Dordogne, France

We stayed in Beynac last April, and thought it made a good base. You can read a little bit about it here: http://mainelywinenews.blogspot.com/2016/04/end-of-week-in-dordogne.html
There are many other places that would be a good base, including Sarlat.

We have stayed for a week in Limeuil and in Cadouin and loved both although Limeuil simply didn't have enough basic amenities for us to want to return. Cadouin is tiny but has a couple of restaurants, a bakery, an ice cream shop and a gourmet wine shop, so we were set there. There is a market day one day a week. Since we were using it as a base to tour the area, we could pick up groceries while out and about. We booked through these folks because we had such good experiences 10 years ago, we went back to them for our trip this year. http://www.perfectionfortwo.com
We had the cottage for 4 with two master suites in Cadouin and shared with another couple; it was terrific. Lovely garden where we ate dinner most nights and two equal bedrooms with equal newly rennovated bathrooms. It was a good place to share with another couple as the private spaces were equivalent; one was slightly better but not dramatically so.
There are lots of rentals in the region and you might want a larger place like Sarlat or Domme. We were very happy with Cadouin.

I loved Sarlat. It's big enough to have lots of restaurants and to enable longish strolls after dinner. Also, it is beautiful! We were there in September, and the crowds were manageable.

We also stayed near Beynac at the Petite Versailles b&b (had a rental car). The b&b is beauriful and the hosts and breakfast were great!

Last year I stayed in Saint-Cybranet, which is a tiny town near Beynac and Domme. La Tour de Cause B&B was outstanding. It's run by two former chefs from Brussels, so the dinners they prepare are exquisite. Very comfortable and quiet as well. About 85 euro per night for two.

We also liked Le Petit Versailles in Beynac, overlooking the valley with views of several castles, a short walk downhill to "downtown" with several restaurants, a short drive to Sarlat. We liked Sarlat too and it has more lodging and eating choices, and a great weekly market, but it's a bigger town that takes awhile to get in and out of.

Depends on your preference with regard to size. Beynac is small, quaint, and delightful. Sarlat is larger, more urban, and equally delightful in it's own way.

As a couple of others have told you, Beynac is a lovely little village. We've stayed there three times, each at Le Petit Versailles. You couldn't ask for nicer rooms or hosts. Beynac is very small, but , if you have a car you can easily drive to other nearby villages or into Sarlat if you need things you can't get locally. It's only about 10 minutes into Sarlat, and you can even get a Big Mac there if you're desperate.

Bruce

We've stayed in Beynac (at Le Petit Versailles) and in Sarlat (at La Villa des Consuls). I heartily agree with the good reviews that both towns (and accommodations) get. Le Petit Versailles is a B&B, with lovely hosts and a great breakfast. La Villa des Consuls is a more like a hotel (actually a collection of apartments - some in the same building, some not) with a very helpful manager. English is spoken at both places and both are covered in RS guidebooks.

Beynac itself is smaller than Sarlat, but you're right on the River so touring (or canoeing) along there is right at your fingertips. Sarlart is little north of Beynac (drive time is less than 20 minutes). It is a little closer to the famous prehistoric cave paintings and has wonderful market on Weds (smaller) and Saturdays (big).

Plenty of chateaus and gardens in the area. I could go on at length, since we love the area. Look into things a little more and see what interests you. I'll be glad to offer additional thoughts if you have more specific questions.

Bon voyage.

We've stayed at Beynac and Sarlat for different extended visits to the area, and both are very nice. On our most recent trip to the area, we spent two nights in the microscopic village of Audrix west of Sarlat and NW of Beynac. It was very peaceful eating delightful dinners under the leafy arches in the exterior dining area of the restaurant at Auberge-Medieval in Audrix. Lots of locals drive up the hill to Audrix just to dine there. There's also a night market on Saturdays in the summer in the small square outside Auberge-Medieval. You can read a review here: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/05/in-the-night-kitchen-dordogne.html

The night markets are wonderful. We managed to catch the last one of the summer on Sept 5 in a little town near Cadouin. All the other markets ended in August. It was totally fun -- dining and dancing under the stars and we were made very welcome by a table of British ex pats. (they don't call it Dordogneshire for nothing.) We learned about night markets in one of the Martin Walker Bruno mystery books where he talks about them and then I googled them and found that one last available market; our landlord wasn't even aware that there would still be one when we were there the first week of September. I love the tiny villages.