Things to do in Cahors
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cahors
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Quiet and cold, reduced hours, but truffle season and Lalbenque truffle markets reward food travellers.
Spring gardens, wildflowers and good walking and cycling, one of the two best seasons to visit.
Early summer warmth, Juin Jardins and long days before peak crowds and heat arrive.
Fullest programme, river swimming and festivals, but heat into the thirties and crowds at the famous villages.
Harvest, golden light, mushrooms and cooler walking, arguably the connoisseurs season in Cahors.
Very quiet local town on reduced hours, best for a short food and wine weekend, truffle season starts.
What's on
- Juin Jardins Early June
Gardens and arts events across town that pair with the secret gardens trail.
- Lot of Saveurs Early July
Gastronomy festival filling squares with chefs, producers and communal eating.
- Cahors Blues Festival Mid July
Long running blues festival on stages around Espace Valentre, book rooms early.
- Cahors Plage July to August
Seasonal supervised river beach and summer swimming near the centre.
- Fete du Safran de Cajarc October
Saffron festival in Cajarc in the wider Lot, a good autumn food day trip.
- Marche aux Truffes de Lalbenque Winter Saturdays, December to February
Famous winter truffle market near Cahors, the serious gastronomic reason to visit in the cold.
Best things to do in Cahors
Pont Valentré
Fortified medieval bridge with three towers and the finest river views in Cahors.
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors
Vast domed Romanesque cathedral with a calm Gothic cloister at the heart of the old town.
Marché de Cahors
Wednesday and Saturday market for Rocamadour cheese, walnuts, saffron, duck and picnic food.
Jardins Secrets de Cahors
Trail of about thirty hidden themed gardens linking courtyards, cloisters and lanes across town.
Vieux Cahors
Dense medieval quarter of brick and half timbered merchant houses built on banking and wine wealth.
Musée Henri-Martin
Renovated museum of Henri Martin luminous Lot landscapes in the former bishops palace.
Villa Cahors Malbec Lounge
Official Cahors tasting space to compare Malbec producers and plan estate visits in one hour.
Château du Cèdre
Reference organic Cahors estate whose precise Malbec converts sceptics as well as enthusiasts.
Where to stay in Cahors
Medieval Old Town and Cathedral Quarter
First timers, walkers and market lovers
Walk to dinner, the market and the cathedral and wake inside the medieval town.
Boulevard Gambetta and the Divona river bend
Comfort, river views and easy access
Newer larger hotels with lifts, parking and river views, ten minutes from the cathedral.
Mercues and the vineyard countryside
Splurges, romance and wine weekends
Sleep in a chateau among vineyards and taxi into town for market and dinner variety.
Station and Cote des Ormeaux outskirts
Budget drivers and one night stops
Clean cheap chain hotels with parking, practical with a car and plain without one.
Think twice about
- Cote des Ormeaux hotel strip without a car
It is a roadside strip with no evening life and no pleasant walk into town, fine for drivers only.
- Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and Rocamadour as multi night bases
Wonderful day trips but poor bases, with few restaurants, parking stress and weak onward access.
- Boulevard Gambetta frontage for light sleepers
Useful and central but a busy traffic boulevard, so sleep just off it in the old town or Divona side.
Best restaurants in Cahors
L'Ô à la Bouche
Cahors best gastronomic table, precise creative cooking from serious local ingredients.
Le Duèze
Estate gastronomy with Haute-Serre wines and plateau views, the finest vineyard lunch near Cahors.
Les Petits Producteurs
Shop and restaurant serving small Lot producers, with foie gras pasta, local meats and cheeses.
La Balinaise
Fresh Indonesian and vegetable forward cooking that is the perfect break from a week of duck.
Le Grill de Julia
Relaxed grill for steaks, salads and hand cut fries that keeps mixed groups and families happy.
L'Auberge des Gabares
Hearty traditional auberge with a shaded terrace over the square and honest regional menus.
Marie Colline
Small good value restaurant with vegetarian friendly seasonal menus in the centre of town.
