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    Cahors (Lot) Pont Valentré - Cahors (Lot) Towpath - Lot Valley (Lot) Dordogne Valley - Lacave (Lot) Cahors vineyards (Lot) Traditional 'gariotte' stone huts - Causses du Quercy RNP (Lot) Saint Cirq-Lapopie (Lot) Rocamadour (Lot) Saint Jean Lespinasse (Lot) Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux (Lot) Musée Champollion - Figeac (Lot) Saint Céré Opera Festival - Saint Céré (Lot) Truffles (Lot)

    Lot

    Vineyards and cliff-lined rivers, fine town houses and country châteaux, gastronomic restaurants and character villages: the smart countryside of the Lot is irresistible but it never strays from its simple, convivial side very popular with visitors. Historically, Lot was part of the province of Quercy, a name with which it is still closely associated.

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      • Surface area and population: 5,217 km2 and 172,796 inhabitants.
         
      • Administrative capital: Cahors, 20,000 inhabitants, 1¼ hours north of Toulouse.

      • Landscapes: from north to south, Lot consists of alternating areas of valleys partly lined with cliffs (the rivers Dordogne, Célé and Lot) and causses (vast limestone plateaux) covered with short grass and stunted oaks. On either side, the vineyards of Cahors in the Lot Valley, the wooded slopes of the Ségala and Bouriane and the vineyard and orchard-covered hills of Quercy Blanc complete the picture.

      • Top Tourist Destinations of Midi-Pyrénées in the Lot: the towns of Cahors and Figeac, also officially recognised as Villes d’Art et d’Histoire; the medieval villages of Rocamadour and Saint Cirq-Lapopie (together with the Pech Merle caves); the Dordogne Valley, also a Pays d’Art et d’Histoire.

      • Attractions and monuments listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Pont Valentré and Cahors Cathedral, the Hôpital Saint Jacques in Figeac, the Church of Saint Sauveur in Rocamadour, the Pech-Laglaire dolmen, all of which are listed as part of the St James's Way pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

      • Major cultural walking routes: the Lot is crossed by the Le Puy route, one of the main pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

      • Main museums: Musée des Ecritures in Figeac (writing systems); Musée Henri Martin in Cahors (fine arts), Atelier-Musée Zadkine in Les Arques (sculpture); Atelier-Musée Jean Lurçat in St Laurent les Tours (contemporary tapestry); Georges Pompidou centre for contemporary art in Cajarc, and more…

      • Activities and leisure: waterway cruising, boat trips, kayaking (on the Lot, Célé and Dordogne rivers), swimming, walking and hiking, horse riding, caving.

      • Main festivals: Cahors Blues Festival; Souillac en Jazz; Figeac theatre festival; Festival de Saint-Céré et du Haut Quercy (opera); Rencontres Cinéma de Gindou (film), and more…

      • Nature park: Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park, 176,000 hectares covering a broad central strip running from the north to the south of Lot; Marais de Bonnefont Regional Nature Reserve.

      • Quality produce: Cahors AOC wines, Coteaux du Quercy wines, Rocamadour AOC cheese, Quercy black truffles, Quercy saffron, Quercy Label Rouge farm lamb, Quercy melon, Périgord AOC walnuts.

      • Getting here: autoroute A20 (Paris/Cahors/Toulouse); Brive-Dordogne Valley airport.

      For more information about Lot


       
      Project co-financed by the European Union. Europe is partnering Midi-Pyrénées with the European Regional Development Fund.