Looking for recreational land for sale in Dordogne (24) means exploring a department of hedgerows and extensive chestnut and oak woodland, where small agricultural plots remain plentiful along the Dordogne, the Vézère, the Isle and the Dronne rivers. On this page, ma-propriete.fr gathers the listings of recreational land for sale in Dordogne: hay meadows between Périgueux and Bergerac, chestnut woodland in the Périgord vert and the Nontronnais, valley plots with river access, and land sold with a cabin or an old barn. These plots appeal to local hunters and anglers just as much as to buyers coming from further afield, looking for a quiet retreat within easy reach of Bordeaux or Toulouse.
You will find price benchmarks drawn from actual sales, an overview of where meadows, woodland and the department's rare ponds are concentrated, and the precautions to take before buying in an agricultural or natural zone. Start with our guide on how to turn agricultural land into recreational land: it explains clearly what a Périgord planning document actually allows on a non-buildable plot, and what it simply forbids outright.
There is no such thing as a "recreational land price" in the French notarial records: the DVF database records sales of agricultural land, woodland and ponds, and a recreational plot is priced against these three benchmarks, higher or lower depending on what it adds (vehicle access, a water point, fencing, an existing shelter, a village nearby). The table below gives, for each benchmark, the sales recorded in 2025 in Dordogne (24), the median price and the range between the first decile (floor) and the ninth decile (ceiling), with the national figure for comparison.
| DVF 2025 benchmark | Sales | Median price | Range (P10 – P90) | France median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bare agricultural land (€/ha) | 126 | €4,716/ha | €2,845/ha – €7,424/ha | €5,307/ha |
| Woodland (€/ha) | 220 | €2,642/ha | €1,458/ha – €5,939/ha | €4,934/ha |
| Pond (€/m²) * | 46 | €2.22/m² | €0.40/m² – €5.78/m² | €2.54/m² |
Bare agricultural land is below the national median (€5,307/ha), with the median price moving -10.2% between 2020 and 2025. Woodland trades well below the national benchmark (€4,934/ha), and a pond, a much rarer asset, is valued per square metre of water and banks. To compare a listing, bring everything back to the square metre: €4,716/ha of bare land is €0.47/m², against €2.22/m² for a pond. Recreational land, almost always classified as an agricultural or natural zone, generally sells slightly above bare agricultural land; but it usually remains subject to the SAFER land agency's right of pre-emption, and the SAFER may pre-empt with a downward price revision if the price is excessive compared with local land prices. These benchmarks therefore also help you avoid paying a price the SAFER would challenge.
Find the detail by department, plot size and year in our agricultural land price observatory and in the forest price observatory. Source: DVF (Demandes de valeurs foncières), 2025 sales, processed by ma-propriete.fr; medians published from 30 sales upwards. * Fewer than 30 sales in the department: the benchmark shown is the regional figure for "Pond".
Dordogne is above all a department of bocage and forest: the most common plot is a hay meadow lined with hedges, once part of a farm holding, found from the Ribéracois to the Bergeracois. Woodland covers a large share of the territory, especially in the Périgord vert around Nontron and Thiviers, dominated by chestnut, oak and pine, worked for firewood and hunting. These non-constructible plots make up most of what is available for recreational use, well ahead of properties with a water feature.
Ponds, by contrast, rarely change hands in Dordogne each year: a few isolated bodies of water in the Périgord vert or the Double périgourdine, often of farm origin, sometimes with a fishing cabin. Their scarcity makes them sought after whenever one comes onto the market, provided its status under French water law is clear. Many woodland plots also come with a hunting right attached, a factor buyers often weigh as heavily as the area itself.
The Périgord vert, around Nontron, Thiviers and Brantôme, holds the largest chestnut woods and the department's most affordable wooded plots. The Dordogne valley, from Sarlat to Domme and Beynac, offers valley-bottom meadows and riverbanks, much sought after for their setting but subject to strict building rules. The Bergeracois, shaped by vineyards and orchards, offers hillside and farmland plots close to the routes towards Bordeaux. Around Périgueux, the prefecture well served by regional trains, supply stays mixed between hedgerow country and forest, with plots of every size.
The Ribéracois and the northern Périgord vert remain the most affordable areas, away from tourist flows and main routes. The Dordogne valley and its surroundings, much in demand for their scenery and reputation, sell well above the departmental average, as do some hunting woods close to Sarlat and the rare plots with a water feature.
Always check the commune's local planning document (PLU): in an agricultural (A) or natural (N) zone, new building is in principle excluded, and a cabin, a chalet or a light leisure dwelling cannot be put up without authorisation. An existing shelter is only worth something if it was properly declared; otherwise the commune may challenge it. Access (rural track, right of way, landlocked parcel) and the presence of water and electricity, rare outside villages, should be checked before making a firm offer.
On parcels classified as agricultural, the SAFER land agency may pre-empt, with a risk that the price will be revised down if it strays too far from local farmland prices. Also watch for flood zones along the Dordogne, the Vézère and the Isle, Natura 2000 areas or wetlands present in some valleys, and have the boundary survey and the exact cadastral area checked before committing.
The listings of recreational land in Dordogne published on ma-propriete.fr come from private sellers, estate agents and notaries. Filter by area, price or the presence of a water feature, then set up an e-mail alert to follow new plots as soon as they are listed, a useful step in a market where good plots move fast. You can also widen your search to recreational land for sale in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, to compare with neighbouring departments.
