Bergerac is well placed for short trips into the rest of the Périgord. Sarlat, an hour east, is the postcard medieval town of the region — the densest concentration of late-medieval architecture in France and the main base for the Dordogne valley chateaux. Périgueux, the départemental capital, has a Roman amphitheatre, a Byzantine-influenced cathedral, and an old town worth a half-day.
In the immediate countryside, the Monbazillac vineyards south of town and the bastide villages of Eymet and Issigeac are easy half-days. Down the river to the east, La Roque-Gageac and Domme cluster on the cliffs above the Dordogne and can be combined with a gabarre river trip. The prehistoric caves of the Vézère valley, around Les Eyzies, are an hour and a half away.