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St. Cirq Lapopie, listed as one of Les plus beaux villages de France, is just 8 miles to the east of the gite. A huddle of medieval half-timbered stone houses clinging to the cliffs 330 ft. above the river Lot, it is an impressive sight. [1 of 3]
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| Andre Breton said that when he found St. Cirq Lapopie, he stopped wanting to be anywhere else; as you wander through its narrow streets, lined with medieval houses and artists\' studios, it\'s easy to see why. [2 of 3]
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On your way back from St. Cirq Lapopie, take the cliff road via Bouzies, for wonderful views such as this, over the Lot valley. [3 of 3] |
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| Carved out of the limestone, and decorated 25,000 years ago, the world-famous cave of Pech Merle, with its prehistoric paintings and eerily beautiful rock formations, is 8 miles east of the gite. (Photo: R.Delon Castelet, 92100 Boulogne, France)
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The 15th century Pont Valentre in Cahors. Wander round the medieval town, with its romanesque cathedral and narrow cobbled streets and visit its bustling market, held on Saturday & Wednesday mornings. Cahors is 12 miles to the west of the gite.
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| This beautiful old dovecote is at Lalbenque, home of the truffle market, which is open from December 1st to the end of March. The road to Lalbenque (12 miles to the south of the gite) takes you through the delightful villages of Aujols and Laburgade.
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Rocamadour has been a site of pilgrimage since the 12th century. With its shrines built right up against the living rock, and its castle seeming to hang over a precipice, it is an impressive sight. It is some 30 miles north of the gite.
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| Not far from Rocamadour is Padirac Swallowhole (Le Gouffre de Padirac) a huge 220 ft. deep round chasm, off which there is an underground river, which you visit by boat, and a series of vast caves, which you tour on foot.
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A little to the north-west of Rocamadour, near the river Dordogne, Lacave hosts a series of beautifully illuminated caves. What sets Lacave apart from other caves in the region are its underground lakes, which reflect the eerie rock-formations in their still waters.
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| The hilltop village of Calvignac towers above the Lot, and affords beautiful views down the valley, over to Cenevieres castle, and across the river to the part-trogolodyte villages of Larnagol and La Toulzanie. It is 15 miles to the east of the gite.
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The little riverside village of Marcilhac-sur-Cele is one of many sites to visit on the way through the Cele valley to Figeac. Ramble round the ruins of the 11th century benedictine abbey, then head for the Cafe des Touristes for a copious Quercynois lunch.
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| Presque cave is a series of enchanting underground chambers filled with limestone pillars, and semi-transparent stalagtites hanging from the cathedral-like ceilings. It is near St. Céré and Montal Castle, about 35 miles north-east of the gite.
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Notre Dame at Espagnac, whose remarkable octagonal bell-tower dominates the tiny village, nestling in rural tranquility next to the river Célé, some 20 miles east of the gite. There are fine 15th century frescoes in the nearby church of Ste. Eulalie.
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| There is a well-signposted walk though the medieval town of Figeac, which will take you to all the well-preserved vestiges of its prosperous history. It is described in the website you can open below. Figeac is some 40 miles east of the gite.
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Another of the many places in the region on the pilgrim route to St. Jaques de Compostelle, Conques is a truly beautiful hilltop village, with a magnificent abbey, cloisters, and tympanum. It is some 25 miles east of Figeac.
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| Sarlat is a medieval jewel set in the neighbouring region of Perigord, some 45 miles NW of the gite. There are more listed buildings per square kilometre in Sarlat than anywhere else in Europe. Henry Miller called it - the closest thing to heaven -.
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The panoramic view over the Dordogne valley from Domme is breath-taking. Built as a bastide in the 13th century, Domme has retained some of its fortifications, and all of its charm. 8 miles south of Sarlat, it is less than 40 miles NW of the gite.
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| The lovely little village of La Roque Gageac hugs the cliffs next to the river Dordogne, just north of Domme, about 40 miles NW of the gite. Scramble along its narrow lanes, chiselled out of the rock, and marvel at the ingenuity and perseverence of our ancestors.
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About 30 miles NW of the gite, the hill-top town of Gourdon dominates the gently undulating hills of the Bouriane which surrounds it. Ramble through its medieval lanes to discover gothic churches, historic chapels, renaissance facades, and a 13th century gate-house.
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| There are two caves to visit at Cougnac, just outside Gourdon. The first is a beautifully lit marvel with some 12 million tiny macaroni-thin stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The second houses the oldest prehistoric cave-paintings in France.
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Another of the many places in the region on the pilgrim route to St. Jaques de Compostelle, Conques is a truly beautiful hilltop village, with a magnificent abbey, cloisters, and tympanum. It is some 25 miles east of Figeac.
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This page describes plces to visit in the Lot and places to visit in the Dordogne - St. Cirq Lapopie, Pech Merle, Cahors, Lalbenque, Rocamadour, Padirac, Lacave, Calvignac, Marcilhac, Presque, Espagnac, Figeac, Conques, Sarlat, Domme, and La Roque Gageac, in the Lot, Cele and Dordogne valleys.
