What is a good town to stay in between Provence and Dordogne?

Not a small town but we stopped for a night in Arles between Cadouin in the Dordogne and Roquebrune Cap Martin last September. It was a great one night stop although we made the mistake of choosing a festival day which made it a challenge to park (we just didn't know -- )
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/quick-stop-in-arles/
We loved our hotel location and the town is very walkable and interesting -- we had an evening and a morning before heading on and it was great.

I was just in that area driving from Cahors to Arles, then to L'isle sur la Sorgue. What town in Provence are you leaving from? What season? We did the very scenic route going over the Millau Viaduct. You might look at Villefranche-de-Rouergue as being mid-way.
Stop if you can in St Cirq Lapopie & Rocamadour.

If you plan on taking the freeway, Castelnaudary, land of cassoulet. You won't believe the number of cassoulet restaurants!

I would recommend just doing the entire drive in one day and getting it over with. It is a 6 hour drive, door to door and not that bad all things considered. There are many great rest stops along the way, including one at the half way point that is right on the Canal du Midi, which is enjoyable on its own right.

Otherwise, you will spend 3 hours getting to you highway stop, another hour getting to your destination, another hour getting settled, another hour getting packed in the morning, another hour getting back to the highway and then 3 more hours getting to the Dordogne.

Thank you for all your input! I will be staying in Arles either before the Dordogne or after. I don't know anything about the area in between, so was curious what good towns or sights might be worth an extra day through there. Driving the whole distance in a day is definitely an option, but that could turn into a really long day if I make multiple stops along the way to look at things that are interesting.

I think both Albi and Carcassone are worthwhile (one or the other, not both unless you have more time). But read up on them and decide for yourself; tastes vary.

I shouldn't like to drive this at one go myself, especially with such good stuff in between. But then, I don't like driving very much.

Carcassonne is an amazing site, and I've seen it. It's more out of my way from the route I was planning to take. I notice on the maps that there are a number of national and regional park areas that one passes through between Provence and Dordogne. I'm wondering if there are specific "scenic" routes.

Tell us the route you are thinking of taking and we can advise.

I personnally would definitly take the fastest road, 5h drive and stop in Carcassonne which is a 3 hour drive. As others said, amazing site.
You can also make a quick stop or 2 on your way. Cahors and it's Valentre bridge, and the village of st-cirq lapopie, certainly one of the prettyest village in France.
This village and Carcassonne would make a wonderful day

Gail's suggestion of Villefranche-de-Rouergue is good. We spent a week there about ten years ago, using it as a central location to make day trips. It's an interesting place, not on the typical American tourist itinerary, deep in the heart of the France and very different from both Provence and La Dordogne.

I respectfully disagree with those suggesting Carcassonne...my wife and I found it underwhelming. How about Albi? There's the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec right next to an impressive cathedral.

I love both of the main attractions in Albi. For the wine country near Carcassone, Rick's France book prefers the village of Caunes-Minervois for sleeping. You could also route through the Gorge de L'Ardeche, Gorge du Tarn, and historic bridge at Cahors. Michelin driving maps often mark scenic routes with a parallel green highlight. Or you could try their driving suggestions for a "Discovery" route at www.viamichelin.com.

How many days are you spending in Provence and the Dordogne, respectively. Albi and Cahors sound great but likely not as good as a 3rd or 4th day in those other regions. Most likely better than a 5th or 6th day.

If you don't take the highways, it will take you forever. Driving through Toulouse was no problem.

How about Conques? Superb medieval church. Along one of the French pilgrimage routes to to Santiago. Good hiking.

Conques!!! It's magical. It's a very, very special place on one of the pilgrimage routes south. And not in the US-written guide books.

Using viamichelin.com to calculate the route, the direct route Arles-Sarlat is five hours, mostly on autoroute. Going to Conques adds two hours to the route and takes you off the autoroute for the majority of the drive. It's not the easiest driving in that part of the country, but the towns and villages are exceptional. So it comes down to how much effort you want to put into the drive whether one day or two.

So many great recommendations, I don't know what to choose! Conques sounds lovely, as do Laura's suggestions of using a Michelin driving map which highlights the scenic routes. I like the idea of a road that passes through a spectacular valley or goes over an awesome bridge, or has views of (or passes through) beautiful medieval towns that have been preserved through time. I'm sure this part of France is peppered with all of these elements, but I want to choose the best route. I will be in Provence for over a week, and will be revisiting a lot of sights there that I've already seen but want to see again. I was only planning three nights for the Dordogne region, but I could add a day or two if there is more to see. I also like to hike, so if there are worthwhile hikes in this region, I'd spring for an extra day to check out a trail or two.

How about a cave? Pech Merle would take an hour of your time and it is one of the best. The drive along the Lot river is scenic and a stop in St Cirq is worthwhile onwards to Cahors.