Sarlat to Paris

The best way is whatever SNCF will sell you. Probably through Bordeaux!

This response makes me a little worried. Is there not much choice. I know there’s a direct TGV train from Bordeaux to Paris but I was hoping to get a train closer to Sarlat.
Is it difficult to get a connection closer to Sarlat? Is SNCF service the same as TGV? Should the tickets be purchased in advance and if so, how far in advance. We’re leaving Sarlat for Paris around May 10th. Thanks.
Carol

Here's the website for SNCF, the French train service. It looks like there are several daily regional trains (TER) from Sarlat to Bordeaux, then fast trains (TGV) from Bordeaux to Paris (Montparnasse Station), total time 4-5 hours. I haven't used this website to buy tickets but it's worth a try.

There are trains that go all the way to Sarlat. They are operated by SNCF, the French railways company, whose website is www.sncf-connect.com (the link from the post above is for the corporate website, it will not sell you tickets).
You will see that the trains from Sarlat go to Bordeaux (station name is Bordeaux Saint-Jean), where you change trains and catch the high-speed TGV train to Paris. It will take a while because the trains from Sarlat to Bordeaux are slow, but it is easy.
And for a 10th May trip, if your date is set you can purchase them now. Prices tend to go up as the date gets nearer.

Will you have a rental car while in the Dordogne? We were going to take a train from Sarlat to Paris when we vacationed in France in 2018 but changed our minds. We had a rental car for this 2 week vacation that mainly focused on Provence and the Dordogne. The final two nights of the trip, after the Dordogne, were in Paris and we wanted to get rid of the car before going there. So after checking out of our hotel in Sarlat, we had hoped to return the car at rental facility in the area next to a train station and take the train to Paris. I remember looking at two train station options, but one (Bordeaux) was going to involve a long drive (2.5 hours) although we'd then be on a high speed train. The other option (can't remember the town now) was just a short drive from Sarlat but offered only regional trains and this was going to make the train journey very long. We ended up scrapping the plan to get to Paris by train. We liked the idea of being in full control of our time and activities that day and getting up to Paris in a leisurely way. So we drove from Sarlat to Chartres, with an interesting stop en route to see Oradure sur Glane and a second stop to enjoy a picnic lunch. We stayed overnight in Chartres at a hotel right near the train station and car rental facility. We arrived in Chartres in time to tour the cathedral, then after dinner enjoyed Chartres en Lumieres, the light show on the facade of the cathedral, set to music. The next morning we took a short and easy train ride into Paris.

Thank you for your solution to the problem of getting back to Paris. Did you indeed enjoy the car ride from The Sarlat area to Chartres? If we did not want to stay the night in Chartres, how far by train is the ride to Paris?
Carol

Chartres to Paris is 1 hour

Handy website
www.Rome2rio.com

carol, I was also wondering how the drive from Sarlat is. We are doing something similar. After 4 nights in the Dordogne, we are driving to Amboise where we will stay two nights, then drop off our car and take the train to the airport.

MaryC-

We drove from Amboise to Sarlat- it was easy enough, nothing I recall being an issue.
Do stop in Oradour-sur-Glane. Worth it.

We are sharing a car with another couple, and they will be keeping the car when we leave Sarlat. We could rent another car to get to Chartes area and take train, but we were hoping to take the train from Brive to Paris and not rent a car. . I couldn’t find any TGV train from Brive to Paris, just SCNF train that take about 41/2 hours.
Friends have said it wasn’t that pleasant a drive and recommended train instead, but I appreciate other points of view.

There is no TGV in Brive la Gaillarde, only "inter-city" trains
It is true that the journey takes a little over 4 hours.

Otherwise at Brive la Gaillarde there is an airport "Brive Airport Dordogne Valley" with 2 to 4 Air France flights per day (except on saturdays and depending on the season) for Paris Orly.

https://www.aeroport-brive-vallee-dordogne.com/

There is a shuttle from Sarlat to Brive airport but I'm not sure it will be in service in May.

Could your friends drop you off in Souillac? It is 30 min by road from Sarlat, and it has several direct trains to Paris every day, taking 5 hours.
Probably the most comfortable option.
Or, a taxi from Sarlat to Souillac could be arranged.