Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourist Information
The TI, with English-speaking staff, is 50 yards to the right of the Cathedral of St.
Sacerdos as you face the front entrance (April-June and Sept-Oct Mon-Sat 9:00-12:00
& 14:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00; July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun
10:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00; Nov-March closes at 18:00 and all day Sun; on Rue Tourny,
tel. 0553314545,
www.sarlat-tourisme.com
).Their €0.50city mapwithEnglish inform-
ation is a good investment, and their free
Guide Pratique
booklet has rental information
on cars, bikes, and canoes (this and other brochures can also be downloaded from the TI's
website). Other booklets cover sights throughout the region. For €2, the TI will reserve
you a hotel room.
The TI rents iPhone audioguides for self-guided tours of the city (€5/person, €7 with
two sets ofearphones). They also offer guided tours ofSarlat in English (€6,Thu at 11:00,
mid-May-July and Sept-mid-Oct, no tours in Aug or off-season), and sell tickets for the
panoramic elevator ride in the covered market hall (€5; described later in my self-guided
walk).
Arrival in Sarlat
By Train:
The sleepy train station keeps a lonely vigil (without a shop, café, or hotel in
sight). It's a mostly downhill, 20-minute walk to the town center (consider a taxi, about
€7—see “Helpful Hints”). To walk into town, turn left out of the station and follow the
Centre-Ville
sign down Avenue de la Gare as it curves downhill, then turn right at the bot-
tom,onAvenueThiers,toreachthetowncenter.Sometrains(suchasthosefromLimoges
and Cahors) arrive at nearby Souillac, which is connected to Sarlat's train station by an
SNCF bus.
By Car:
Sarlat's streets are slammed on market days, making parking a headache.
AvoidthecenterbyparkingalongAvenueGambetta(atthenorthendoftown),orinoneof
the signed lots on the ring road. The closest parking is metered (free Mon-Sat 12:00-14:00
& 19:00-9:00 and all day Sun).
Helpful Hints
Market Days:
Sarlat has been an important market town since the Middle Ages. Outdoor
markets thrive on Wednesday morning and all day Saturday. Saturday's market swal-
lows the entire town and is best in the morning (produce and food vendors leave at
noon). Come before 8:00 to watch them set up, and, once the market is under way,
plant yourself at a well-positioned café to observe the civilized scene. Don't miss the
market action inside the former Church of Ste. Marie. In summer months, a small or-
