# Finding the right area to live in Dordogne



## Tootsie63

We are moving over to France in July 2023 and next year we will focus on buying a farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land. Our budget is 250-280k. We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction. As soon as restrictions are lifted, we will fly over and rent a car. We will only have three, possibly four full days to travel around due to work commitments, so, to save us precious time, would you please recommend suitable areas to visit. We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport. 

Thank you for your time.


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## Peasant

You should really change things so that you have more than 3-4 days for your search. You're looking at a big commitment.


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## Clic Clac

Can't help with directions, but there's talk of things opening up as early as next week for fully vaccinated UK visitors, so it may well apply to EU visitors too.

* Yes, it will apply to everyone who is fully vaccinated regardless of country of origin, 2 weeks after their final jab (but at the discretion of each individual country).


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## BackinFrance

Tootsie63 said:


> We are moving over to France in July 2023 and next year we will focus on buying a farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land. Our budget is 250-280k. We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction. As soon as restrictions are lifted, we will fly over and rent a car. We will only have three, possibly four full days to travel around due to work commitments, so, to save us precious time, would you please recommend suitable areas to visit. We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport.
> 
> Thank you for your time.


Which airport do you have in mind. You need to be wary because I don't think anyone knows yet which airlines will be operating and to whch airports, so I suspect the airport in Bordeaux might be your best bet.


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## suein56

Tootsie63 said:


> We are moving over to France in July 2023 and next year we will focus on buying a farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land. Our budget is 250-280k. We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction.
> We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport.


Having had a quick look at what is available in the Dordogne that fall within your requirements list I think you might need a bigger budget.


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## Crabtree

Do you havean EU passport? Have you actually researched how much money you will take in from your gites and how much you will be paying out especially to the French government and will this be enough to live on or do you have alternative sources of income I agree that 3-4 days is far too short to find a business do the research to find out if what you are being told is true especially in Covid times


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## BackinFrance

Crabtree said:


> Do you havean EU passport? Have you actually researched how much money you will take in from your gites and how much you will be paying out especially to the French government and will this be enough to live on or do you have alternative sources of income I agree that 3-4 days is far too short to find a business do the research to find out if what you are being told is true especially in Covid times


The OP is Irish I believe (from other threads).


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## Tootsie63

Yes, think we need to come over for a week or so. We won't be looking for a property on this occasion, we'll be looking at particular areas suggested. I'm British, currently applying for an Irish passport.


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## 512346

The question is and will always be to those looking to move to the Dordogne, why the Dordogne ?

Your budget is 'nearly' fine for other 'more desirable' places in France. Possibly OK in fact.

You need to think this one through.

The Dordogne is a merry go round. People buy and then sell.

You have to ask yourself the question why do they sell ?

You know, I would stay very clear of that area.

You are wasting your time and cash.

Think things through OP. Don't join the Dordogne bandwagonesque.

Hope that helps.


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## EuroTrash

Tootsie63 said:


> We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction.... would you please recommend suitable areas to visit. We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport.


Maybe if you tell peeps which areas you have looked at and what you consider to be the pros and cons of those areas?

I wouldn't go as far as Smeg in saying Don't move to the Dordogne, but he has a point. You're asking other people for opinions on where is suitable for you which suggests you aren't too familiar with the Dordogne, which in turn begs the question What made you decide that out of all the different regions in France, the Dordogne is where you want to be?

No need to answer on the forum, just so long as you do have a good solid answer.


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## Bevdeforges

One other factor to consider when choosing an area (in the Dordogne or elsewhere) is whether and how tourist habits and patterns will be changed by both Brexit and the pandemic. Dordogne has always been popular with Brits - particularly for retirement. But with the changes to visa requirements and tourist rules or restrictions, will vacationers choose other areas of France to visit for the short term? 

Similarly, with the various lockdowns across Europe, there is the chance that vacation and travel habits may change. Those with successful gites seem to be those who settle in an area where there is some local attraction that brings people to the area. For some it's a spa or tourist site, while for other gite owners it may be nearby businesses that have headquarters or training centers that bring in employees or customers who need week or month-long accommodation.


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## Tootsie63

Smeg said:


> The Dordogne is a merry go round. People buy and then sell.


Why is that, do you think?


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## Tootsie63

suein56 said:


> Having had a quick look at what is available in the Dordogne that fall within your requirements list I think you might need a bigger budget.


We've seen many gite complexes within our budget, some with more land than we want.


