Having thoroughly trawled all the excellent information and tips on this forum - I am left with ONE question - the best place for a base, if one wants to avoid night driving! For example, in the Loire we find being based at Amboise convenient - plenty of restaurants and all within walking distance. Would I be right in thinking Sarlat is the same type of town, or is it much bigger? We like to walk to dinner and maybe have a drink or three, and no stress of night driving. Or maybe Bergerac? I would really appreciate any input on this topic.

Sarlat or Périgueux, definitely not Bergerac.

Sarlat. Bergerac and Perigueux are too far away from the main sites in the Dordogne. Both have some ugly urban sprawl also.

I have a 20+ page itinerary on the Dordogne, describing my favorite villages, markets, sites, restaurnats, drives, etc. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

If you want restaurants within walking distance, you'll have to live in an urban center, contrary to StuDudley's advice. Besides, once in town, you don't see the urban sprawl (particularly ugly in the east suburbs of Périgueux)

Sarlat has a bit of sprawl of its own. It's confusing to navigate by car, but the historic city center is a pre-Napoleonic gem. If you're staying in the old town, you should have no problem finding plenty of restaurants, etc. within walking distance.

>>>If you want restaurants within walking distance, you'll have to live in an urban center, contrary to StuDudley's advice<<

Did they close all the restaurants in Sarlat???? I've dined at several of them within the last few years. I'm guessing that there at least 15 restaurants in Sarlat - some of them quite touristy, but others are not.

There are four recommended restaurants in the Red Michelin Guide for Sarlat. In Perigeux, there are also four recommended in the Red Guide.

Michael - perhaps you missed the period between Sarlat and Bergerac in my first post. I'm recommending Sarlat as a place to stay. And not Bergerac or Perigueux. Perhaps I was not clear about that. Sorry.

Stu Dudley

Of the towns mentioned, Sarlat is definitely preferable. Bergerac's way out of the way, and Périgueux's a pain to get in and out of (that's somewhat true of Sarlat, too). Sarlat is a good bit bigger than Amboise.

But you don't have to stay in a big town just to be able to walk to restaurants at night. There are lots of smaller villages that have a variety of restaurants - Domme, Le Bugue, St-Cyprien, Les Eyzies, Beynac, Montignac ....just to name a few.

Thank you all for your thoughts - I am leaning towards Sarlat, although getting in and out every day sounds like not much fun - .... StCirq, of the villages you recommended, which would be the biggest? Maybe a couple of nights in Sarlat and a couple in another village?

Nerida:

I can think of no good reason to split up your stay between Sarlat and some village or town that's 10 miles away.

The biggest of the ones I mentioned would be Le Bugue and Montignac. Both have a large variety of restaurants. Les Eyzies has quite a few for a town its size, but it's a less attractive place - just one strip of road running under the cliffs.

Nerida.

I certainly have not driven into Sarlat as much as St Cirq has, but the one or two dozen times I have, it has not been unbearable - certainly nothing like Perigueux. I've only been there in June & September, so my experience will not be representative of July or August.

If you stay in a place like the Madeleine at the north end of the old section of Sarlat, then your ins & outs in the north direction won't be that bad. To the south is a little more difficult, but almost everything around the old town is one way, so traffic flows pretty smoothly. I think the most difficult access is into Sarlat from the South. We stay in that direction, and it always seems like driving along the Ave Thiers into Sarlat is slower than Rue de Cahors out of Sarlat. Perhaps St Cirq can add to this, but I think there is a school or something on the western road around Old Sarlat, heading south. When the school lets out, traffic can get a little backed up.

If you choose to stay in a smaller village, Roque Gageac would be a good choice. In addition to being one of the cutest villages, there are a couple of very good restaurants there. If you don't mind a short drive after dark, Beynac, Vezac, Domme, and Vitrac also have several very good restaurants. These are all within 10 mins of Roque Gageac, and a drive along the Dordogne at sunset or even in darkness is quite scenic.

Stu Dudley

Hi Nerida,

Some suggestions for where to stay outside Sarlat,

http://www.hotelbonnet.com/indexx.html
(We are booked there for our upcoming trip)

La Belle Etoile in Laroque Gageac
http://www.cometoparis.com/interact4...9.php4?doc=217

http://www.carlucet.com/

Relais de Cinq Chateau in Vezac
http://www.hotels-sarlat-perigord.co...equestedPdt=12

http://www.les-granges-hautes.fr/en/accen.htm

Nerida/ira:

If the idea is to be able to walk to dinner, La Roque-Gageac is a good idea, but not Le Relais des Cinq Châteaux unless you want to have every dinner right there at Le Relais. It sits out in a field and would be a fair hike to anywhere else for dinner. It's a good restaurant, though.