About two kilometres west of La Roque-Gageac along the south bank of the Dordogne, the Château de Marqueyssac sits high on a promontory with views that stretch across the river valley to Castelnaud and Beynac. The château itself is a handsome 17th-century building, but the real reason to visit is the garden: six kilometres of paths winding through 150,000 hand-trimmed box hedges, terraced against the cliff in a combination of formal French design and organic, almost surrealist shapes.
The belvedere at the garden's edge is one of the great viewpoints of the Dordogne — a 130-metre drop to the river, with the golden cliffs of La Roque-Gageac visible to the east and the towers of Château de Beynac across the water. On Thursday evenings in July and August the gardens open after dark for candlelit nights with music. The gardens are open year-round, the château only for guided tours in summer; allow at least two hours for a proper visit.