Top places to see in Sarlat

Sarlat, France is an incredible historical travel destination. What can you see in Sarlat and Dordogne area? Vesunna Gallo-Roman Museum, Perigueux : Petrocores, the Roman city on which Perigueux is founded, was one of the most prosperous in Gaul but after its fall most of the stones that made up its monuments were taken and re-used in the city walls. In 1959 though the remnants of this domus was discovered, and later excavations brought the layout of the building and its surrounding streets to light. It’s all on show in a bright glass building, in which footbridges give you perfect views of heating systems, a kitchen, baths and dining room. Marvellous geometric murals adorn the garden and several walls in the home, while there’s a display of artefacts discovered on this site, including precious jewellery, kitchen utensils, mosaics and tombstones.

Originally an abbey church dating from the 11th century, the Cathedrale St-Sacerdos is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles. The organ in the church is said to be one of the best preserved from the 18th century. Pop inside to hear it being played as part of a special concert or simply soak up the peace and quiet away from Sarlat’s busy squares. Nearby you can spot the a rocket-like structure called ‘lanterne des morts’, a 12th-century stone monument that is said to honour Saint Bernard, who is believed to have cured the sick by blessing their bread.

Brantome : Picturesque enough to be hung in the Louvre, this romantic village 30 minutes west of Sorges is the “Venice of Perigord”. It’s impossible not be moved by the beauty of boating beneath the stone arches of its angled bridge traversing river and adjacent canal, or meandering cobblestones polished smooth by centuries of pilgrims following the way of Saint James through Brantome to Santiago in Spain. Its vast abbey, founded by Charlemagne in 769, shelters eighth-century cave dwellings, hollowed out by monks, in cliffs behind.

Looking for Sarlat hotel booking? All the streets, squares and palaces recount centuries of history. It was during the Middle Ages that Sarlat reached the rank of bishopric. This title and the important commercial activity of the city was at origin of the existence of the many fairs that still survive today. All this activity turned this small town into what we discover today: a museum of palaces of Renaissance and Gothic style, where merchants wanted to demonstrate their power, despite not possessing titles of nobility. The medieval town of Sarlat developed around a large benedictine abbey whose church, half a century later, would become the cathedral of the diocese. It reached its apogee in the 13th century when it counted 5,000 inhabitants. It was in year 937 when the abbey became part of the Cluny order. See more info at https://sarlathotel.com/.