Château de Beynac

Beynac is the picture of the Dordogne. The castle sits on the lip of a limestone cliff more than two hundred metres above the river, its curtain wall following the rock so exactly that from below the two look like one thing. It was English, then French, then English again through the Hundred Years' War, and it has been filmed so often that it will feel familiar before you arrive.

There are two entirely different shoots here. From the road along the far bank, or better from the terrace at Castelnaud across the river, the castle reads as a silhouette on its rock with the valley in front of it — an evening frame, when the west light hits the cliff face. From inside, the rampart terrace gives a straight drop to the river and a view down the valley that is the single best panorama in the Périgord.

The village underneath is worth the walk: a single steep lane of stone houses climbing from the river to the gate, empty early and busy from mid-morning.

Practical points: the castle is ticketed, closes for part of the winter, and the lane up to it is steep and cobbled. Parking is by the river and fills by mid-morning in summer. Check opening hours before planning an evening around the terrace, since the last entry is well before sunset.