The department of the Lot has everything of a great one. It draws its character from its causses cut by the valleys of the Lot, the Dordogne and the Célé. With its six most beautiful villages in France(Carennac, Loubressac, Autoire, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Capdenac-le-Haut and Cardaillac), its great sites, a preserved environment and exceptional natural spaces, the territory is a must-see in the Occitanie region, as all the tourist guides indicate. You must discover Rocamadour clinging to the cliff, Gourdon perched on a hill, Cahors and its fortified Valentré bridge, Figeac and its Champollion-Les Écritures du monde museum, Saint-Céré and its Renaissance houses, Puy-l'Évêque to be contemplated from the bridge to see the tiered succession of castles, churches and big houses of the 14th and 15th centuries.. Man and nature have left their mark in the Pech Merle cave, the Padirac chasm, the Lacave cave, the Merveilles cave or the Presque cave. The valleys of the Célé, the Verse or the Ouysse offer tourists the opportunity to hike, swim, canoe and discover beautiful small villages. The rural architecture is typical with its dry stone walls, its cazelles (dry stone shepherd's huts), its gariottes, its wash houses... Land of excellent local products and gastronomy, the Lot wakes up the taste buds with truffles, foie gras, farm lamb from Quercy, melon from Quercy, rocamadour, saffron or Cahors and Malbec wines.

When to go Lot ?

When to go to the Lot ? Summer is the best time to enjoy the waterways, to follow tours in the valleys of the Dordogne, the Lot or the Célé, to walk through the regional natural park of the Causses du Quercy, to visit the vineyards of Cahors or to discover the most beautiful villages. The Lot also invites you to live to the rhythm of great events, whether it is to enjoy the Rocamadour cheese festival on the weekend of Pentecost, or the Lot of Saveurs in Cahors, at the beginning of July, to attend the Cahors Blues Festival in mid-July, where the majority of the concerts are free, the Souillac Jazz Festival, the Happy Days music in Gourdon or the Figeac Theatre Festival at the end of July and beginning of August, to participate at the end of July to concerts of actual music during L'Ecaussystème in Gignac, to listen to a famous opera during the festival of Saint-Céré at the end of July-beginning of August, or to have a great time at the Mongolfiades, a European gathering of hot-air balloons which takes place on the fourth weekend of September in the breathtaking site of Rocamadour

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Practical information for travel Lot

There are many ways to meet this department, many ways to understand it and experience its authenticity. To get a taste of Quercy, a weekend will certainly not be enough but will make your mouth water! There is no shortage of ideas for a stay in such a complex department. We have selected for you a few travel themes, crossing axes that open up many other fields of possibilities. Whether it is for its wine, its art of living of yesteryear or its underground world, the Lot never ceases to prove its multiplicity. We offer you a three-day trip to discover the vineyards of the Lot via a north-south crossing.
Would you like to spend a short weekend with your family? Then why not immerse yourself in the Quercy of yesteryear thanks to two sites to discover 19th century life! Finally, come and take the temperature of the underworld! Are you following us?

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Discover Lot

When you mention Cahors or Rocamadour, gustatory memories come back with the AOC wine made from Malbec grapes and the small round cheese. In the Quercy Blanc, along the Lot Valley, on the heights of the Causses or in the forest of the Bouriane, the men and women who were born or settled there have allowed the development and transmission of their know-how. To discover the Lot is also to follow its hiking trails, to enjoy its gentle way of life, and to be enriched by the History through its impressive monuments and the traces left by its inhabitants, some of whom were several meters high in the Jurassic era.

While preserving its heritage, the Lot knows how to live with its time. The cultural events that take place throughout the year in theaters, castles, concert halls or streets offer unforgettable moments. You want to know more? It's here...

Pictures and images Lot

La Dordogne à Meyronne. lamio - stock.Adobe.com
Le pont Valentré, à Cahors DENIS VANDEWALLE
Vue sur Cahors depuis le Mont Saint-Cyr. Marie LEROY
Cajarc, petit village de la vallée du Lot. Chris Rose - iStockphoto

The 12 keywords Lot

1. # Astronomy

The black triangle of Quercy has been recognized since a 2002 publication by the astronomy monthly Ciel & Espace. A map shows a triangular area between Labastide-Murat, Livernon and Sauliac-sur-Célé, renowned for the depth and clarity of its nights. A privileged spot for observing nocturnal stars.

