The traditional flat-bottomed boats called gabares have been carrying goods and people along the Dordogne since the Middle Ages. Today they depart from a landing stage right in La Roque-Gageac for peaceful cruises of 50 minutes to an hour, drifting along the river with the limestone cliffs, walnut groves, and medieval châteaux passing slowly on either bank. It is the best way to see the village and the wider valley from the water.
The trips pass the imposing silhouette of the Château de Castelnaud and the Château de Beynac facing each other across the river — the two great rivals of the Hundred Years' War, one English and one French. The commentary (in French, sometimes with English translation) explains the history of the river trade and the landscape. Trips run throughout the day in season from roughly March to November; in July and August it pays to arrive early to avoid the queues. Several operators run from the same landing point.