The Lot Valley (France) for 6 essential things to see

Discover the wonder of travel through the Lot Valley France. Stay and you will understand why I call it wonder.

In other posts we already told you about our trip through the Lot Department on a 4-stage route with the essential what to see in the Lot and everything about what to see in Cahors, its capital. But today, at the request of some friends, I want to give you a little more detailed information about what to see in the Lot Valley in France, which was our first stage of our route through the Lot.

Where is the Lot Valley in France.

The Lot Valley is located in the south of the French department of Lot. It runs along the riverbed that bears the same name, the river lot.

The location is ideal for those of us who live in the north of Spain. Less than 5 hours of Barcelona driving we can arrive in our vehicle comfortably. A great attraction that makes it one of the top destinations to visit during a 3 or 4-day long weekend.

How to get to the Lot Valley, France

In our case, we leave from Barcelona to Lot Valley, France, taking the AP 7 until the height of Narbonne, towards Carcassone, where we take another highway A-61 to Toulouse and from there again we will continue straight along the A-20 up until we reach the Lot. If you have never visited Carcassonne, Here you have a first obligatory stop on the route.

We arrive at Valley of the Lot River through the capital of the Lot, to Cahors, city ​​that we already did an article that you can see about What to see in Cahors.

Our Rib to go in our vehicle from Barcelona to the Lot and back was just under 500 € uros, although if it is a small car it will surely cost you 100 euros less

Lot Valley Map

Our route through the Lot Valley

Our route through the Lot Valley, France, began in the city of Cahors, to see one of the essentials of the Lot: its Devil's bridge. Then, continue the course of the river through its small towns, visiting Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, one of the most beautiful towns and ending with another of the most beautiful towns in France Capdenac, as the last point on this route through the Lot Valley in France. But without stopping to visit one of the most important medieval cities in the Lot: Figeac.

This was our main route through the Lot valley, not the Lot that we continued visiting the impressive Célé Valley and the valley that goes towards Rocamadour from Cardaillac. In the following video you can see the entire route we did through the Lot department in France, both through the Lot Valley and through the other stages and areas of the Lot.

What to see in the Lot Valley France: the 6 essentials of the top Lot Valley route

I won't bother anymore and here I am going to explain to you what for me are the 6 essentials what to do and What to see in the Lot Valley.

1 Cathedral of Saint Etiénne de Cahors, UNESCO World Heritage Site

We start our top 6 of what to do in the Lot Valley with one of the best entrances to the Lot: Cahors, its capital.

Here our first proposal of what to see in the Lot is to go to the Cahors tourist office first. Then walk through the medieval cobbled streets of the historic center of Cahors and from there visit the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne de Cahors. And in front of the cathedral, if it is Saturday you will surely see one of the best markings of the Lot.

The Saint-Étienne Cathedral of Cahors is located in the heart of the medieval city of Cahors. It is an outstanding historical and architectural monument of France. This cathedral, inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is also part of the Caminos de Santiago de France, so you will surely see pilgrims passing through it on your visit.

The Saint-Étienne Cathedral of Cahors is an outstanding Romanesque church built between 1080 and 1135 in Cahors, France. This building is notable for both its architecture and its history and cultural significance.

UNESCO World Heritage Site, a must on the Lot Valley route

It is a cathedral that surprises with its 2 oval-shaped domes in the Byzantine style, which are the largest in southwestern France, reaching 32 meters high. He reminded us a bit of a mixture of a Gothic church with Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It combines Romanesque and Gothic elements that reflect its long history.

Another of its greatness is its stained glass windows that magically give luminosity to the church in its nave, which is 20 meters wide and 40 meters long.

Finally, what stands out about the cathedral is that it also houses a precious relic: the Holy Cap. According to tradition it was used by Jesus and brought to Cahors by Bishop Géraud de Cardaillac after a trip to the Holy Land.

