Geography

The village is perched one hundred metres above the river Lot around 20 kilometres east of Cahors and in the Parc naturel régional des Causses du Quercy.  During the Middle Ages four feudal dynasties, Lapopie , Gourdon , Cardaillac and Castelnau fought over the village and this resulted in the construction of several castles and fortified houses.

Tourism

The a town is accessed through great stone great gates in the fortified and with its great location, narrow cobbled streets, fortifications and old houses, it is a lovely village to wander around exploring.  It is listed as one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France and justly so.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Lot department, with the remains of three chateaux and a fifteenth century roman-style church.  Some of the medieval buildings are built in colombage and along the river is an assortment of old mills and associated buildings.  The village houses are have steeply pitched roves and are tall and narrow, accentuating the narrowness of the streets.

Many artists have moved to the area and there are many artisans and artist shops in the narrow streets.

Nearby is Cahors, the capital of the Lot and its historic Valentré bridge, plus the caves at Pech-Merle and chateaux at Cenevieres and Larnagol.

Economy

The village economy is based on the artisans and tourism

Transport

The nearest train station is twenty kilometres away at Cahors and with a very infrequent bus service, typical of rural France, getting to St Cirq Lapopie generally requires your own transport.  Flying to the area is very easy with a choice of flights at Rodez, Toulouse and now the new London City service to Brive.

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