5-Bed Stone House on 2.7 Hectares in Dordogne – Pool, Guest Cottage & Countryside Views



Aquitaine, Dordogne, Cénac-et-St-Julien, France, Cénac-et-Saint-Julien (France)
5 Bedrooms · 3 Bathrooms · 172m² Floor area
€600,000
House
No parking
5 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
172m²
Garden
Pool
Not furnished
Description
Some mornings in the Périgord Noir you wake up to nothing. No traffic, no alarms — just wood pigeons calling from the oak canopy and the faint smell of damp stone warming in early sun. That's the rhythm of life at this five-bedroom stone property in Cénac-et-Saint-Julien, a village that sits quietly above the Dordogne River, close enough to Sarlat-la-Canéda that you can be browsing the Saturday market stalls within fifteen minutes, far enough away that you'd never know it.
Set on 2.7 hectares — a mix of open lawn, mature woodland, and garden — the house has the solidity of a building that has outlasted several generations and been thoughtfully brought forward rather than stripped of character. The stone walls are original. The renovation, however, is recent and thorough: new electrical panel, updated plumbing, two hot water tanks, and a kitchen installed from scratch that opens directly into a 39-square-metre living and dining area flooded with afternoon light. It's the kind of space where a summer lunch stretches comfortably into the early evening without anyone thinking to move.
The main house holds four bedrooms — two of them full suites with private shower rooms — and those room sizes (22, 23, 15 and 12 square metres) are generous by French rural standards. The primary suite is on the ground floor, which matters more than people expect: after a long day walking the Beynac cliffs or cycling the Vézère valley trail, the last thing you want is stairs. The layout is practical in all the ways that count for a family who actually intends to use a second home, not just own one.
What makes this property genuinely unusual is the second, fully independent building. It has its own living room, kitchen, and shower room, with a bedroom on the upper floor. For international buyers, this configuration opens real possibilities: house guests without giving up your privacy, run seasonal gîte rentals through platforms popular with visitors drawn to the Périgord's concentration of prehistoric cave art and medieval châteaux, or simply use it as a studio or creative retreat. The Dordogne consistently ranks among France's most visited departments by domestic and European tourists alike, and the area around Domme, Beynac-et-Cazenac, and the Château de Castelnaud draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. A well-managed gîte operation in this corner of the region can generate meaningful rental income through the long summer season that runs from late May well into September.
There is also a 38-square-metre enclosed garage — currently practical as storage but with genuine conversion potential for a studio, workshop, or additional guest space, subject to the usual planning considerations with the local mairie.
The swimming pool sits in the grounds with enough surrounding lawn to set up proper outdoor furniture, a table for ten, and a pétanque strip. In July and August, the light in this part of France goes golden by six in the evening and stays that way until well past nine. That particular quality of light — honeyed, warm, low-angled — is part of why the Dordogne became a magnet for artists and writers decades ago and has never stopped being one.
Cénac-et-Saint-Julien itself is a small commune with a Romanesque church whose carved capitals are worth the detour, but its real advantage is position. Sarlat, with its medieval old town, twice-weekly markets, and some of the best duck confit and walnut oil in France, is about 12 kilometres away. The river villages of La Roque-Gageac and Domme are closer still. In autumn, when the tourist coaches thin out and the walnut harvest brings a specific nutty sweetness to everything — the bread, the salad dressings, the local wines — the whole valley takes on a different, quieter personality that many owners of second homes here consider the best time of year.
For outdoor activity, the options stack up quickly. The GR64 long-distance footpath passes through the wider area. Canoe hire on the Dordogne runs from Carsac-Aillac downstream through some of the river's most photographed limestone cliff scenery. Cyclists have marked routes of varying difficulty through the Périgord Noir. And for those who prefer their activity horizontal, the truffle markets in Sarlat and Périgueux between November and February offer their own kind of leisurely immersion in local life.
Practical access is straightforward. Bergerac Airport, served by Ryanair and other carriers from London Stansted, Bristol, Edinburgh, Dublin, and several other European cities, is roughly 70 kilometres west — under an hour's drive. Bordeaux-Mérignac, with a wider range of international connections, is around 130 kilometres. The A89 motorway links the region efficiently for those arriving by car from Paris or further afield.
For international buyers, France's property purchase process is well-established and transparent. Acquisition costs (notaire fees, registration taxes) typically run between 7 and 8 percent on top of the purchase price for existing properties. Non-EU buyers face no ownership restrictions. Financing through French banks is accessible for non-residents with appropriate documentation. The property is sold fully furnished, which removes one of the more logistically demanding steps of setting up a second home abroad.
Key features at a glance:
- Five bedrooms across two separate buildings, three bathrooms total
- 172 square metres of living space on 2.7 hectares (approx. 6.7 acres)
- Beautifully renovated original stone construction in good condition
- Brand-new kitchen opening to a 39m² light-filled living and dining area
- Private swimming pool with surrounding lawn and mature grounds
- Fully independent guest cottage or gîte with living room, kitchen, bedroom and shower room
- 38m² enclosed garage with conversion potential
- New electrical panel, two hot water tanks, sold fully furnished
- 12 minutes from Sarlat-la-Canéda's markets, restaurants and services
- Close to Beynac, Domme, La Roque-Gageac and Périgord Noir châteaux country
- Strong seasonal rental income potential in one of France's most visited tourist regions
- Under an hour from Bergerac Airport with multiple UK and European routes
- No immediate neighbours — complete privacy without true remoteness
If you've been looking for a vacation home in the Dordogne that works as a genuine family base, a rental investment, or both at once, this is worth a serious look. Get in touch through Homestra to arrange a viewing — properties with this combination of land, independent accommodation, and condition in the Périgord Noir don't sit on the market long.
Details
- Amount of bedrooms
- 5
- Size
- 172m²
- Price per m²
- €3,488
- Garden size
- 89043m²
- Has Garden
- Yes
- Has Parking
- No
- Has Basement
- No
- Condition
- good
- Amount of Bathrooms
- 3
- Has swimming pool
- Yes
- Property type
- House
- Energy label
Unknown
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