France Travel Planner by Tom Brosnahan & Jane Fisher   Bergerac, Dordogne, France Guide
Though Cyrano may never have lived in Bergerac, the town honors its fictional hero. More to the point, it makes good wine, and is interesting to visit.

 
 

 

 

The Gascon city of Bergerac, 113 km (70 miles, 1-1/2 hours) east of Bordeaux (map), actually has little to do with the historical hero of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, though the city has adopted Rostand's fictional hero as its own.

  Cyrano de Bergerac statue, Bergerac, France
  Cyrano statue in
Bergerac, France

There was, in fact, a man named Cyrano de Bergerac, a military officer and playwright with a prominent nose, but much of Rostand's play is fictional.

In any case, two statues of Cyrano stand in parks in Bergerac's historic district on the banks of the Dordogne River.

Today Bergerac is known for its vineyards and wines, and its tobacco fields.

In summer, as you approach the city, you'll ride through broad vineyards, and you may also see fields filled with the large nicotiana tabacum plants. Any time of year you can see, in many a farmyard, the weathered wooden tobacco barns with their louvred walls for airing the harvested leaves.

Bergerac has plenty of hotels and restaurants to support you for a stay of a day or two. More...


Hotels in Bergerac

Tourist Information

Beynac-et-Cazenac

Cahors

Domme

La Roque-Gageac

Lascaux

Les Eyzies

Perigueux

Rocamadour

Sarlat-la-Canéda

St-Cirq-Lapopie

About Dordogne

 

Serene - a novel of the Belle Epoque

 

Medieval houses, Bergerac, France

Medieval houses, Bergerac, France.

       
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