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## 512346

Tootsie63 said:


> Why is that, do you think?



It is a place to visit not live. IMHO.

I personally would not live there. I think it is unliveable to be fair. Unless you are French. But even then !


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## 512346

Tootsie63 said:


> We've seen many gite complexes within our budget, some with more land than we want.


I refer you to the answer I gave above.


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## ko12

Tootsie63 said:


> We are moving over to France in July 2023 and next year we will focus on buying a farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land. Our budget is 250-280k. We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction. As soon as restrictions are lifted, we will fly over and rent a car. We will only have three, possibly four full days to travel around due to work commitments, so, to save us precious time, would you please recommend suitable areas to visit. We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport.
> 
> Thank you for your time.


Dordogne has an exceptionally high percentage of British immigrants (especially 'expats'). That may, or may not suit you. If it suits, look near Eymet (I believe it has the highest % of Brits anywhere in France and still has 2 Comités des fêtes, one purely anglophone!), if it doesn't suit, then take care.


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## Poloss

suein56 said:


> Having had a quick look at what is available in the Dordogne that fall within your requirements list I think you might need a bigger budget.


I'd certainly agree with that.
The Limousin (depts 19, 23, 87) is further north but property is cheaper although constant demand means prices are rising.
Don't forget you'll need between 20 and 30K€ to upgrade your purchase ...


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## Poloss

Edit: Limousin has a fair share of Brits though less than the Dordogne.
All gites here were full up last summer season.
A huge advertising campaign in the Paris métro this springtime for tourism in the the Nouvelle Aquitaine region


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## ccm47

And Dordogne is in Nouvelle Aquitaine 😊 but since it is the size of a small country some areas are more popular than others. OP's budget may be big enough to find what they want in some parts but definitely not in others, for example in Monpazier (a perennial plus beau village) it'd get them a house with a tiny courtyard and not hectares.

Personally for a business I'd be looking at the geography of the areas to see which areas have a climate I could cope with e.g. temperatures, rainfall and snow. These vary considerably. Does OP really want to be snowbound for weeks, or in 40+° in summer when other villages have no snow and only 32°?

I would also look at ease of access for holiday makers, not just proximity to an airport. Good roads are important and some of those in Dordogne seem to be atrocious, being narrow and twisty and really badly maintained. We breathe a sigh of relief once we have left the region. A holiday is remembered not just for the accommodation. Return bookings are what a gite needs to be truly successful.

With regard to the land it needs to be maintained regularly so OP's budget needs to include not just a ride-on mower for around the house but an old tractor with cutting deck and preferably somewhere to store them as guests' kids see them out of site as toys. Relying on finding "Pierre" down the road to do the cutting is rarely a long-term viable option.
Having written this I now understand why Eymet and it's area are popular! It doesn't get the extremes of temperature, the roads aren't as bad as some, and Bordeaux and Bergerac airports are an easy drive. It also has English speaking estate agents to help OP on their search.


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## clothmama

<snip>



Tootsie63 said:


> We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction.


I spent 10 years in the Aude, hubby's family live in the north, I've also spent 6 months in the Gers so I'm quite familiar with other areas of France. When we made the move back to France we chose the Dordogne. Yes there are areas with a lot of Brits (Eymet as mentioned and a couple of others) but they are the exception not the rule and easy enough to avoid. We had an agent ask us if we wanted a house in Eymet and we said no thanks! To be honest there are also lots of other nationalities as well as it is beautiful, easily accessible with lots to do.

The Dordogne is the MOST visited region in France with tourists from all over France and the world and with good reason! This was one of the reasons that we chose it as we will probably do gites at some point when our renovations are finished. Even last year all the gites in my area were fully booked (mainly French). You need to not focus on the UK market solely. We will focus on French, northern Europeans and Aussies.

We spent a month driving around (in March to get it at it's worst!) to find the area that we liked most. Sarlat way is nice, but very pricey and with a million tourists each year I didn't fancy dealing with that when taking kids to sport etc. It is also very far east so a long drive to Bordeaux. Ditto price wise / traffic along the river itself. To the north in the Periogord vert prices are reasonable but it is fairly quiet and I wasn't fond of the dampness and so many trees! We ended up in the Perigord Blanc, so the middle of the department, we are 20 minutes to Bergerac, 30 to Perigueux (great town with all you need) and only an hour (in good traffic) to Bordeaux. We are easy reach (30-45 minutes) to all the best of the tourist attractions (chateux, river, Les Eyzies etc) but with a more laid back, calm feeling even in the height of summer.

