Guide · around Château du Boscau
Collonges-la-Rouge
Collonges-la-Rouge from the château (30 km)
Just across the border in the Corrèze department, 30 km from Château du Boscau, lies Collonges-la-Rouge: a village built almost entirely of red sandstone. In 1982 it became the very first village on France’s official list of Most Beautiful Villages (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France), at the initiative of its founder, Charles Ceyrac.
It’s one of the longer drives among our area guides, but also one of the most rewarding: Turenne and Curemonte are in the Corrèze too, both less than a quarter of an hour’s drive from Collonges-la-Rouge. Together they make a day trip taking in three of the most beautiful villages in France. An hour or two is plenty for Collonges-la-Rouge itself; to see all three villages, allow a full day.
From the château it’s just over half an hour’s drive.
What you'll see
The red colour comes from a geological fault line: a layer of sandstone containing iron oxide, right alongside the white limestone that is the norm elsewhere in the Lot and the Dordogne valley. From the 16th century onwards, the Viscount of Turenne’s administrators and officers built their mansions here, making Collonges-la-Rouge the administrative capital of the region.
Walk past the church of Saint-Pierre, with its Romanesque bell tower: during the Wars of Religion, Catholics and Protestants took turns using its two naves. Further on stands the 16th-century Château de Vassinhac, once home to the governors and captains of Turenne castle. Count the towers as you go: the village has 25 of them. Among those buried in the village cemetery is the actor and radio presenter Maurice Biraud (1922–1982).
Collonges-la-Rouge lies at the heart of Noix du Périgord country (the protected designation of origin for walnuts from the Dordogne, the Corrèze and the Lot) and is one of the regular stops on the “Route de la Noix”, which takes in orchards, oil mills and producers across the area. There’s no baker’s or grocer’s in the village itself, so if you want a picnic, bring your own, or eat at one of the restaurants on the square.
Walking and parking in the village
No cars are allowed within the walls of Collonges-la-Rouge: you leave the car in one of the two car parks on the outskirts and explore the village on foot. Footpaths also lead from here into the surrounding countryside, past walnut trees and vineyards. Bring cash: there’s no cash machine in the village itself.
One of the waymarked routes, the Sentier des Sources, starts at the old station building in the village; the Circuit des Lavoirs, marked in yellow, passes the old wash-houses around the village. In total, some 118 km of signposted paths connect Collonges-la-Rouge with Turenne and Curemonte: a good starting point if you’d rather combine the three villages on foot than by car.
Turenne (31 km)
About 10 km from Collonges-la-Rouge, ten to twelve minutes’ drive, lies the village of Turenne, clinging to a steep hill that rises more than 160 metres above the Tourmente valley. Of the castle at the top, only the Tour César and the Tour du Trésor still stand: Louis XV had the rest demolished in 1738, after buying the entire viscountcy. At the foot of the hill are the old craftsmen’s houses and the village church, built from the pale limestone of the Causse: a different stone from the red sandstone of Collonges-la-Rouge, less than ten minutes away.
From the 10th to the 18th century, Turenne was a viscountcy that operated almost as an independent state: the viscounts could mint their own coins, raise armies and dispense justice. From the Tour César, a 13th-century keep, there’s a panoramic view over the valley: on clear days it stretches beyond the Dordogne valley, towards the mountains of the Cantal to the east and the Périgord to the west. The village itself tumbles down from the castle in stepped lanes, with façades dating from the 15th to 17th centuries.
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Curemonte (23 km)
About 12 km from Collonges-la-Rouge, fourteen minutes’ drive, and 23 km from the château, lies Curemonte: a village with three castles (des Plas, Saint-Hilaire and Johannie), three churches and fewer than 220 residents.
The French writer Colette spent several weeks here in the summer of 1940, staying with her daughter Colette de Jouvenel at the castles of Saint-Hilaire and des Plas, and devoted part of her book Journal à rebours to her time here. One of the three churches, Saint-Genest, is now a museum of religious art; another, Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Combe, an 11th-century Romanesque church, stands not in the village itself but in the valley below.
When to go
Collonges-la-Rouge is at its most popular in the high season, when the red façades glow most beautifully in the summer sun, but that’s also when it’s busiest. Out of season, from mid-November to mid-March, the car parks are closed as well, so if you want to drive right up to the village, go in spring or autumn instead.
Collonges-la-Rouge is a real highlight. Park just outside the village: within a minute you are somewhere enchanting. Collonges is worth a visit at any time, but the light is loveliest in autumn, when the trees in and around the red-stone village turn red and gold. Beautiful.
Combine with
On the way to Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne and Curemonte you pass Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne and, a little closer to the château, Carennac: see our guide to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. For the other places nearby, see our area guide.
Turenne and Curemonte lie so close to Collonges-la-Rouge that you can easily fit them into a single day trip: start at Collonges-la-Rouge, drive ten minutes to Turenne, and finish with Curemonte, fourteen minutes further on.
A lovely day out combining these three Plus Beaux Villages de France: start the morning in Curemonte, perhaps with a walk around the village. Then have lunch in Collonges-la-Rouge and finish with the climb up to the mighty castle of Turenne. Did you know that on a clear day you can see our neighbour, the castle of Castelnau, from the castle of Turenne? As the crow flies, that’s 26 km!
Where to stay near Collonges-la-Rouge
From the château, Collonges-la-Rouge is just over half an hour’s drive. Gilles del Bosc is our self-catering apartment for 4, with two bedrooms and its own kitchen. Louis IX is a self-catering apartment for 2, with its own terrace. Jean Mouliérat is our B&B room for 2, on the first floor of the château itself.
By arrangement you can join our table d’hôtes: a three-course dinner of fresh produce, local and organic wherever possible.
For lunch in Collonges-la-Rouge we recommend Le Maraîcher, at the foot of the church. They cook with vegetables from their own organic kitchen garden, and in fine weather the terrace in the garden is lovely.
Collonges-la-Rouge suits every stay
Pick one of the stays as your base, and make Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne and Curemonte part of your time in the Lot.