These fascinating placesthat have stood the test of time

Towns and villages with a medieval feel

Ancient fortifications, perched villages, towns with half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, Gothic palaces… To walk in the heart of our Pays d’art et d’histoire is to plunge into a rich past that wonderfully combines architectural heritage and postcard-like landscapes. Here the medieval architecture has left its mark. From Figeac, a rich merchant city, a major stop on the way to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, to the picturesque villages of valleys of the Lot and of the Célé, embark on a time machine, discovering a heritage that is a witness to the life of our ancestors and to centuries past!

Medieval splendor

Figeac

Lively and authentic, Figeac is a dialogue between centuries. The city reveals a unique and rare heritage: medieval houses, Renaissance hotels, 18th century bourgeois buildings… The epochs and the styles intermingle harmoniously, giving the city a little air of Italy in Quercy. The city was the birthplace of Jean-François Champollion, the famous egyptologist, whose house has been transformed into a museum unique in Europe, the Musée Champollion – Les Écritures du Monde.

Figeac

Let’s stroll through the centuries in the pearl of the Célé valley. Let’s follow in the footsteps of the first monks and merchants of the Middle Ages. Let’s explore the extraordinary adventure of Jean-François Champollion, decipherer of hieroglyphs and famous child of Figeac. Let’s go and meet the inhabitants and the city of today, its squares, its cafes, its lively market…

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The Lot Valley

Between landscapes and heritage

La Dolce Vita in Cajarc

Set in a cirque of high cliffs on the banks of the Lot, Cajarc evokes quietude in the shade of plane trees. The city leads us to discover narrow streets, picturesque houses and crisp squares. A worldly resort center in the 1960s, the city of Françoise Sagan rhymes with culture and gentle living.

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The perched villages of the Lot valley

They are discovered in the distance or by surprise, at the bend in the river: the perched villages of the Lot valley. Located on rocky peaks or on the edge of steep cliffs, these majestic villages are well deserved. Often built like impregnable citadels, these jewels today open their entrances to us.

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Escape into

our villages of character

In the heart of Grand-Figeac, we stroll from valleysto villages. From fortresses perched atop a cliff to cities coiled in the hollow of a valley, let’s escape to these unavoidable sites with a rich historical past.

Vue drone de Cardaillac, dans le Ségala Lotois, plus Beau Village de France

The Most Beautiful Villages of France

One is perched on a rocky promontory, 110 m above the Lot valley, the other offers us, from the top of one of its three majestic towers, an exceptional view of the forests of the Segala: Capdenac-Le-Haut and Cardaillac. These two villages of exception and character, classified among The Most Beautiful Villages of France, are part, with our countless nuggets, of the must-see sites of our Pays d’art et d’histoire, Grand-Figeac, Valleys of the Lot and Célé!

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Le village et l'abbaye de Marcilhac-sur-Célé

Secret villages in the Célé valley

A preserved medieval village where heritage rhymes with charm, a priory and an abbey that have left their mark on history… Between sculpted cliffs and wild landscapes of the Causses du Quercy, the Célé valley reveals villages in all authenticity. Charming, seductive, secret or preserved, from Corn to Sauliac-Sur-Célé, passing by Marcilhac-sur-Célé, these small stone treasures never cease to amaze us. Nestled in the hollow of a meander of the river or huddled against the cliff, we like to stroll there, to recharge our batteries and also to bathe there. Let’s follow the course of the river and listen to the stories that these villages have to tell us.

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