Where to stay for 4 weeks in France?

We stayed a week or so in Valbonne and loved it. Small village feel but easy to get into Nice and Cannes for the day if you have a car.

1. We stayed just down the road from Sarlat, in Beynac.

2. When we’ve stayed in the French Riviera, always in Nice, we’ve used the train to get around (including to Antibes).

3. For Provence, either Avignon (bigger) or Saint-Rémy (smaller & easier to manage with a car).

We're just finishing up a week in the Dordogne and loving it, however a month might be a lot. Even Sarlat is quite small with a population of about 9000. I do love Nice and have eyes on it for a month stay at some point in the future.

Parking was a real challenge in Sarlat. We stayed there for two weeks, which was way too long for us. We rented a car for a few days (there is an agency about a mile from the center of town) and toured around Beynac, St Cyprien, Belves, several other places. I loved that area, but we were there in September, when it was really showing off. I would recommend searching all of Dordogne/Perigeux for accommodation that suits your needs (close to the city center but with parking either on-site or very nearby and a good rail connection in case you want to have a big-city break).

If you have to stay 4 weeks in Dordogne with a car, Sarlat is the last place to choose. It's overrun with tourists and you'll have to pay for parking from April to November.

In addition, Sarlat is located very West of the Dordogne valley, so it is not an ideal place to be a base for visiting the region. You will find better (and quieter) than Sarlat in many other towns and villages.

Moreover, one of the advantages of the Dordogne is that it is made up of hundreds of villages and very few towns. Sarlat with its 9,000 inhabitants is one of the 10 largest municipalities. One more reason not to choose Sarlat if you want to enjoy the region as it is

In Provence, I thought Arles was charming, Avignon not so much. St. Remy looked lovely, although I was not there loved. I loved Sarlat for a week, but a month would be too long. Have you considered Brittany?

I am with Carroll. As much as I love the Dordogne region, a month would be too long for me. Maybe 1-12 days there. Yes to Brittany for another 10-12 days. Nice for another 10-12 days. Or maybe Nice for half the time and Bordeaux and the Dordogne for the other half.
Bon voyage!

Oops! 10-12 days in the Dordogne, not 1-12!

Thanks to all for the comments. Just a little more info, to clarify… we live in the Toronto area, and we have friends who go in the winter to stay in Florida for a few months, and other friends who go to Mexico for a couple of months. For us, this is unappealing… and we would much prefer to try living in France, Italy or Spain for a month, and maybe a couple of months in future years. So we’re looking for a town that has produce markets, bakeries, a variety of restaurants, nice to stroll around during the day and evening. We will have a rental car, and a private allocated parking space wherever we decide to stay. And we will occasionally go on some outings to visit towns, villages and sights in the area. Anyway, I do appreciate all the comments.

We prefer smaller towns than Sarlat and it is easier to drive in and out. e.g. we stayed in Cadouin the Dordogne a few years ago -- it had minimal amenities but one bakery and a bar and a restaurant and a weekly market and we used the town as a base for exploring the region and could stock up at supermarkets on the road. We stayed in the Roquebrune old town above Menton for a couple of weeks and again drove to places in the region or took the train along the coast.

In 2022 we stayed a month in Maussane-les-Alpilles in Provence. We loved it. Small town but big enough to have 3 bakeries, 2 grocery stores, wine, cheese, fish and butcher shops and at least 10 restaurants and cafes. There is weekly market. Easy to get all around the area from there (Arles, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Nimes, Luberon, St Remy, Les Baux, Chateau Neuf du Pape). Good large public parking lot if you don't have a space right at your accommodation. We had a wonderful time and never ran out of things to do. Here is link to tourist information center. https://maussane.com/en/ Enjoy the planning!

This post/query of mine that I posted, looking for a town for 3 months, might have some helpful info for you:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/small-french-town-for-3-months

Hi Roger,
We live part time outside of St. Emilion and feel similarly to you that Florida, Arizona, Mexico were not for us unlike our peers. The Dordogne is a vast region (we are about 1k from the river.) If you are looking to stay for a month I might suggest Eymet (very British, with lots of expats but charming with a lively community) or Bergerac. These are bigger towns with easy access to Sarlat, Bordeaux, Perigueux, Dordogne river, etc. There is a LOT to do in this area, and you could happily fill a month's time and by May, many activities have opened up for the season. You would need a car to explore but, to me, that's part of the fun as you can turn up on something wonderfully unexpected!

Thanks to everyone for the comments and great suggestions. I will definitely keep these in mind for our future trips. For this time, we’ve decided on Vaison-La-Romaine in the Cotes-de-Rhone region. Small town with a medieval section, some Roman ruins, multiple outdoor markets each week, etc. and various sights to see in the area within a 1-2hr drive. Looking forward to it!

Not to mention highly regarded Côtes du Rhône wine, roger, if you’re interested. Have a great stay!