The Dordogne Valley, France has seen times both brutal and sublime down through the ages. This was the stomping ground of the Hundred Years War, where the English and French battled fiercely, and many towns changed hands time and time again. With 1000 castles, fortified towns and picturesque medieval villages, the entire area draws visitors in droves, especially in the summer months of July and August.

If you don’t care for crowds, visit at any other time of the year. Be aware, though, that in winter months, many hotels, restaurants and attractions close, although enough places stay open to tempt hardy winter travelers. Try for May, June and September for a less peopled, though still busy time to visit. The weather is usually fine, most venues are open and prices are 40 percent less than during the peak season.

Known to the French as the Périgord region, the Dordogne Valley calls for many repeat visits to fully experience all it has to offer. Magnificent prehistoric cave paintings, the myriad castles and chateaux, the wide flowing river Dordogne and France’s favorite foods, truffles, porcini, foie gras, walnuts and fine wines, all combine to make the Perigord an unforgettable experience. With old growth oak forests, dramatic limestone cliffs with castles carved from stone on top, the winding river and the prettiest towns in France, the Dordogne seduces and charms all visitors. Even in the midst of jostling crowds, one falls in love with the place and wishes never to leave or always to return to this most magical countryside.

While many of the towns are downright gorgeous, there are some that shine, such as La Roque-Gageac, a town built at the foot of a towering cliff right smack up against the river, and Beynac, a medieval village perfectly preserved with a spectacular castle looming above the village nestled into the cliff. Domme, a bastide or walled town, offers incredible views of the verdant countryside and surrounding villages. Les Eyzies is home to the Musee National de Prehistoire, devoted to times ancient, a fitting museum for this timeless region. If the prehistoric beckons, an exact replica of the Lascaux caves allows visitors to experience an almost religious feeling of awe at the detailed artistic paintings of 17,000 years ago.

The prehistoric and medieval live next door to now in the Perigord, but now is when you’ll want to find one of the many restaurants to tuck into the region’s famed foods. Fois gras, walnuts, cepes, truffles and duck, the Dordogne valley serves up sublime food, all locally grown, raised and harvested, and all delicious. Perfect vegetables tasting like they’d just been plucked from the earth, combined in imaginative ways with tender duck breasts or lamb entice the taste buds. Try the famous cassoulet with meltingly good white beans, garlic, onions and rich sausages with the traditional confit de carnard. This is food for the gods, making any who savor it feel immortal.

Come to the Dordogne and find a region brimming with beauty, rich with history and culture and relish its simple sublime landscapes. Relax in a canoe heading down the curving, twisty river, stopping in at the many breathtaking towns and villages that dot the countryside. You’ll find the quintessential France of your dreams, and you’ll never want to leave.