I find the people warm and friendly (much more so than the Aude), the food and wine is excellent. It is alive all year around as while there are foreigners they are a small, small minority (regardless of what Smeg says!), with the odd exception. Transport links are good (TGV to Paris - 2 hours from Bordeaux!). It is generally a quite prosperous, attractive and overall nice place to live and to earn income from gites.

Don't hesitate if you have more questions.


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## RayRay

We have lived in the Dordogne for 8 years. It’s lovely, if one likes quiet and calm. A lot of folks from the UK live and vacation here. One sees signs for gites and chambre d’hotes everywhere. 

One of our French friends offered a very nice, large bedroom with en suite and a separate entrance. Another offered a small 1 bedroom cottage with full kitchen, entirely separate from their house. Both offered their places for the summer season only…about 16 weeks. 

The one with the bedroom charged at the high end of the spectrum and had, at most, a 30% occupancy rate in summer. She stopped renting her bedroom 2 summers ago because it was “too much trouble”. The friends with the small cottage offer their place at a bargain price and they have an 80% booking rate or more in summer. Both would have stayed open year-round, but there is no business. 

For them both, it was a way to supplement their incomes. And, of course, they had to set up a French business, pay taxes on these earnings, etc. 

Ray


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## clothmama

You are quite right Ray, like tourism in most places you are only going to get high occupancy in the summer / shoulder season. i would say Easter hols until October hols. As you say your friends were doing it as a 'supplement' those that take it seriously as their business should be able to have close to 100% over July / august (especailly for the French!) and decent rates in the shoulder seasons. If you are trying to extend your seasons you really need to be broad in your marketing. For example when I was a travel agent in Oz I would recommend that people travel to UK / Europe in either May / June or September as we dont' care about the heat and it is so much more enjoyable doing all the touristy stuff away from the summer crowds.

It sounds like the OP is looking at something up and running so that will be a great start to look at the books / occupancy levels / nationalities currently booking (therefore options for further growth). As I said I'll be focusing on the Scandi's (I speak a little Danish so that helps but they all speak excellent English), Aussies, French and then Brits and I feel with that mix I should be able to achieve good occupancy levels.



RayRay said:


> Both would have stayed open year-round, but there is no business.


Again thinking outside the box is great for off seasons. My neighbours have recently built a (horrible) 2 bedroom box and it has been rented out since November (I htink it was finished in October!) to 2 lovely guys that are working here (sparkies maybe from the look of the vans) so they are here in the week and go home at the weekends. You can also pull in people over the Christmas period with a beautifully decorated house with log burners etc.


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## Larri

I had relatives who bought up a small complex in the Dordogne, did a beautiful restoration job and then sold it at evens or perhaps a small loss after perhaps five years. Part of it had to do with a back injury but the rest was the gradual wearing down of "trouble in paradise". These were experienced innkeepers so they were hardly naïve about their trade but I think they struggled with almost everything else. They now run a B&B back in the old country.


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## SPGW

As others have said, I would re-assess budget. We’ve been looking at rural places in a wide area Perigord to Quercy, inc Dordogne, I don’t think you’ll find a “farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land” for 250-280k. At least not one that is a) liveable now, and b) with 2 gîtes rentable now at the high end. What you might get is a place that needs at least the same budget again in renovations.
...and beware the (un)availability of artisans and materials ( especially timber for roofing).
Personally, I would avoid Dordogne - too crowded with holidaymakers in summer. But each to their own.


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## clothmama

SPGW said:


> Personally, I would avoid Dordogne - too crowded with holidaymakers in summer. But each to their own.


Again, depends where you are, yes there are areas that are crazy in summer and I wouldn't go near, but a pleasant 30 minute drive away and you have gorgeous areas with enough tourists (of all nationalities) to feel fun and alive but not crowded at all!


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## Tootsie63

clothmama said:


> Again, depends where you are, yes there are areas that are crazy in summer and I wouldn't go near, but a pleasant 30 minute drive away and you have gorgeous areas with enough tourists (of all nationalities) to feel fun and alive but not crowded at all!


That's my dilemma. Ideally, we would like to be close to a vibrant town but a 5/10 minute walk to a village where we can buy fresh bread and milk. I don't want to have to take the car to get to a shop, we've been doing that here for seventeen years. I'd love to be able to narrow down the areas to visit so that we might just find the right place when we can get over to spend a few days there.