Mets Saisons
Seasonal short menu cooking with a local, un-touristy feel and some of the best value in town.
Outdoor things to do in Cahors
Les Croisières Fénelon
Ninety minute Lot cruise past the bridge and old town with a lock passage and printed English guide.
Kalapca Loisirs
Calm canoe descents under Lot cliffs towards Saint-Cirq with shuttles, swim stops and picnic places.
Véloroute Vallée du Lot
Valley cycling through vineyard villages west and east of Cahors, best on an e-bike in summer heat.
GR65
Pilgrim path walking from the bridge onto dry limestone causse with stone huts and wide skies.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Cliff village of stone houses and artisan lanes above the Lot, magical early or late in the day.
Grotte du Pech Merle
Original prehistoric paintings in a beautiful cave, strictly capped and guided to protect the art.
Gouffre de Padirac
Vast chasm with a boat ride on an underground river through lit caverns and still pools.
Rocamadour
Vertical pilgrimage city on a cliff with sanctuary chapels, 216 steps and its famous goat cheese.
Best hotels in Cahors
Hôtel Jean XXII
Small historic hotel by the Jean XXII tower, loved for location, breakfast and warm staff.
Hôtel Terminus
Traditional grand hotel with more space and a classic restaurant tradition near the station side.
Best Western Plus Hôtel Divona Cahors
Most reliable hotel in town, modern rooms, pool and river views a short walk from the bridge.
Logis Hôtel La Chartreuse
Garden Logis hotel with pool, parking and restaurant, calm for drivers and cyclists with cars or bikes.
Château de Mercuès
Thirteenth century Relais and Chateaux chateau hotel with vineyard, pool and gastronomic restaurant.
ibis Cahors
Clean modern chain hotel with parking and good value, a sensible cheap base if you have a car.
ibis budget Cahors
No frills clean bed and parking that saves money for dinner and wine on a driving trip.
Is Cahors expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €230 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Château du Cèdre: a few days ahead
- Clos Triguedina: a few days ahead
- Les Croisières Fénelon: a few days ahead
- Kalapca Loisirs: a few days ahead
- Grotte du Pech Merle: weeks ahead
- Gouffre de Padirac: weeks ahead
- Château de Haute-Serre: a few days ahead
- Château Lagrezette: weeks ahead
- Book Pech Merle as soon as dates are firm, its conservation cap sells out in summer
- Book Padirac timed entry online for the same northern day as Rocamadour
- Book L'O a la Bouche, Haute-Serre, Mercues and Lagrezette ahead
- Book river cruises, canoes and estate visits at Cedre, Triguedina and Haute-Serre in season
- Book rooms early for Blues Festival dates and summer market Saturdays
Is Cahors safe?
- Cahors has no dangerous neighbourhood, use normal city sense and the town feels gentle
- Station and Gambetta areas can feel empty late at night in low season, an atmosphere note only
- Never swim at locks, weirs or bridge currents, use supervised zones only
- Cobbles and steep lanes are slippery after rain, wear shoes that grip
- Do not leave wine or bags visible in cars at cave and village car parks
Cahors travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Saint-Cirq and Rocamadour at 1pm in August are crowded and hot, go early or late
- The outdoor market is gone by early afternoon, arrive before 10am
- Do not drive to estates without bookings or plan four tastings in one day
- Gift shop cheese and truffle products cost more than the same goods at Cahors market
- The tourist train is orientation, not a substitute for walking the old town
Getting around Cahors: public transport and more
- Walk the compact river loop centre, the bridge to the cathedral is 15 to 20 minutes
- A car is close to essential for vineyards, Saint-Cirq, Pech Merle, Rocamadour and Padirac
- Trains link Cahors with Toulouse in about 75 minutes, check current timetables
- Book taxis in advance, including the return leg from vineyards and restaurants
- Use signed public car parks and expect market day closures on Wednesday and Saturday
Who Cahors suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Cahors your trip
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