2 Visit Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, one of the most beautiful towns in France and the Lot Valley in France

We continue our route through the Lot Valley and go towards one of the most beautiful towns in France. A town of which we attest that if not the most beautiful It is one of the most beautiful we have seen in France and we have taken a few!

When you get to Saint Cirq, or the first thing that surprised us at first sight when being on top of that rock cliff that supports Saint Cirq are the views. It is incredible to see France's River Lot and the valley it forms from Saint Cirq Lapopie. You won't stop taking a thousand photos!

The people It couldn't be more beautiful, cobbled houses with typical Lot roofs in reddish tones, arranged as in a parade, between artisan workshops and restaurants with beautiful terraces.

Hay tourist office and you can't get lost climb to the upper viewpoint.

A town to simply enjoy and feel like you are in a story.

3 Cahors and the Valentreé Bridge in Cahors, World Heritage of Humanity

After wandering and discovering some secret gardens among the alleys of Cahors, we walked through large parks full of Malbec vineyards, famous for their good wine. And now we arrive at the Lot River, where there are usually boats that take you around, but in the low season everything is extremely calm. There we went up and crossed the Valentré Bridge, an iconic medieval bridge of fortified towers, Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. We are surprised. Is Free Access to the Pont d'Avignon is paid and is very similar.

The Valentré Bridge is a stunning example of medieval architecture located in Cahors, France. Its construction began in 1308 and completed in 1378, in the midst of the Franco-English wars. The bridge measures Meters long 138 and has six Gothic arches that rise over the Lot River. It is fortified with three square and crenellated towers, which gave it a crucial defensive function for the city of Cahors.

The Valentré Bridge is considered a magnificent example of medieval fortified bridges and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, as part of the Caminos de Santiago de Compostela from France, so you will see pilgrims passing through the insurance, as we saw.

The legend of the Valentreé bridge, essential in the Lot Valley France

The bridge is not only notable for its architecture, but also because of the legend that surrounds it. According to this legend, the bridge's master builder made a pact with the devil to speed up construction. However, by tricking the devil at the end of construction, the latter swore revenge and supposedly returned. every night to remove a stone from the central tower, today known as the Devil's Tower. In a restoration in 1879, the architect Paul Gout placed a stone sculpted with the figure of the devil in the central tower, ensuring that it would not move any further.

 4 Visit Capdenac- Le Haut, one of the most beautiful towns in France

We arrive at our last stop by the Lot Valley France, but not before doing an impressive road trip where we pass along the banks of the Lot through beautiful mini towns and rock cliffs of the Casusas Quercy National Park beautiful.

In Capdenac – Le Haut we are going to park at the entrance parking. Next door there is a playground and a booth with exchange books and my children enjoy a good time.

Capdenac – Le Haut, is the Capdenac above, the medieval historical, but from the parking lot we look out and see the Lot River below the mountain and next to it New Capdenac and its curious reproduction of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

In Capdenac Le Haut we find at the entrance a map of a visit plan that we follow. It is a beautiful medieval town with cobbled streets with remains of its walls of Roman origin. They say that It was the last Gallic town to succumb to the Romans, and the one that actually represents Asterix and Obelix, although many think it was in French Brittany.

 What to see in Capdenac

From our visit I curiously remember the village animals as one of those curious points that leave us traces of travel.

First of all, for several cuddly cats that we found on our walk through its streets, but very cuddly! And secondly for the curious donkey that called the master from the door insistently hehehe In the video we have on YouTube you can see it.

Apart from that, Capdenac surprised us with his Hidden corners. As a garden with a giant insect house, we had never seen one so big. Or like the Roman baths located under a steep staircase, to which if you want to access you must first go to the tourist office to get the keys. In our case we were left wanting, the tourist office was closed.

Apart from this, the corner above the church at the base of the castle wall next to the remaining tower is beautiful with its fountain and gardens, same as the balcony with the monument to the fallen which is at the end of the street from the church. Every corner has something in Capdenac.

