruno book -- but I am not sure. It is not listed in the list of Bruno books -- but it shows up as a book on search -- so??????

I second everyone about the Château at Beynac. One of the best. I would also mention Fenelon which has rooms furnished in the various styles throughout the time that the Château has been occupied.
Les Milandes has a falconry show which is very much worth seeing. At least they did before Covid. My favorite viewpoint overlooking the Dordogne is from the Château at Beynac, looking across to Castelnaud. Or from Castelnaud looking across at Beynac. They are lit up at night. I read that in 2020 the Château overlooking la Roque Gageac was going to be open for viewing. I would certainly check with the tourist office to see if it is, in fact open. You should, at the least, drive through La Roque. Better if you can stop there during your canoe ride or for lunch/dinner at La Belle Etoile. It's all good.