2. # Cahors

Vignoble de malbec, dans les environs de Cahors ©  jaunedoe - stock.adobe.com .jpeg

How do you put a city in a bottle? Ask Cahors, which gave its wine its name and appellation. Made from the Malbec grape variety (also known as Côt and Auxerrois, but you shouldn't say that!), Cahors wine was once called "the wine of the English". Today, it is known all over the world for its qualities.

3. # Duck

Foie gras (c) JLPfeifer - stock.adobe.com.jpg

The South-West, it is well known, is the paradise of the duck! It is eaten as duck breast, sausage, confit, pâté... Many recipes contribute to magnify this product and the local gastronomy also confers its letters of nobility to the bones of duck which one tastes with the hands after having melted the duck in a copper cauldron.

4. # Caussenarde

The Caussenarde du Lot is a rustic endemic breed of sheep. Its main characteristics are its ears and its dark glasses. We owe him the famous Quercy lamb. It has been raised for a very long time on the limestone plateaux of the Lot. Today there are about 110,000 females, mainly bred in the Lot department.

5. # Devil

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As is often the case, stories of bridge construction are linked to the intervention of the Devil. The story of the Valentré bridge in Cahors is no exception and offers several versions. You can make up your own mind by visiting this magnificent 14th century structure. Don't miss the little sculpture of the devil on the2nd tower!

6. # Mique

The mique lotoise is a family recipe that's still as popular as ever. The basic ingredients are bread dough, salt pork and vegetables, all gently cooked in a broth. Whether in a restaurant or at home, this traditional dish brings generations together and rhymes with sharing and good humor. Traditionally, mique is cut with two forks.

7. # Gabare

The department's rivers have enabled its economic development thanks to the transport of goods on river gabares, these flat-bottomed vessels have sailed the Lot and Dordogne rivers for centuries. Nowadays, the gabares are once again on the rise! They have been brought up to date for tourism in order to offer walks.

8. # Gariotte

br _ (c) THIERRY - stock.adobe.com.jpg

You will see them all over the Lot countryside. They are small circular huts built in dry stone. In the past, they were used as shelter for the shepherds who looked after the flocks of Caussenard sheep. Today, they are part of this small heritage that we love and which gives all its charm to our countryside.

9. # Nuts

The Lot, a department with walnuts? In any case, you will find the walnut of the Périgord in Martel, AOC since 2002 and AOP since 2004. Walnuts in the Lot are not new since traces of walnut shells have been found dating back 17,000 years! Today, they are mainly used for cooking and baking.

10. # Pilgrim

The GR 65 linking Le Puy-en-Velay to Santiago de Compostela (the via Podensia) passes through the Lot and offers pilgrims a choice of two itineraries, one to Rocamadour, the other to the Causses. The town of Cahors is also crossed by the route that takes pilgrims to the Cathédrale Saint-Etienne, the town's highlight.

11. # Prehistory

We find the trace of man since Prehistory as in the cave of Pech Merle in Cabrerets. The cave has no less than 700 painted or engraved motifs such as the famous "stencil hand" or the "punctuated horses". The caves of Cougnac in the Gourdonnais also have prehistoric paintings (mammoths, deer, etc.)

12. # Tuber melanosporum

The Latin name of the Quercy black truffle is a mark recognized by fine gourmets, not to be confused with other truffles that resemble it but are not equal to it. In winter, it is sought after as a treasure in the limestone soil of the Lot. Its price can reach 1000 € per kilo. It is sold on specific and well codified markets.

You are from here, if...

Your accent is neither Marseilles nor really Toulouse but it breathes sunshine!

In your vocabulary, you have definitely replaced the word "turn" by "tour" and plastic bag by "pocket". In the same way, you don't have a trunk in your car like everyone else but a "trunk"!

You integrate Occitan words into French such as "pétasser" to say repair, "rouméguer" to say grumble or "poulide" for pretty.

For you, Brive belongs to the cities "of the North" above it is another country. Above the Loire River, another continent!

You were raised on duck bones and fed on Cahors wine.

Your school trips invariably took you to the Pech Merle cave in Cabrerets, to the Cuzals Museum in Sauliac-sur-Célé or to the Automaton Museum in Souillac.

In your eyes, there is always a piece of the Lot, lying on the paths that wind through the oaks and chestnut trees.

Card Lot

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