Before leaving our pleasant visit, we were lucky enough to come across the Oltís creperie. Just that night I was enlivened with musical duo which we loved! What a great atmosphere there was in this restaurant for such a small town! We loved having dinner and thus closing the evening of the visit to Capedenac-le-Haut.

5 The Roman Fountains of Chartreaux

Upon crossing the Valentré bridge, in Cahors, on the left in 5 minutes we arrive to marvel at the Roman pools with turquoise water under some rocks.

The Roman Fountains of Chartreaux, located in Cahors, France, are a notable example of Roman hydraulic engineering. These fountains, dating back to the 1st century AD, were built to harness and distribute water from an underground spring, an example of advanced Roman technology in water management.

Description and history

The sources consist of a series of underground pools and channels that allowed the collection, storage and distribution of water. The water was channeled from the spring into a large main pool, from where it was distributed to various cisterns and reservoirs in the city. This infrastructure not only served to provide drinking water to the population, but also for irrigation and other urban needs.

The Roman Fountains of Chartreaux were not only essential to the daily lives of the inhabitants of Cahors in Roman times, but also became a symbol of Roman skill and ingenuity in engineering. The presence of these fountains indicates the importance of Cahors during the Roman occupation, serving as a strategic military and commercial center.

Today, the fountains are an important archaeological site and tourist attraction. Visits to the Chartreaux Roman Fountains offer a fascinating insight into Roman engineering and its impact on ancient urban life.

These fountains not only represent a technical achievement, but also a cultural legacy that continues to attract the admiration of historians, engineers and tourists alike.

From the fountains we cross the Valentré bridge and walk along banks of the Lot along the greenway in the city of Cahors to end an excellent day.

6 Figeac, the second essential town in the Lot

We continue our route through Stage 2 to visit this time Figeac, the second most important town in the Lot in France. A must see in the Lot Valley without a doubt.

The first thing that surprises us is precisely its medieval town. Is very careful, clean and it is very big and excellent conservation. You can't even see the electricity cables in the streets, something that immediately catches my attention. It has charming squares and a lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and lots of life of its inhabitants.

We loved the atmosphere immediately and after an evening walk we sat down at the Le Seth restaurant to have something to eat. The food is very good, although the prices are not so good.

Guided tour day to discover the adventure of Champollion in Figeac, essential in the Lot Valley France

The day after our arrival in Figeac, we had reserved a guided tour with a local guide in Spanish of the Lot: Audrey, from Adventures & Vous.

Audrey would teach us Figeac through the history of Champollion in Spanish. For 15 euros for an adult and 5 for a child, you get a very cool guided tour throughout the morning that you can't miss if you go to Figeac. I leave you his WhatsApp here to book a visit if you want: 00 33 664809415 He speaks Spanish very well and knows everything about Figeac and the Lot! His contact was given to us by the tourist office and it was a success!

Figeac is important by Champollion, Egyptologist expert in languages ​​and writing who deciphered hieroglyphs with the rosette stone, with a beautiful and curious story at the same time.

After the visit with Audrey to the best corners of Figeac and taking us to the best viewpoint in the city in a beautiful little trek through the forest, we went to eat at a small restaurant in front of the tourist office, Marché des Délices, which had the dish of the day and which was a success, good price and good food.

And from the food we got ready, now, to visit the great museum of the World Scriptures, the Champollion Museum. A museum that leaves us with our mouths open and reveals a world around the writings that have existed in history and many of which have not yet been able to decipher their meanings. You do not miss the hype.

Figeac has really been one of the great surprises on our route so far, we have loved it!

 Much more to visit in the Lot Valley

That's it for our article on the places we liked the most in the Lot Valley, although we have to confess that the Lot Valley is much more and much to discover and enjoy slowly.

It is a valley full of panoramic views and outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and canoe or kayak tours.

A valley to enjoy small, large, beautiful fairytale towns.

And a valley full of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and those not for their historical and cultural value.

In short, the Lot Valley is a destination that combines natural beauty, rich history and vibrant culture, making it a perfect place to explore and enjoy authentic French life.

More information: Tourism Lot Valley