The Malbec Route, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, the Bouziès towpath & Pech Merle
Two unforgettable getaways around Cahors: great « black wines » and a hilltop village
If you are staying two days or more, spend half a day in the Lot valley: to the west, the Malbec vineyard terraces (Mercuès, Parnac); to the east, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, the towpath carved into the cliff and the Pech Merle cave.
1. Tasting Malbec: start on foot at the Villa Malbec, then head off to the châteaux
Before even taking the car, walk 7 minutes from 98 rue du Château du Roi to the Villa Cahors Malbec (Place François Mitterrand): it is the winegrowers' pavilion, where the terroirs are explained to you (pebble terraces of the Lot vs limestone plateaus of the Causse) with tastings by the glass. Then take the valley road west (10 to 20 min): Château de Mercuès (and its spectacular underground cellar), Château du Cèdre (Vire-sur-Lot), Château Lagrézette or Château de Chambert.
2. The Bouziès towpath & Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (30 min to the east)
It is all our guests' favourite outing! Park in the village of Bouziès (25 min from Cahors) and set off on foot along the Ganil towpath (4 km there and back, completely flat along the water). This path was cut into the cliff itself in the 19th century to let through the horses that pulled the barges, and the artist Daniel Monnier carved a huge bas-relief into the white rock. At the end of the path, look up: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, voted the French people's favourite village, is perched 100 metres above the Lot.
3. 10 minutes from Bouziès: the real prehistoric cave of Pech Merle (Cabrerets)
Unlike Lascaux, where you visit a replica, the Pech Merle cave at Cabrerets is one of the very few caves in France where you can still admire the original paintings made 29,000 years ago (the famous frieze of Spotted Horses, the mammoths and the negative hands). Please note: the number of visitors per day is strictly limited to protect the paintings, so you must book your time slot online at pechmerle.com!
Villa Cahors Malbec open from Tuesday to Saturday. The Bouziès towpath and the village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie are free to visit all year round. Pech Merle cave by advance booking only.
The perfect plan for a day: the Pech Merle cave in the morning, a walk along the Bouziès towpath in the early afternoon, then up to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie at the end of the day, once the coaches have left.