Domme is the quintessential hilltop village, sitting 250 meters above the river Dordogne. Its elevation gives it a sometime moniker of the Acropolis of Périgord (the latter being the natural region roughly corresponding to the present Dordogne department, so the two names can be almost used interchangeably).
A bigger village than Beynac-et-Cazenac or La Roque-Gageac, Domme is still small enough to be well within population boundaries of eligibility to be known as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. And on balance, it is undeniably pretty. But it suffers a bit in terms of making an impression due to its relative size. It has a couple of remaining fortification sections, a pretty – in a commercialized sort of way – main street, which connects two lovely public places. Side streets, however, while maintaining medieval outlook, are short on standout features.
Here is a look at the main street, Grand Rue.
… and a couple of side streets.
At the top of Grand Rue, the main public square of the village, Place de la Halle, is home to the Mairie…
… the village church, Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption…
… the picturesque library, boasting of its collection of over 50,000 books.
Domme also has its own caves attraction, accessible right from the main square.
We had other caves lined up in the itinerary, so we did not make an attempt to see the ones in Domme.
A few assorted glimpses of the village.
And a perspective over the river and the valley below from a lookout on the Esplanade.
Definitely not without its charms, Domme.