Sarlat-la-Canéda Christmas Market

The Sarlat Christmas market turns the medieval town into a setting where wooden chalets lean against the honey-coloured stone façades of the Périgord Noir. Throughout December, Place de la Grande Rigaudie and Place du 14 Juillet host close to 70 chalets, joined by some fifteen food stalls on the Place Gourmande, around 85 stands in all: foie gras, black truffle, walnuts, roasted chestnuts and cabécou make the area's reputation. You come as much to stroll beneath the illuminations as to fill your basket with genuine Périgord specialities.

A Christmas market in the heart of the medieval town

Sarlat-la-Canéda is lucky enough to have one of the best-preserved medieval centres in France. The cobbled lanes, the Renaissance mansions and Saint-Sacerdos cathedral serve as the backdrop to the market. After dark, the warm-toned lighting catches the golden stone and gives the stroll an atmosphere no artificial set could match.

The chalets are divided between local crafts, regional produce and light meals. The Place Gourmande, with its fifteen or so stalls, remains the place to eat on site: a plate of pan-fried foie gras, a slice of walnut cake, a cup of steaming mulled wine in your hands. Each edition puts a different territory in the spotlight, which gives every year its own colour without ever betraying the Périgord roots.

Foie gras, truffle and chestnuts: the specialities of the Périgord Noir

Food is what gives Sarlat Christmas market its edge. Foie gras takes centre stage, mi-cuit, whole or tinned, often presented by the producers themselves, who are happy to explain their methods. Black truffle from the Périgord follows close behind: the truffle growers take the time to introduce the curious to this rare fungus, its season and how to keep it.

Around these two stars come walnuts in every form (oil, cake, kernels), roasted chestnuts sold by the cone, chestnut honeys and cabécou, the little local goat's cheese. Mulled wine accompanies the wander, and if you want to make it again at home, a good homemade mulled wine recipe keeps the mood going long after you are back. It is a market you rarely leave empty-handed, between edible gifts and supplies for the festive season.

Entertainment, ice rink and Santa

The market is not just about the stalls. Two covered ice rinks let you lace up your skates as a family, Santa is in residence at weekends, on Wednesdays and during the school holidays until 24 December, and a free games library keeps children busy in the afternoon. Concerts, parades and puppet shows punctuate the days, with live music on Place de la Liberté on some evenings.

Entry to the market is free, which makes it an easy outing to improvise. Allow a good half-day to see everything without rushing, especially if you add a session on the ice and a food break. The centre is entirely walkable, which remains the best way to appreciate the tangle of lanes.

Access, opening hours and good to know

The market is open every day from 10am to 8pm, extended to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The chalets on the Place Gourmande stay open until 11pm at weekends and during the school holidays. On 24 and 31 December everything closes at 6pm, and on 25 December the market is closed. Parking is free in the town's car parks, except on Rue de la République.

Sarlat is easy to reach by car from Bordeaux or Brive, and the station connects the town to the rest of the rail network. If you are extending your break in the region, push on to Bordeaux Christmas market and the one in Limoges, two stops that round off a festive weekend in the South-West nicely.