The traditional market
All day long on Saturday, all kinds of itinerant traders take over La Traverse (from avenue Gambetta to place du 14 juillet). As for the food market, it is held in the historic centre on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Buying your strawberries on the doorstep of the Maison de La Boétie, delighting at stalls full of summertime ceps (if weather conditions have permitted) on the forecourt of Saint-Sacerdos Cathedral or choosing sunkissed tomatoes in front of the Town Hall arcades obviously makes your “market stroll” something pretty out-of-the-ordinary.
Incidentally, it’s on these occasions that the capital of Black Périgord is probably closest to the atmosphere which reigned there back in the Middle Ages. A centre of town bursting with life and colours which contrast with the ochre of the stones of ancestral dwellings, a great hustle and bustle which stops the “Badaut de Sarlat” (the stroller) in his tracks, makes him sit down and turn to stone (sorry bronze!).
This statue, hunkering on the low wall of the side street overlooking place de la Liberté, is also facing St Mary’s Church, another emblematic stop-off hub for filling up on local produce.
The indoor market
The indoor market of La Boétie’s town dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries! The massive doors which open onto the edifice and the panoramic lift inside, however, are signed by the 21st-century architect Jean Nouvel.
Producers of foie gras and other terroir products have taken over the nave of the church and welcome gourmets.
Discover more of Nouvelle-Aquitaine’s amazing markets
Practical info:
• Food market, every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 8am to 1pm.
• Indoor market, every day from 8:30am to 1pm during peak season.
• Foie gras market, on Saturday mornings in December, January and February, place Boissarie.
• Organic market, on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4pm.
• Car parks around the medieval centre of Sarlat.
During summer, we suggest you leave your vehicle on the lycée Pré de Cordy (school) car park (direction Bergerac) and take the shuttle to head into the centre.
Find out more:
Sarlat Tourist Office
+33 (0)5 53 31 45 45
www.sarlat-tourisme.com
Journalist. Passions: the Périgord, history and the environment, nature and animals, horse and motorbike riding...and the culture of the Southwest with its rugby, bodegas, surfing, skiing...