Arriving in Barcelona by cruise ship in September. Have booked a walking tour in Dordogne. Need to get to Souillac that day. Train connections that once seemed to exist no longer findable. No connections at all currently on Rail Europe. I need to get to Souillac.

Any ideas?

Souillac's a long haul from Barcelona. Are you planning on spending a few days? It's about a 7-hour train ride with only two trains a day.

https://es.voyages-sncf.com

Consider flying to Toulouse - lots of train links to Toulouse from Barcelona/Narbonne but few trains Toulouse-Souillac -I suspect there are buses perhaps - contact the tour to see if they have info on transfer Toulouse to Souillac.

We are spending only the first night in Souillac, then departing on an inn-to-inn walking tour in Dordogne.

The flight to Toulouse option might be the best choice.

I've thought about a car rental, but I don't know if I can dropoff in Souillac at all, or for a reasonable rate. We are flying out of Toulouse on way home.

Airports usually have mini-buses or car transfers to various towns within a wide radius -check on that if car rental not possible.

Toulouse has direct trains to Souillac at about 2:30pm - 4:30 and 5:30 - so easy to take bus from Toulouse airport to train station and go to Souillac by train (takes about 2 hours) - no trains it seems between 7:30am and 2:30pm - check www.bahn.de/en for schedules of your date.

Souillac was a bad choice if coming from Barcelona and needing to be there the same day.

You're going to have to fly to Toulouse and rent a car or take a circuitous train/bus route. Or fly to Bordeaux, then take the train to Sarlat, then the bus to Souillac (there is no train service any longer between Sarlat and Souillac).

Of course you can drop off a car rental in Souillac. The rate would depend on where you rent the car (don't even THINK about renting it in Spain and dropping it off in France) and which company you rent from.