Marqueyssac, Beautiful Gardens In France

The Marqueyssac are beautiful gardens also known as “hanging gardens of the Perigord”, in France. We are talking about a scenic enclave of unparalleled beauty that has towns such as La Roque-Gageac, Castelnaud la Chapelle or Domm near it.

These beautiful and picturesque gardens are declared an Asset of Public Interest by the Government of France, due to their beauty. Likewise, the gardens stand out for their unique shapes and their design, which make them a true visual jewel. Will you accompany us for a walk through them?

The valley of the Dordogne

Perched on a rock cliff, the Marqueyssac Gardens rise above the lands of the Dordogne valley. Hence, from these gardens you can enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the valley. It is located around the castle and they have more than 6 kilometers of trails and routes.

Around them, there are more than 100,000 hundred-year-old bushes. This vegetation is cut by hand by the best gardeners and is accompanied by waterfalls, gazebos or rock gardens that also configure green open-air theaters on approximately 22 hectares.

Brief history of the Marqueyssac gardens

These beautiful gardens date back to 1861, when Julien de Cerval, passionate about gardening, decided to dedicate himself to building Marqueyssac. He dedicated his last 30 years of life to this work, planting various types of vegetation, such as the precious boxwood that mark the trails.

In Marqueyssac, its routes with acute angles stand out. Each of the nooks and crannies you come across on the way are designed by Julien to create a romantic experience for visitors. These gardens have been open since 1997, the year in which they were restored.

Visit these beautiful gardens

We can divide the walk through the beautiful Marqueyssac gardens into 3 main routes. The first will take you to the Mirador (Belveder) of the Dordogne valley, where you can enjoy exceptional panoramic views of the Perigord with its small villages and castles. In addition, there you will reach 130 meters of height above the river.

Afterwards, you can visit the Chateau de Marqueyssac, located on a small peak that dominates the entire valley. This is a castle dating from the 18th century and whose main façade faces the valley, flanked by a central tower with a staircase. In this site, you can visit some of its rooms, and later go out to explore the beautiful gardens of Marqueyssac.

Finally, you can visit the Nature Pavilion. There you will find a great surprise: the skeleton of an exceptionally complete allosaurus. The exhibition of this dinosaur is harmonious with the didactic spirit that the Marqueyssac gardens breathe.

Via ferrata of the beautiful gardens of Marqueyssac

In these gardens you can also enjoy a ride on a via ferrata that runs along the cliffs of the Marqueyssac gardens. This is an exceptional tour through the beautiful landscape of the Dordogne valley.

Once the path has started, you can advance a few meters and then decide if you want to continue or not. You will doubt at first, but surely your curiosity will be stronger than fear, so we advise you to continue this adventure.

The route through this via ferrata lasts 45 minutes, and includes a lifeline to which you will be continuously connected. It will be an exciting experience that will remain engraved on your retina.

Opening hours and prices of the Marqueyssac gardens

The beautiful Marqueyssac Gardens are open every day of the year, with visiting hours in the morning and in the afternoon. During the months of February, March and October, you can visit them from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the months of April, May, June and September, the visit is extended from 10 am to 7 pm.

In July and August, the visit is from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and, finally, from November 14 to the end of January, the hours are from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. As for the ticket prices, these range from 7.20 euros for adults, to 3.60 euros for children between 10 and 17 years old. Children under 10 years old have free admission.

In short, these gardens dominate the valley from the top of the cliffs and form a set of a high landscape level. In this way, they constitute one of the best examples of Toparian art in France.