A great starting point for exploring the spectacular Limousin countryside, the town of Brive in France is also known for being home to a champion Rugby team. Make sure to plan a rental car for your visit, as you will have easy access to the Dordogne Valley, the Haute-Correze forests and the magnificent waterfalls at Gimel-les Cascades.

Brive is perhaps best known to visitors for its restored church of St. Martin and the 13th century turreted houses surrounding it; the most impressive of which is the Hotel de Labenche, now a museum. The medieval center here is mainly a commercial district, replete with an impressive variety of retail shops, restaurants and cafes.

During World War II, Brive served as the regional capital of the Resistance, and acted as a base for several different underground information networks. Perhaps as a result, it was also the first city of occupied France that liberated itself by its own means, an act that has earned the city the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 military decoration.