Arrival
France > Dordogne > Lot > Montauban > Arrival, information and accommodation
At Montauban's centre lies the exquisite place Nationale, with the cathedral ten minutes' walk to the south on the unattractive place Roosevelt (where, if driving, you'll find the most convenient parking). From here rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville leads directly to the Pont-Vieux and across the river to avenue de Mayenne, at the end of which is the gare SNCF. There's no central gare routière, so you'll need to ask for bus information at the tourist office, on the northern corner of boulevard Midi-Pyrénées by the hideous market square, place Prax-Paris (July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 10am–noon 3–6pm; Sept–June Mon–Sat 9.30am–12.30pm & 2–6.30pm; tel 05.63.63.60.60).Montauban has a surprisingly poor choice of hotels. Despite its recent renovation, the attractive Du Commerce, 9 place Roosevelt (tel 05.63.66.31.32, fax 05.63.66.31.28; €30–40), still offers the cheapest accommodation in the town centre, whereas the Mercure, opposite at 12 rue Notre-Dame (tel 05.63.63.17.23, www.mercure.com; €85–100; restaurant from €13.50), is getting into the luxury bracket – though some rooms are decidedly small. For a mid-range hotel, your best option is the D'Orsay, 31 rue Roger-Salengro, outside the train station (tel 05.63.66.06.66, cuisinedalain@wanadoo.fr; €40–55; closed Sun & during Christmas hols); it doesn't look much, but the rooms are comfortable enough and it has an excellent restaurant (closed Sun & for lunch on Mon & Sat; from €20).
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