Sarlat-la-Canéda

A medieval market town in the Périgord Noir whose historic centre is among the best-preserved in France, its lanes of golden limestone hôtels particuliers and towers little altered since the sixteenth century. The town was protected from twentieth-century development through a pioneering conservation programme that has since served as a model for historic French towns. The Saturday and Wednesday markets in the central squares draw producers from across the Dordogne region.