On 19 and 20 September 2026, the 43rd European Heritage Days will open thousands of doors across France and Europe. This year the Ministry of Culture has chosen two themes: the heritage of photography, and heritage at risk.
It is, for us, one of the loveliest weekends of the year. September has thinned the traffic, the light is softer than in August, and the villages settle back into their own rhythm. Two days are enough to gather everything that makes this corner of France worth the trip: medieval architecture left intact, a history written on a shifting border, listed villages, craftspeople explaining their trade — all within a radius you can cover without spending the day in the car.
We suggest three stops from Les Terrasses: two bastides in the Lot-et-Garonne, Villeréal and Monflanquin, and the Château de Biron, in the Dordogne. Here is what we know of the programme, what remains to be confirmed, and how we would organise the two days.
Villeréal: the market hall, the Dropt valley and a bike ride
This is our local bastide — the one with the Saturday morning market and the producers’ market on Monday evenings. Villeréal was founded in 1265 by Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, on the standard plan of the new towns built across south-west France in the Middle Ages. It has two remarkable monuments: a two-storey market hall with 14th-century oak beams, and a substantial fortified church. The village has been listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 2018.
The plan is still legible: the arcaded square at the centre, the hall in the middle of it, streets crossing at right angles. To understand a bastide, look up first at the timbers of the hall, then walk on to the church of Notre-Dame and its two towers.
Below runs the Dropt, the river that shaped both the landscape and the local economy: mills, washing places, water meadows. Villeréal is a stop on the Dropt Valley cycle route, a long waymarked itinerary crossing the north of the Lot-et-Garonne. It is the prettiest way to leave the village behind without effort.
Free guided tour of the bastide — Sunday 20 September. Alexandra, guide-lecturer at the Cœur de Bastides tourist office, leads a free guided tour in French lasting around 1 hour 15. With an audio guide, you will discover the history and the characteristic architecture of the bastide. Meet at 10.45am outside the tourist office, place de la Halle, departing at 11am. Places are limited and booking is essential.
Heritage tour by electric bike — Saturday 19 September. Villeréal town hall is organising a free heritage tour by bike around Villeréal, in partnership with Cyclexplore, the bastide’s electric bike hire station. Registration is compulsory, 15 places available. Meeting point 2pm outside Cyclexplore. The finish time has yet to be confirmed.
Fifteen places for an entire heritage weekend: if this appeals, book as soon as the official programme is published. Check the details before setting out with the Cœur de Bastides tourist office or Villeréal town hall.
Monflanquin: a hilltop bastide, talks and stained glass
Monflanquin is the other great bastide of the area, and probably the most striking on approach: it sits on a knoll, visible from a long way off.
Founded in 1256 by Alphonse de Poitiers, its fortifications — eleven towers and gates — were dismantled in 1632 on Richelieu’s orders. Its unusual oval plan contrasts with the regularity of its streets, threaded with carrérots (narrow lanes) crossed by pontets (covered passages at first-floor level between two houses) and andrones (gaps left between neighbouring houses). The arcaded central square, houses of character such as the “Black Prince” house and the church of Saint-André have earned it a place among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.
The Musée des Bastides is inside the tourist office itself. It is devoted to the bastide phenomenon — the new towns that appeared across south-west France between the 13th and 14th centuries — with explanatory panels, models, teaching materials and a playful trail for families. It is short, well done, and it gives you the keys to read every village in the area afterwards. Free entry during the weekend and opening hours remain to be confirmed.
Talk on the art of stained glass — Saturday 19 September. Given by Laurine Claude, a glass artisan recently established in Monflanquin, who will present her training and her craft.
Talk on military works and innovations of the 13th century — Saturday 19 September. Given by Pierre Simon, doctor of medieval history. For anyone curious about why these new towns existed at all, it is the ideal companion to the museum.
Performance tour with Janouille la Fripouille — Saturday 19 September. An unconventional tour of the bastide, seeking out the odder corners of Monflanquin’s heritage. The character is a local institution — good fun with older children.
Stained glass workshop for children. The Cœur de Bastides tourist office is running a stained glass workshop for children aged 6 to 12 on 19 and 20 September. After a playful introduction to how stained glass is made, the children will create their own piece inspired by the windows of medieval churches and cathedrals. Places are limited. The time, the price and whether a parent must attend are all to be checked with the tourist office.
An accompanied tour of the bastide is also announced, meeting at 4.15pm at the Cœur de Bastides tourist office, 7 place des Arcades, departing at 4.30pm. Booking essential, running with a minimum of four people.
