France train travel: Nice to Carcassone to Sarlat

There is no train station in Sarlat, though there is a bus from the train in Le Busson. The Dordogne is not served well by rail. I would seriously consider driving that leg of your trip, especially if (as would be wise) you plan to have a car to see the sights in the area anyway. Otherwise figure 6 hours to Carcasonne and at least 8 to Sarlat. Your best resource for train schedules is the German rail site. Summer schedules are not up yet and may change, but the travel times and connections should be about the same for the same day of the week, so you can use it for planning purposes.

The fastest routes (around seven hours) are Nice-Marseille-Narbonne-Carcassonne and Nice-Montpellier-Narbonne-Carcassonne. There are two routes from Carcassonne to Sarlat. 1. A series of trains as far as Souillac and a westbound bus from there to Sarlat. 2. A series of trains as far as Le Buisson and an eastbound bus from there to Sarlat. The German Rail site shows all of the above routes.

You can take a train from Carcassone to Toulouse Matabiu station (travel time approx. 43 mins). Then train from same station (Toulouse Matabiu) to Souliac (travel time 2hrs.6 mins.). Then bus adjacent to Souliac station to Sarlat. When were were in Sarlat, without a car, we found very little public transport. We used a local guide for a couple of day
trips./ He was brilliant. Allo Philippe Taxi Service.

We did this route a couple of years ago. I rented a car for the Carcassone to Sarlat portion. It is a scenic route and will take about 4-5 hours. We stopped in Albi along the way. You will need a car in Sarlat to enjoy and explore.