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Stretching from the River Dordogne in the north to the serpentine River Lot near busy Cahors (and its renowned vineyards) and beyond, the Lot département offers an arresting landscape of limestone cliffs and canyons, hilltop towns and undulating hills carpeted in forests, fields or vines. Formerly the northern section of the old province of Quercy, the modern Lot is part of the Occitanie region, and makes for great exploring, especially if you have your own wheels.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Lot.
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The seven-span Pont Valentré, on the western side of the city, south of the train station, is one of France’s most iconic medieval bridges, built as part of the town’s defences in the 14th century. The parapets projecting from two of its three tall towers were designed to allow defenders to drop missiles on attackers below. On the bank opposite the bridge, the Fontaine des Chartreux, dedicated to the city’s Gallo-Roman goddess Divona, was the city's original centre.
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The airy nave of Cahors’ Romanesque cathedral, consecrated in 1119, is topped by two cupolas (at 18m wide, the largest in France). Some of the frescoes are from the 14th century, but the side chapels and carvings in the cloître (cloister) mainly date from the 16th-century Flamboyant Gothic period. On the north façade, a carved tympanum depicts Christ’s ascension surrounded by fluttering angels and pious saints.
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About 15km west of Puy l’Évêque, near St-Martin-Le-Redon, the imposing feudal Château de Bonaguil is a fine example of late-15th-century military architecture, incorporating towers, bastions, loopholes, machicolations and crenellations.
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The Tour du Pape Jean XXII (closed to the public) is the town’s tallest building at 34m high. It was originally part of a 14th-century mansion belonging to Jacques Duèse (later Pope John XXII), who constructed the Pont Valentré.
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Cahors was a base for the resistance during WWII. Look for displays on local hero Hélène Metges who died for the cause. As of mid-2018, the museum was closed indefinitely for renovation.
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Displays include works by the Cahors-born pointillist painter Henri Martin (1893–1972). It is closed for renovation through at least 2019.