Trevia

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Dordogne for September 2012. There is a possibility another couple may join us. We really want a house in a village/town where we can walk to shops and restaurants. There are three that I am seriously considering and would like some advice from you knowledgeable people about the towns themselves. The first house we're considering (eleganttownhouse.com) is in Sarlat, The second is in St. Cyprien and is called "terme". It's new to the rental market. The third house is in Le Bugue and is property 96706 on Homeaway.co.uk.

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.

JoeCal

I guess that no one understands what your question is?

Each of the 3 towns you list are very nice, so I can only give a personal preference. I would say Sarlat is the largest and busiest. While I like visiting there, I would not rent a house there for a week. Why? Because I think it is a little too busy, too touristy. St Cyprien and Le Bugue on the other hand are very good options and I can't really say one is better than the other. I supose all else being equal I would go to Le Bugue becasue it is slightly smaller and prettier (IMO).

In the end I would rent not based on which town I was in, (they are so close together that it is not all that important), but rahter based on the amenities and value of the Gite or house rental.

Good luck, you almost can't go wrong with any of these town selections.

JoeCal

Re-reading your original post, perhaps Sarlat is exactly what you might want as there would be more options close enough to walk to and more variety in terms of shops and restaurants.

Each of these towns are small enough to walk to whatever is there to be found, assuming you are reasonably close to the town center.

StCirq

A rental house in either Le Bugue or St-Cyprien would not necessarily be close enough to walk to whatever you want to. Both towns comprise rural areas and hamlets and lots of hills around them for at least a handful of kilometers, and many of the rentals are in those outlying areas. It would be helpful if you could point out where in Le Bugue and St-Cyprien those rentals actually are. Le Bugue has more commerce and is more of a "working town," though of course tourists flock to the markets in high season. St-Cyprien is smaller, with fewer options for banks, food shopping, cafés and restaurants, and other commercial outfits. Its market is also thronged in high season. They're both good towns, though I prefer Le Bugue (maybe because it's *my* town). Sarlat is a much larger tourist-magnet town with much more commerce.

Trevia

Thanks StCirq and JoeCal. I appreciate the feedback on your perceptions of the towns. I am leaning toward Le Bugue because I like the sound and the look of the town. Primarily we want to be able to walk to some shops and restaurants, and although I know Sarlat offers both of those, it does seem to be very touristy.

Both houses in St Cyprien and Le Bugue are in the middle of the towns.

Thanks again. I know we'll have a great time.

Carlux

I think that you will find that Sarlat in September is less touristy. And if you are there for the Journees du Patrimoine, around the 17/18 September, you'll see the town lit by 10,000 candles on the Saturday night. Quite magical.

Just my preference, but le Bugue has never done much for me. However, we're usually driving through on the way to somewhere else, and dont stop.

However, having said that, I've just looked at the property you are considering. It looks interesting, with lots of character, BUT it is on the main street going into town. You will get a lot of traffic past your front door. I would ask questions about the noise - are the windows double glazed??? Note that none of the photos marked 'outside' on the site are of the outside of the house, other than the photo on the Home page - they are all of parts of the town, very nice, but that's not what will be outside your house.

Trevia

Thank you, Carlux for your take on Sarlat in September. Love the sound of the Journees du Patrimoine. And since a nice outdoor space if important to us, as is noise level, I will certainly ask the questions you suggest before making any final decision on a property.

StCirq

Those photos of the house in Le Bugue suggest that it is on the main road into town in the part of town that has been dying off for the past decade or so...where the Bar Oscar was or is. There is indeed a fair amount of traffic on that road, along with a quirky alternating traffic light that drives some drivers crazy and makes them honk a lot, but I can't remember at what times of year the alternating light is an issue - probably not in September. However, all the views from the house are from the back, not the roadside. The house is almost surely right on the road...not necessarily a problem unless the bedrooms face that way too. I'd ask for more pics of the front of the property and the rooms that face it.

Agree that Sarlat isn't jammed in September. But it's still huge compared to Le Bugue and particularly St.-Cyprien.