It has been suggestd on here that in order to travel from Paris to Sarlat, I take the train from Paris to Limoges and then rent a car. Upon investigating the trains, however, it only appears that the TGV travels from Paris to Angouleme. Is that true? Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated.

I don't know about a TGV from Paris to Angoul&egrave;me, but there is no TGV to Limoges or anywhere in the Dordogne. You can take a TGV to Bordeaux or Libourne and then a regular train to P&eacute;rigueux, or you can take the regular train from Paris to Limoges, and then on to P&eacute;rigueux. Or, you can get off at Limoges. I suppose there's probably a regular train from Bordeaux to Angoul&egrave;me or Limoges, too. <BR>If there were TGVs to the Dordogne, it wouldn't be the place it is.<BR>There are also connections to Sarlat, but they don't involve TGVs except through Bordeaux, to my knowledge.<BR><BR>And I'm still not sure why you want to drive from Limoges to Sarlat anyway. As long as you're taking trains, why not get as close as possible? (which would be Sarlat itself, or P&eacute;rigueux, or even Brive).

Thank you, once again, StCirq for your expert advice. You have a wealth of information. I wasn't aware I could get directly to Sarlat by train. I'm assuming I will need a car once I get there though and thought getting a car at Limoges would help break up the day and have more leisure time to explore from Limoges to Sarlat. If you don't think I would need a car in the Sarlat area to tour the &quot;triangle&quot; of this region please advice. I just think staying on a train all day from Paris isn't appealing and after 3 to 4 hours would need a change and then could leisurly make our way to the Dordogne region. Let me know what you think. I trust and appreciate your advice!

Mike:<BR><BR>A lot of the trains that go to Sarlat are freight, not passenger, trains, but you CAN get to Sarlat from Paris on a train (probably about a 6-hour ride).<BR><BR>If you want to drive from Limoges (about 2.5 hours), go for it, but to me it's not a pleasant drive at all until you get within about a half-hour of Sarlat. I love the train ride from Paris to P&eacute;rigueux - it's relaxing, and the scenery is lovely and just gets more and more lovely as you head south. But then, I'm usually training right after an overnight flight, and I'm not eager to do a lot of driving under those circumstances. If you do get off at Limoges, you could plan to visit Oradour-sur-Glane before heading to Sarlat. That might make the drive worth it.<BR>You will definitely need a car once you get there. It's practically impossible to get around the Dordogne without one. There is public transportation but it's designed with locals', not tourists', needs. You'd really miss out on a lot of important sites. If you still want to pick the car up in Limoges, I'd suggest you drop it off in Sarlat (assuming you find good train connections) or P&eacute;rigueux. I don't think you'll want to drive that Limoges-Sarlat route more than once. There should be no drop-off charge for leaving the car in a different place from where you pick it up.

St. Cirq,<BR>Now I'm a little confused. My husband and I will be travelling from Paris this summer to the Dordogne; we'll be staying about 8 or 9 km. northwest of Sarlat. Which town should we travel to in order to pick up a car and will also be time-effective. I know there's no fast trip, but I'd prefer to be as close as we can in as timely a manner as well as have a car rental agency that's open! Is Brive the best place to travel to?

Mike, There are fast trains in France aside from the TGV, although not as fast. The ride from Paris to Limoges is not a milk run, even if the train might stop in Vierzon and Orl&eacute;ans. StCirq is correct about the direct road from Limoges to Sarlat--it's not the most beautiful. But I still think that starting in Limoges gives you the opportunity to see Brant&ocirc;me, Bourdeilles and P&eacute;rigueux, and that road is more pleasant than D709 (if I remember the direct road correctly).

Mike: Yes, if you want to visit the northern Dordogne, get off the train at Limoges and make your way south to Brant&ocirc;me and Bourdeilles (DO try to stop at Oradour-sur-Glane). Don't go back the same route - get on the train at Sarlat or P&eacute;rigueux. As I said, you won't want to travel this route twice in one trip.<BR>Progol: Take the regular train to P&eacute;rigueux through Limoges, leaving from the Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris. It's a lot closer than Brive and you'll have about a 45-minute drive to Sarlat. You can investigate trains from Paris directly to Sarlat and may find a good connection, but it's probably easier to get to P&eacute;rigueux.