These events are announced in French. Worth knowing if you are staying with us: the bastide itself walks beautifully without a word of commentary, but the talks will need an improvised interpreter.
Monflanquin is, over this weekend, the richest stop for families — history, living craft and a children’s workshop in one place.
Biron: the great castle, just over the hill
We can see it from the garden. It is our daily horizon, and it does not wear thin.
The Château de Biron stands on the lands of an old Périgord barony founded around the year 1000. Built on a natural promontory, it looks out over the marches of the Agenais, the Quercy and the Périgord, and forms one of the largest and most spectacular castle complexes in the region. It is arranged around a lower court and an upper court, where buildings remodelled between the 11th and 18th centuries sit one above another.
Listed as a Monument Historique and labelled a Site Majeur d’Aquitaine, it carries eight centuries of history across medieval, Renaissance and classical architecture: a medieval keep, Renaissance ranges, a two-storey chapel, and pieces from the Mobilier National furnishing the principal rooms.
Prices: what we know, and what we don’t
- Standard individual admission as advertised: €10.10 from age 13, €6.70 for ages 5 to 12, free under 5, workshops €3.
- Reduced rates: students, jobseekers and large-family card holders, on production of proof.
- Free: children under 5.
- Special Heritage Days rate: not confirmed for 2026 at the time of writing. The castle offered half-price admission at a previous edition, alongside guided tours, medieval dancing and activities for children — but nothing indicates the same arrangement will be repeated.
Check the château’s official website before your visit for opening hours, weekend prices and any guided tours.
Our two-day itinerary
The order can be reversed depending on official times, the bookings you secure and the weather. In fact we recommend it: places are counted, and the final programme has the last word.
Saturday 19 September — Villeréal, then Monflanquin
Morning. An unhurried start from Les Terrasses to Villeréal. The Saturday morning market fills the hall: the best moment to watch the village live rather than to visit it. Walk the square, step into the church of Notre-Dame, drop down a street or two towards the Dropt.
Lunch. At a restaurant: several addresses line the place de la Halle and its arcades — check they are open and book, because on a Heritage Days Saturday the terraces fill fast. Or picnic: put it together at the morning market, then settle by the Dropt or at one of the viewpoints along the cycle route. Simpler, and it leaves more of the afternoon.
Afternoon. Two scenarios, depending on what you have booked. If you secured one of the fifteen places on the electric bike tour, meet at 2pm outside Cyclexplore and keep the day for Villeréal. Otherwise, head for Monflanquin: the Musée des Bastides, the talk on stained glass or on 13th-century military innovation, and the stained glass workshop for the children if you have booked.
End of the day. September light on the place des Arcades is worth the detour on its own. Back to Les Terrasses by the small roads.
Sunday 20 September — Villeréal in the morning, Biron in the afternoon
Morning. Meet at 10.45am outside the Villeréal tourist office, place de la Halle, for the free guided tour leaving at 11am. Allow around 1 hour 15. Booking essential.
Lunch. At a restaurant in Villeréal or a village on the road to Biron — on a Sunday in September, ring the day before, as many places move to reduced service once the high season ends. Or a late picnic: the drive from Villeréal to Biron crosses plum and hazelnut orchards, fields and meadows. Picnic spots and quiet Romanesque churches are not in short supply.
Afternoon. The Château de Biron. Allow plenty of time: the courtyards, the chapel and the great rooms deserve it, and the views from the upper terrace are worth lingering over. If guided tours are scheduled, time your arrival around them.
Heading back. The village of Biron, below the castle, is tiny and very beautiful. Twenty minutes there closes the weekend properly.
Practical notes
- Check the official programme in the days before the weekend: times shift until the last minute.
- Book what needs booking. The Villeréal guided tour, the bike ride (15 places) and the stained glass workshop all require registration in advance.
- Confirm hours and prices with each site, particularly the Château de Biron.
- Wear comfortable shoes: bastides are walked, on cobbles, and Monflanquin climbs.
- Plan your journeys and parking. Central spaces go early on an event day; park on the edge and walk five minutes.
- Adapt for children: one bastide in the morning, a workshop in the afternoon, and a break in between. Trying to do everything does not work.
- Have a wet-weather fallback. The Musée des Bastides, the talks and the interior of the castle are all under cover.
Les Terrasses is an ideal base for exploring between the Lot-et-Garonne and the Périgord.