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## Bevdeforges

You may run into problems finding that "right place" because more and more "villages" throughout the more rural parts of France no longer have a bakery or much in the way of local shops. There have been some clever and creative reactions to this (particularly as part of the pandemic), such as mobile food shops (basically a food truck that sells basic food stuffs and may include a small charcuterie and/or boulangerie capability) that make a regular tour through some of the smaller towns with limited resources. And that is likely to evolve over time.- but obviously these sorts of things change with the rising and falling fortunes of the area.


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## Crabtree

Well may I suggest Brittany It has a very long varied coast line I personally would opt for Finistere It offers a real flavour of Brittany as well a regional park and toll free roads I also believe that there will be direct ferry services opening up between Ireland and Brittany to by pass the UK an airport at Brest and reasonable train connections although no TGV 
The Bretons are very welcoming especially to fellow Celts and the type of property the OP is looking for is still reasonably priced


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## Tootsie63

Crabtree said:


> Well may I suggest Brittany It has a very long varied coast line I personally would opt for Finistere It offers a real flavour of Brittany as well a regional park and toll free roads


I have my heart set on the Dordogne, just need to focus on one particular area but not sure which one just yet. We plan to have a smallholding after we've established the business, so land would be important too.


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## Tootsie63

SPGW said:


> As others have said, I would re-assess budget. We’ve been looking at rural places in a wide area Perigord to Quercy, inc Dordogne, I don’t think you’ll find a “farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land” for 250-280k.


Thanks for the advice, we have upped the budget to 300k max.


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## BackinFrance

Bevdeforges said:


> You may run into problems finding that "right place" because more and more "villages" throughout the more rural parts of France no longer have a bakery or much in the way of local shops. *There have been some clever and creative reactions to this (particularly as part of the pandemic), such as mobile food shops (basically a food truck that sells basic food stuffs and may include a small charcuterie and/or boulangerie capability) that make a regular tour through some of the smaller towns with limited resources.* And that is likely to evolve over time.- but obviously these sorts of things change with the rising and falling fortunes of the area.


These have existed for decades (more than 6 and even then they were not new though had been disrupted by WW2) and the impact of the pandemic has simply brought them more into focus and perhaps given some entrepreneurial folk an opportunity, but I wouldn't call it creative. Though of course supermarkets etc have also reached out to customers by introducing or extending home deliveries to a larger area. It remains to be seen whether all of this will continue, reduce or expand if we ever really get out of the pandemic.


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## clothmama

Tootsie63 said:


> I have my heart set on the Dordogne, just need to focus on one particular area but not sure which one just yet. We plan to have a smallholding after we've established the business, so land would be important too.


i would say forget the Perigord Noir (Sarlat / east of the department) and along the river in the direction of Bergerac, you'll struggle to get what you want for your money. The 'poupre' (near / south of Bergerac) is wine country so again not sure you'd get what you are after at that money. Which leaves the blanc and the vert. Perigueux as I mentioned is an excellent town you'd do worse as a starting point than to draw a 1/2 hour or so radius around there and have a look in that area. There is the river Isle that runs through it and through to join the Dordogne closer to Bordeauxif you want more info about any villages or towns I can try to help if I know them.


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## zarathustra

Hope you find what you're looking for. I would just add that be careful not to confuse your emotional pull to the area, and your desire to live there, with that of being able to make a good living. It's not to say it can't be done, but often the two don't go hand-in-hand. Emotional decisions aren't often rational ones.


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## EuroTrash

Tootsie63 said:


> We plan to have a smallholding after we've established the business, so land would be important too.


You are aware of the rules and regulations around registering and running a smallholding in France aren't you?





MSA - Les conditions d'installation - MSA_FR







www.msa.fr





I would echo @zarathustra 's comment, when it comes to putting your money down do make sure you are following a plan and not chasing a dream.


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## Tootsie63

EuroTrash said:


> You are aware of the rules and regulations around registering and running a smallholding in France aren't you?
> MSA - Les conditions d'installation


Thanks, Eurotrash, yes hubby looking into it, it's something we thought of once the business is up and running smoothly, maybe three or four years down the line.


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## Tootsie63

zarathustra said:


> Hope you find what you're looking for. I would just add that be careful not to confuse your emotional pull to the area, and your desire to live there, with that of being able to make a good living. It's not to say it can't be done, but often the two don't go hand-in-hand. Emotional decisions aren't often rational ones.


