Planning a trip to Sarlat-la-Caneda

Getting There: About five direct train connections arrive daily from Bordeaux (trip time: 2.5 hr., 31€). Trains from Paris take between 5 and 6 hours and pass via Bordeaux. For train information and schedules, visit sncf-connect.com or call 36-35. The terminus in Sarlat lies 1km (.5 mile) south of the old town. You can walk it in 15 min. or else take a taxi.

To reach Sarlat from Paris, motorists drive the A10 autoroute to Orléans, then the A71 to Vierzon, followed by the A20 to Brive-la-Gaillarde, after which the smaller D roads (1089, 60, 56 and 47) get you to Sarlat’s centre-ville. Or you can take the A89 from Bordeaux (turning off for the D704 at La Bachellerie). Sarlat lies 180km (112 miles) east of Bordeaux, which takes about 2.5 hr.

Visitor Information: The Office de Tourisme, 3 rue Tourny ; (tel. 05-53-31-45-45) has area maps and offers English-language tours from May to October.

Special Events: In the summer, the streets of Sarlat are bustling with people, many of whom come to attend the Féstival des Jeux de Théâtre de Sarlat (festival-theatre-sarlat.com; [tel] 05-53-31-10-83), a theater festival that runs from mid-July to the first week of August. During the month of August and into the first week of September, Sarlat also hosts the Féstival de Musique du Périgord Noir (festivalduperigordnoir.fr; [tel] 05-53-51-61-61). The November film festival, Le Féstival de Film de Sarlat, is the biggest such event in France after Cannes and Deauville.