En holidays in Périgord, you are going to visit Sarlat and are looking for an itinerary to follow on foot to tour the most beautiful monuments of the medieval city? So, maybe you will like my little tourist circuit.

Indeed, when I went to Sarlat the first time, the tourist office was closed and so I discovered the city a bit randomly from the streets. Certainly it's nice but I left thinking that I had perhaps missed a magnificent monument, a beautiful statue or a museum that I did not visit...

So I decided to come back but better organized and with a good itinerary that goes through all the points of interest of this little wonder of Périgord!

This tourist circuit, I share it with you below with in addition the Google Maps map of the route to follow in pedestrian GPS mode!

How to visit Sarlat?

There are 3 ways to visit Sarlat La Canéda:

• By going from alleys to alleys and visiting what presents itself or what tempts you;
• By taking a guide for a guided tour (see at the Tourist Office)
• Or walking around but following my Itinerary of the must-sees of Sarlat La Canéda.

How long to visit Sarlat?

My walking tour is perfect for discovering Sarlat La Canéda in a full day. But, if you don't have too much time, it can be done in half a day but at a faster pace.

How to visit Sarlat on foot?

For my 2nd visit to Sarlat, I looked on blogs, on the Tourist Office, on forums, if there was already a route to visit Sarlat on foot. But nothing ! I only found lists of things to see or do in Sarlat.

So I had to make myself a little route on foot with varied and well-organized visits for a complete one-day circuit.

Indeed, Sarlat La Canéda is a very small town and its medieval city does not represent kilometers of walking. All the sites of tourist interest being close to each other, it is super easy and very pleasant to discover them on foot step by step.

Where to park to visit Sarlat?

The most practical is to park in the small car park at 2 Rue Jean-Joseph Escande. Indeed, you will be a stone's throw from Saint Sacerdos Cathedral, where my little walking tour starts. But it may be complete, so you also have the Rigaudie car park which is right at the entrance to the medieval city.

What to see in Sarlat in 1 day?

To plan the stages of my itinerary, I have identified the essential sites of Sarlat. Then I organized them to make a loop circuit. And I made a tour program + itinerary for the morning and a tour program + itinerary for the afternoon.

Visit Sarlat – Sites to see in the morning

Here are the visits to do in the morning:

• Saint-Sacerdos Cathedral and the Episcopal Palace
• Saint Benedict Chapel
• The Hells
• The Lantern of the Dead
• The Presidial
• The private mansion of Grézel
• City Hall
• Statues of the Three Geese
• Manor of Gisson
• Vassal's Mansion
• The Chapel of the White Penitents

Visit Sarlat – Sites to see in the afternoon

Here are the visits to do in the afternoon from the Chapel of the White Penitents:

• Saint Mary Fountain
• St. Mary's Church Panoramic Elevator
• Vienna Hotel (Place Lucien Malleville)
• The House of La Boétie
• Sainte Claire Abbey (corner of rue JJ Rousseau and rue La Boétie)
• Hotel Saint Clar (rue Rousset)
• The Hôtel de Cerval (near the Tower of the Executioner)
• The Hotel Carbonnier de Marzac (rue des 3 conils)

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Itinerary to visit Sarlat on foot – Morning

Click on “More options” to follow in pedestrian GPS mode

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Itinerary to visit Sarlat on foot – Afternoon

The itinerary to visit Sarlat in the afternoon starts from where the morning one ends, that is to say at the Chapel of the White Penitents.

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Itinerary to visit Sarlat on foot – Morning visits

To start my tour, the best thing is to go to the Tourist Office which is located within the walls of the Episcopal Palace.

What to see in Sarlat – The Episcopal Palace

Adjoining the Cathedral, you can see the former Palace of the Bishops which reminds us that Sarlat La Canéda was an episcopal city for several centuries.

What to see in Sarlat – Saint-Sacerdos Cathedral

It is since the arrival of the Pope of Avignon Jean XXII in 1317 that the old abbey church became the Saint Sacerdos Cathedral of Sarlat and will undergo many transformations.

The Chapel of Saint Benoît (or Chapel of the Blue Penitents)

This chapel is located in the old Abbey. Its construction dates back to the 12th century and was then restored by the brotherhood of the Blue Penitents.

What to see in Sarlat – Les Enfeus

To access the site, take the Passage des Enfeus. It is actually a cemetery where the graves were reserved for nobles (enfeus).

What to see in Sarlat – The Lantern of the Dead

Going up rue Montaigne on the right, you will come to a majestic tower called the Lantern of the Dead. See its meaning on Wikipedia.

