Caves
Lot and Dordogne Rivers/Water
Cycling and Walking Trails
Cities and Towns
tourism
Le Lot is home to some of France's most iconographic cities and towns. From the cliff-side city of Rocamadour, France's third most visited tourist destination, to the red stone of Saint-Cirq Lapopie, the region's stone architecture transports visitors to the medieval past. Visit the markets and fairs, take in the history of World War II resistance landmarks, or find a good local restaurant/bar. Click on our interactive map to guide you through Le Lot's cities and towns.
Food and Wine
Le Quercy is home to a vast array of caves and caverns. Le Lot is best known for Padirac (opened for tourism on 10 April 1899), a massive chasm (35 meters in diameter) that leads down a subterranean navigable waterway and 2 kilometers of cave system opened to tourists. Padirac welcomes as many as 400,000 visitors a year as the most frequented cave in France. Further afield, but more than more worth the trip, cave enthusiasts will find world-class pre-historic cave drawings. Pech Merle offers a surreal gallery of prehistoric artwork of mastodon, horses and human expressionism dated to the Gravettian culture (some 25,000 years BC). The Lascaux cave in the Dordogne offers Paleolithic artistic rendering of the animals of the day (some 15,000 years BC). A full week can be dedicated other natural wonders such as the stalactites of the Grottes De La Cave (Guided tours by electric train), underground lakes of the Grottes de Roland, and chalk plateau of the Grottes Des Merveilles.
Tourists will find no shortage of reasonable to upscale establishments serving the region’s traditional gastronomy. Expect pâté, fois gras or charcuterie in entrée, côte d'agneau or magret de canard for the main, and a local cabécou (goat) and/or cantal entre-deux (cow) cheese followed by dessert. Truffles and girolle mushrooms abound. Although the days of workmen breaking for prix fixe lunches and wine in villages restaurants that could be confused for homes are almost over, hidden gems remain for those who know where to go. Regional specialties include:
- Truffles
- Rocamadour cheese
- Cahors wine
- Saffron
- Lamb, duck and country ham
- Paté and Foie gras
The sleepy town of Autoire is often also overlooked as a wonderful option for a day trip on a hot summer day. The town is home to an often deserted waterfall that rises approximately 30 meters from the pool and stream bed below. Hidden from tourist by a difficult path that climbs steadily through a wild forest landscape, secluded ponds along the way often private locations for picnics on the flat rocks and a cool swim. Rock climbing courses are available along the cliffs above the waterfall for sporting enthusiasts (bring your own equipment).
The town itself is nestled in a majestic green valley (cirque d'Autoire) overlooked by ancient ramparts dated to Le Lot's period of English rule, the village's unique 16th and 17th Century architecture of stone houses adorned with turrets and dovecotes (pigeonnières) in brown tile offer tourists the beauty of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie without the tourist crush. The stain glass windows of the modest Church of Saint Pierre is a must see.
Le Lot is a well know destination for hikers and cyclists seeking detailed multi-day routes, as well as motorcyclists looking to bend a knee on winding roads. The varied topography of hills, mountains and plateaus offer options for all ages and experience, including frequent selection for race stages by the Tour De France.