Beynac and Domme day trip from Sarlat?

Beynac and Domme are both fascinating.

If Beynac Castle is included, yes, it is a good use of your free day. The town of Beynac is nice, but small. Domme is nice also and has a lovely view of the valley and river. Also there are the old fortress and fortifications.. It also has a large cave to explore. If the castle at Beynac is included, I can see a full day, but fit in time for a nice lunch. A day trip from Sarlat is very doable.

Just to clarify, are you thinking of going to Sarlat after your Loire Valley tour? It is a four hour drive to Sarlat from the Loire Valley. And Sarlat has lots to do and see. There IS much there. Could you be confusing Sarlat with another city or town in the Loire? Or is your RS tour more than just the Loire Valley? I get the impression you are thinking Sarlat is a day trip from the Loire. Maybe I am reading your post wrong.

We spent a week in Beynac as our home base last Fall and loved it. It's a beautiful town and the castle is spectacular. Aside from the castle there is probably more to wander and see in Sarlat. Domme is also pretty, we spent an hour there enjoying the view and then moved on.

Like Judy, I'm also very skeptical that you'd go to Sarlat after/from the RS Loire Valley tour. Even more skeptical that a tour service would offer a day trip to Sarlat from the Loire Valley.

These are not the same regions at all, and the Dordogne cannot be visited in a single day. Especially without a car.

Sarlat is nothing more than a town that serves primarily as a kind of visitor center, while what makes the Dordogne Valley interesting is everywhere except in the towns.

Sorry I wasn't clear. This is the RS tour we're taking. It starts in Chartres and travels thru Loire and Dordogne to Nice.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/france/south-france-2025
There is a Get Your Guide trip to Beynac and Domme from Sarlat. I'll have to check that it includes the castle.
We will not have our own transportation so I'm not sure what else could be reached by public transport.

There is a rental car place in Sarlat where you could rent a car just for your free day. It probably won't cost as much as the tour, and then you have the freedom to see whatever you want. Driving in that area is very easy and fun.

Just adding my two cents, that Beynac Castle is beautiful and we enjoyed our visit there immensely. And the views of the surrounding countryside from the castle are stunning.

I love the idea of renting a car for the day. I just checked and sadly there is nothing available. I waited too long. Any chance our Rick Steves tour guide can arrange something for us?

ecollins3805,
Reading the itinerary for your tour, I have some suggestions for your day in Sarlat. The market is big and has lots to enjoy, but is not an all day thing, IMHO. If you didn't get a chance the day before, visit the church and stroll around the area nearby (look for the goose statue). Buy some yummy things to eat and have lunch there. For the other half-day take a tour of either Beynac Castle or Castelnaud-la-Chapelle. Either one will have magnificent views of the valley and river. Both are rich in the Hundred Years War history.
Other options are visiting a goose farm or a walnut orchard/processing place. (See Noyeraies Du Lander). I believe Get Your Guide has some half day tours for those without a car. Or a half-day at Lascaux IV is well worth it. It's not at all like Rouffignac so you won't be repeating what you visited on the RS tour. Definitely spend that free day on a half-day tour of some of the many offerings in the region, and spend a half-day at the market. Of course your original idea of Beynac and Domme are good too.
Amusez-vous-bien!

Any chance our Rick Steves tour guide can arrange something for us?

Our guide on the tour was extremely proactive in helping us when we had something we wanted to see. I would bring it up at the beginning of the tour. When she arranged our trip to Lascaux she called a small local cab/tour company and arranged the ride and tickets. I don't recall the name but it is in the RS guidebook. I think it's run by an english speaking husband/wife team.

Thanks everyone.
I booked the Get your Guide tour and can cancel up to the day before if our tour guide can arrange a trip to Beynac Castle. It looks as if it's close enough we could take a taxi and it would be cheaper than the GYG tour.

Yo OP EC,
If you might be interested, we highly recco RS's chosen taxi in that area 'Allo Phillippe'. He is very professional and flexible. You won't regret it.
I am done. the end

Yes, the area around Beynac is a good use of a day. The small town and castle are a great visit. Just down the road (in the direction of Domme), is another great castle and town, Castelnaud. A little further toward Domme you'll pass Le Roque Gageac which is an interesting town and has some old cave like fortifications above the town. After that you'll leave the river and climb up to the bastide (medieval fortified town) of Domme. It's really pretty and the views overlooking the Dordogne are great.

Find out what your tour covers. Doing all of this is a full day, but a great use of your time.