Saint -Cirq Lapopie (Dordogne)

It is incredibly popular with British holiday makers, as is the Dordogne in general and has been for a long time. It is a very beautiful area, with alot of stunning villages.

We spent a couple of hours there last fall. It’s adorable. One caveat: it’s extremely hilly. If you have any mobility challenges, you’d best stay up at the top.

Yes, I've been there.

First, its not in the Dordogne. The river through St-Cirq is the Lot, and its in the department of Lot.

I went there because it had been named "la plus belle village de France", and it was "roughly" on my driving route between Carcassonne and Beynac (near Sarlat, in the Dordogne). I have to say it was not worth the extra hour or so it added to my trip. Its a very steep town and hard to find parking that makes sense. There are a number of cute shops and cafes, but no more so than elsewhere. Its also very crammed with tourists: "The Guardian reported in July 2012 that the village received 400,000 visitors each year, mostly from within France, and that it had become "besieged by tourists" since winning a popularity vote on a French television programme in June 2012."

If its me, I would not spend the day it would take you to get there, see it, and get back. There are much better ways to spend a day around Sarlat (the market, canoe down the Dordogne, wine tours near Bergerac, Lascaux and other caves, La Roque-St-Christophe ...)

PS: the same competition that named St-Cirq one of "les plus belles villages ..." also named La Roque-Gageac - much closer to Sarlat, and nicer IMO.

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Darren. We've toured the Dordogne before and have been to all those towns you mentioned. I completely agree with you -they're great! Canoeing was incredible and we plan to do it again. Thanks for the, 'on the ground analysis of SCL.' From your description, it doesn't seem the 90 min each way would be worth it.