Sarlat-la-Canéda

A straight nineteenth-century road, the Rue de la République, known locally as the Traverse, cuts the old town in two from north to south. It carries traffic and most of the everyday shops, and it is the easiest line to find your way back to.

The larger eastern half holds most of what visitors come for: the cathedral, the Place de la Liberté, the Place des Oies and the densest network of lanes. The western half is quieter and more residential, with steep alleys climbing the hillside. Many people never cross the Traverse, and miss some of the most atmospheric streets as a result.

The pleasure of Sarlat is the whole townscape rather than any single building, but a handful of places give the walk a shape.

Sarlat prospered in the late Middle Ages and was largely rebuilt after the Hundred Years War, which explains the concentration of fifteenth and sixteenth century houses. It then slipped into relative decline, and the lack of money for modernisation preserved the medieval street pattern.

In the 1960s Sarlat became one of the first towns protected under the Malraux law, which created conservation areas for historic town centres in France. The restoration that followed, cleaning and repairing façades and roofs, is why the old town looks so complete today. The heavy roofs of limestone slabs, called lauzes, are characteristic of the Périgord Noir.

Sarlat sits at the centre of the Périgord Noir food tradition. On menus and market stalls you will see duck in every form, including confit, magret and foie gras, alongside walnuts, cèpes, strawberries in season and, in winter, black truffles.

Pommes de terre sarladaises, potatoes sautéed in duck fat with garlic and parsley, are the dish most associated with the town. Walnut cake and walnut liqueur are typical local specialities to take home.

Sarlat holds a market on Wednesday morning and a larger one on Saturday. The Wednesday market is mostly food and a good size for actually shopping. The Saturday market spreads across the squares and lanes of the old town, with food, flowers, clothes and crafts, and is the one people travel in for.

From late autumn into winter there are also seasonal markets for truffles and foie gras, which are an occasion in their own right. Dates and times for these seasonal markets vary year to year, so check with the tourist office before planning around them.

The old town is largely pedestrianised, and car parks sit around its edge. Car park locations, charges and seasonal arrangements change, so check the town's current parking information before you go rather than relying on older guides.

Early mornings and early evenings are the best times to see the town in summer, when the stone takes on its warmest colour and the lanes are quieter. Outside the holiday season, a weekday visit gives you the town almost to yourself, although some shops and restaurants close for the winter.

Many streets are cobbled and some are steep, which is worth knowing with pushchairs or limited mobility. The main squares and the Traverse are the easiest routes.