What to see in Sarlat – Le Présidial

You will go up rue d'Albusse to take rue du Présidial and arrive at 6 rue Landry as far as the Présidial, identifiable by its skylight. It is a courthouse from the 16th century.

What to see in Sarlat – The private mansion of Grézel

In the rue de la Salamandre, you will pass in front of one of the oldest private mansions of Sarlat. This is the Hôtel de Grézel, recognizable by its sculpted tympanum and its flamboyant Gothic style architecture.

What to see in Sarlat – Sarlat Town Hall

A few steps from the Hôtel de Grézel is the Place de la Liberté where the former consular house is located, which is now the town hall. Its facade has been listed as a historical monument since April 11, 1947.

Visit Sarlat – Statues of the Three Geese

They are arrowroot, funny and are now part of the heritage of Sarlat, these are the 3 bronze geese which are exhibited on the market place of Sarlat.

Visit Sarlat – Gisson Manor

Still on the Market Square, is one of the most beautiful buildings in Sarlat La Canéda: the Manoir or Hôtel de Gisson. Listed as a Historic Monument, it is a former private mansion which belonged to the Gisson family in the 18th century. Its construction dates back to the 13th century. Know that you can visit it if you have time because it houses a private museum.

Visit Sarlat – The Vassal Mansion

Next door is another former private mansion that belonged to the Vassal family.

Visit Sarlat – The Chapel of the White Penitents

The chapel of the White Penitents or chapel of the Récollets monastery is a 17th century church recognizable by the 4 large columns at the entrance to the monument.

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Itinerary to visit Sarlat on foot – Afternoon visits

After your lunch break of local specialties (goose or duck confit, foie gras, stuffed suckling pig or pork with chestnuts), you can continue the tourist circuit. This leaves from the Chapel of the White Penitents. You have to go back to the rue des Consuls to head towards the Sainte Marie Fountain.

Fountain Sainte Marie de Sarlat

Right next to the Church that bears the same name, this 12th century fountain is located in a cave. It is a natural source which feeds it and which was for a long time the only drinking water point of the Sarladais.

Panoramic lift to Sainte Marie Church

The Sainte Marie Church also dates from the 12th century but was razed and rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. Today, it houses the covered market of Sarlat.

The tower of its bell tower forms a belvedere which provides a view of the entire medieval city. It is therefore behind the Church that we take the panoramic lift.

Hotel de Malleville or Hotel de Vienne

After the panoramic elevator, you have to take rue de la Liberté to reach the new stage of my itinerary on foot: The Hôtel de Malleville

The Hôtel de Malleville is also called the Hôtel de Vienne. It belonged to Jean de Vienne, who was born poor but who knew how to climb the steps and become Henry IV's Superintendent of Finances.

What to see in Sarlat – The House of La Boétie

We continue the loop of my circuit by returning opposite the Cathedral. Here is La maison de la Boétie which dates from the 16th century. Its facade is a mixture of medieval and Renaissance style. It was in this house that Etienne de la Boétie (1530-1563), a great writer and friend of Montaigne, was born.

What to see in Sarlat – Sainte Claire Abbey

At the corner of rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau and rue de La Boétie, you will find the Abbaye Sainte Claire. It was a former convent occupied by the Poor Clares in 1621. After the revolution, the convent was transformed into a prison and then into a school in the 19th century. Today, it belongs to the HLM office, which has built 26 apartments there.

What to see in Sarlat – Hotel Saint Clar

It is in rue Rousset that you will find the Hotel Saint Clar. It is an old mansion dating from the 15th century.

What to see in Sarlat – The Hotel de Cerval

My walking route takes us very close to the Tour du Bourreau, at the corner of rue du Siege and rue des 3 Conils, to another private mansion in Sarlat: the Hôtel de Cerval.

What to see in Sarlat – The Hotel Carbonnier de Marzac

Then still in the rue des 3 conils, you will arrive in front of the Carbonnier de Marzac hotel. From the name of the Carbonnier de Marzac family who also owned the Chateau de Puymartin 6 kilometers from Sarlat.

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Where to stay to visit Sarlat?

For a weekend or a short stay in Sarlat, I recommend that you choose your hotel in the heart of the medieval city. Indeed, you will be able to live the experience of finding yourself in a setting of the Middle Ages in a very beautiful stone building. This is why I recommend the Plaza Madeleine hotel.

Its location is ideal because it is located in the historic center of Sarlat La Canéda.

So, if you want to really treat yourself and have a dream stay in Salat, don't hesitate!

Other ideas for getaways in France?

Visit of Perigueux

Routes of the most beautiful villages of Dordogne

The Bordeaux wine route in 2 days

Romantic weekend in Collioure

Cheap weekend in Marseille

Gorges du Verdon