Thank you for your input. Yes, I know it's easy to follow my emotions. We need to get over there once I am able to visit with an Irish passport and have a good look around. I'm aware that what I am looking for might not exist, but I'm sure I'll get something close. Hubby will have his input too, he's the rational one


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## Bonn

Clothmama, we currently live in the Haute Vienne and are thinking about moving to the Dordogne (somewhere that is livelier and has a better standard of living than the Haute Vienne) We would also like to buy a property with one or two rental gites. I like the look of Sarlat but maybe that it is too much of a holiday destination rather than a home. Do you have some advice that you could share with me please? Many thanks


I spent 10 years in the Aude, hubby's family live in the north, I've also spent 6 months in the Gers so I'm quite familiar with other areas of France. When we made the move back to France we chose the Dordogne. Yes there are areas with a lot of Brits (Eymet as mentioned and a couple of others) but they are the exception not the rule and easy enough to avoid. We had an agent ask us if we wanted a house in Eymet and we said no thanks! To be honest there are also lots of other nationalities as well as it is beautiful, easily accessible with lots to do.

The Dordogne is the MOST visited region in France with tourists from all over France and the world and with good reason! This was one of the reasons that we chose it as we will probably do gites at some point when our renovations are finished. Even last year all the gites in my area were fully booked (mainly French). You need to not focus on the UK market solely. We will focus on French, northern Europeans and Aussies.

We spent a month driving around (in March to get it at it's worst!) to find the area that we liked most. Sarlat way is nice, but very pricey and with a million tourists each year I didn't fancy dealing with that when taking kids to sport etc. It is also very far east so a long drive to Bordeaux. Ditto price wise / traffic along the river itself. To the north in the Periogord vert prices are reasonable but it is fairly quiet and I wasn't fond of the dampness and so many trees! We ended up in the Perigord Blanc, so the middle of the department, we are 20 minutes to Bergerac, 30 to Perigueux (great town with all you need) and only an hour (in good traffic) to Bordeaux. We are easy reach (30-45 minutes) to all the best of the tourist attractions (chateux, river, Les Eyzies etc) but with a more laid back, calm feeling even in the height of summer.

I find the people warm and friendly (much more so than the Aude), the food and wine is excellent. It is alive all year around as while there are foreigners they are a small, small minority (regardless of what Smeg says!), with the odd exception. Transport links are good (TGV to Paris - 2 hours from Bordeaux!). It is generally a quite prosperous, attractive and overall nice place to live and to earn income from gites.

Don't hesitate if you have more questions.
[/QUOTE]


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## Mvanwagenen

512346 said:


> The question is and will always be to those looking to move to the Dordogne, why the Dordogne ? Your budget is 'nearly' fine for other 'more desirable' places in France. Possibly OK in fact. You need to think this one through. The Dordogne is a merry go round. People buy and then sell. You have to ask yourself the question why do they sell ? You know, I would stay very clear of that area. You are wasting your time and cash. Think things through OP. Don't join the Dordogne bandwagonesque. Hope that helps.


 I really appreciate your comments. Everything I have read are dordogne so I came to visit for one month. It is beautiful. I have heard buying is easy. Selling no. Plus I’m an English speaker hoping to find a place that’s not necessarily a vacation spot with English speakers. At cafes, stores anywhere no English whatsoever !! I have a month of talking on my phone or to myself!!!


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## AussieDreamofFrance

Tootsie63 said:


> We are moving over to France in July 2023 and next year we will focus on buying a farmhouse with a couple of gites, outbuildings, pool and land. Our budget is 250-280k. We have spent the last few months looking at different areas of the Dordogne and would appreciate some direction. As soon as restrictions are lifted, we will fly over and rent a car. We will only have three, possibly four full days to travel around due to work commitments, so, to save us precious time, would you please recommend suitable areas to visit. We would like to be within walking distance of a village with a couple of shops and maybe 15/20 minutes drive to a busy market town. We'd also need to be within an hour of the airport.
> 
> Thank you for your time.


Hi Tootsie63
I came across your posts and conversation from mid 2021 about wanting to move and start a gite business in the Dordogne. I dream of the same - we are Australians but have EU citizenship through my Italian heritage and our kids are completing bilingual French education. I want to move to France with the kids in about 3 years (they will be in high school by then). Would love to hear about how you got in finding a place and how it all went.
Thank you.


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