day hikes near Sarlat
 

I am interested in day hikes near Sarlat. Preferably 4-8 miles with less than 1500' elevation gain. I will have a car, but prefer not to drive not much more than 1/2 hour to a trail head.
Any suggestions?

Pick up the Grande Randonnée maps from any bookseller in the area - there's a big one on La Traverse, the main modern street through town. They will provide you with maps for the GR trails.
Any bookstore will also have specific books on walking/hiking in the Périgord. I have a couple of them, but they're in France and I can't recall the exact names. But you'll have no problem finding them.
Also, you can just start from any river town and walk along the river in most places.

I have enjoyed the walk from Sarlat to Domme, about 10 KM, an easy walk with lovely valley scenery.

Domme is a well-preserved medieval hilltop village with magnificent views, and some good restaurants. The only drawback is you would have to hire a taxi for returning to Sarlat.

JudyC:

Do you suppose Domme meets Keke's requirement of less than 1500' of elevation gain? It certainly is a lovely walk, but that's one &*%$ of a hill to climb!

Views are worth it, though....

To StCirg, the elevation of domme is only 977f.

Actually, the walk up the hill wasn't too bad. I went up twice, once came down to Cenac to visit the Romanesque church, then went up again to Place de la Halle for taxi.

Thanks for the suggestions. Can the Grande Randonee maps be ordered from the US and if so, what route numbers go through that area.

Are there trails to towns such as Domme or do you walk on the road?

Keke:

Google Grande Randonnée Maps and you'll find a lot of places where you can order them. You'll pay less for them in France, though. It's primarily the GR36 and GR46 maps (maybe G6 too - sorry, I forget)that you'll want. They cover roughly the triangle formed by Sarlat, Périgueux, and Bergerac. The GR36 includes the village of St-Léon-sur-Vézère and surrounds and is probably a very pretty one (though none will be ugly. You can also go to St-Léon-sur-Vézère and cross the bridge and turn left and follow the river north all the way to Castel-Merle. If you do that, and you come to the ancient door built into the rock on the right side of the trail, stick your arm in, unlock the door, and you're in for a treat. Lock it back up when you leave;)

Domme, and neighboring Beynac, are interesting not only from their neat old looks but these so-called 'perched villages' still carry a unique for France grid of straight streets dating from Roman days as these natural garrisons crowning steep hills broodingly overlooking the Dordogne River have always been strategic military outposts. Both are also immensely mobbed during the high tourist season. At least you won't have any trouble finding your destination as you'll see Domme for miles around.