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Travel guide
Sarlat and the Périgord Noir
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Sarlat and the Périgord Noir, in a few days
Sarlat keeps one of the densest medieval centres in France, with 65 protected monuments packed into golden stone. Ten minutes away, the Dordogne lines up Beynac, Castelnaud, La Roque-Gageac and Domme, best seen from the gardens of Marqueyssac or from a canoe at water level.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sarlat old town free · about 1 h 30The first town restored under the 1962 Malraux law, with late medieval and Renaissance mansions, stone-slab roofs and a 12th-century lantern of the dead.
- Afternoon · Sarlat market free · about 1 hWednesday morning and all day Saturday: foie gras, walnuts, goat's cheese, strawberries in spring, ceps in autumn and truffles in winter.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel La Couleuvrine€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Canoeing from Vitrac to Beynac · 2 to 3 hSixteen kilometres of calm river past Domme, La Roque-Gageac, Marqueyssac and Castelnaud to Beynac, with pebble beaches for stops and a shuttle back.
- Afternoon · Domme free · about 1 hA hilltop bastide founded in 1281 on a plan that follows the plateau, with caves under the market hall and a viewpoint over the river.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Meysset€115 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · La Roque-Gageac and its gabarre boats · about 1 h 30A single row of houses between river and a sun-warmed cliff that shelters an exotic garden, with a cave fort above reached by stairs.
- Afternoon · Marqueyssac Gardens · about 1 h 30Hanging gardens laid out after 1861, with 150,000 hand-clipped box shrubs and over 6 km of paths to a viewpoint 130 metres above the Dordogne.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Renoir€130 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Château de Castelnaud · about 1 h 30A 13th-century fortress facing Beynac, home to a museum of medieval warfare with full-size trebuchets and siege engines on its terrace.
- Afternoon · Château de Beynac · about 1 hA 12th-century clifftop fortress once held by Richard the Lionheart; the keep's summit gives the best view over the valley.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel La Couleuvrine€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/sarlat
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.