Sarlat is perhaps the most popular town in the Dordogne region with a cute medieval centre that is well preserved.
If you're exploring the Dordogne (Perigord) region this is by far the best town in which to base yourself. There's a wealth of tourist accommodation both in the town itself and in the surrounding countryside but do book early as this is a very popular area.
There's so much in and around the town that it's hard to know where to begin. The old town is quite large and well preserved with numerous attractive buildings from the medieval, Renaissance and 17th century. There's a lively market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Don't miss the small antique car museum.
When you've had your fill of the town, there's a great deal within daytrip distance including Rocamadour (a fortified town packed with tourist attractions), numerous prehistoric caves (eg Lascaux, Les Eyzies de Tayac, L’Abri Pataud, Rouffignac, and Cap Blanc), the 18th century gardens of Eyrignac, numerous medieval towns and villages (eg Domme, St. Amand de Coly, and St. Geniès). That's quite a brief list and omits even quite major attractions eg Limoges (famous for its pottery) is an easy excursion from Sarlat.
Although popular, the nearest airports are Bergerac (EGC) at 90 minutes and Limoges (LIG) at 2 hours distance with Bordeaux (BOD) at 2 1/2 hours.
The train service does make up for that though the nearest TGV is Bordeaux after which it's a further two hours or so to Sarlat.
