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The Lot Valley by bike – from Agen to Cahors

Price per person

From 890€

Type of stay

Bicycle trip

Location

Agen, Cahors - France

Duration

6 to 7 days

Difficulty

Departures

Daily from April to October

Capacity

2 people minimum

Reference

Cyclo 32

Your stay

The Lot valley by bike!

Discover the Lot valley by bike on this peaceful tour through the Lot et Garonne and Lot departments. In these rural departments, crossed by the Lot and Garonne rivers, the landscape is strongly influenced by agricultural activity. You’re immediately struck by the variety of landscapes created by the mosaic of crops: arable farming, market gardening, orchards, vineyards and meadows all combine to create remarkable, highly diversified landscapes.

Leaving Agen and its Pont Canal, you’ll take a short stretch of the Canal de Garonne and soon reach the Lot. Cycle up the Lot valley from Aiguillon to Cahors and even Saint-Cirq Lapopie. You’ll be swept away by an atmosphere of peace and quiet that will stay with you for the rest of your cycling trip. This pleasant, relatively flat cycle route winds its way along streams and rivers, past orchards and vineyards that give the landscape a garden-like feel, and is punctuated by numerous villages and bastides that invite you to relax.

You’ll visit Castelmoron, Pujols, Villeneuve sur Lot, Penne d’Agenais and Puy-L’Evêque. Perched high above the River Lot, this medieval town is a maze of narrow streets and staircases lined with gilded stone houses, all the way down to the slipway where barges bound for Bordeaux once docked. Don’t miss a visit to the imposing Château de Bonaguil, one of France’s finest fortified castles. From the top of its rocky spur, it forms an ensemble, unique in Europe, of gigantic proportions and in a remarkable state of preservation.

Finally, the meandering Lot will take you to Cahors. You’ll cross the famous Pont Valentré, the city’s medieval landmark, before returning to your hotel on the riverbank. We strongly recommend extending your cycling vacation by an extra day for a spectacular ride to the village of Saint-Cirq Lapopie, perched on its rocky outcrop overlooking the river. A must! You’ll also have the opportunity to take the astonishing towpath carved into the rock… a curiosity not to be missed!

A land of gastronomy, the Lot et Garonne will awaken your taste buds with truffles, foie gras, lamb or Quercy melon… and Cahors Malbec wine. You’ll receive a warm welcome every evening in 3 and 4-star hotels.

You'll enjoy :

An overview of the Canal de Garonne greenway from the Canal Bridge in Agen.
The bucolic cycle route along the Lot between orchards, vineyards and picturesque villages
Some of France’s most beautiful villages, such as Pujols or Puy l’Evêque
The rock-cut towpath to Saint-Cirq Lapopie
The gentle way of life in the Lot et Garonne

Back to travel

Daily program

Day 1 - Arrival in Agen

Arrival at your accommodation in Agen. You will be welcomed in a hotel***. You’ll be given documentation on the region and a route book indicating your itinerary.

This pretty town, capital of the prune, halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse, offers a number of places to visit. With its 2,000 years of history, the town reveals its heritage along medieval alleyways and elegant 19th-century boulevards: the Musée des Beaux-arts presents five paintings by Goya (including the self-portrait), among other Spanish works from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its dynamic town center offers shops and services. Farmers’ markets showcase local produce: foie gras, fruit and vegetables, and of course, Agen prunes! 3* hotel accommodation and breakfast.

Day 2 - Agen - Le Temple sur Lot

Starting out from Agen, you can begin your cycling holiday by crossing the famous canal bridge. The “voie verte” offers continuous, easy and safe kilometers. Continue on to Buzet and discover its vineyards, then continue along the Garonne canal until you reach the Lot river. Enjoy the many stops along the way. Aiguillon marks the official start of the cycle route. Majestic river, medieval bastides, hillsides carpeted with orchards, villages with their feet in the water… the Lot valley has many pleasant surprises in store for you. Don’t miss a stop at the Musée du Pruneau!

Dinner, overnight stay and breakfast in a 4* hotel.

Day 3 - Le Temple sur Lot - Villeneuve sur Lot

Today you’re back on the cycle route to the bastide town of Villeneuve sur Lot. You’ll take beautiful, shady valley roads through apple and plum orchards that produce the famous “prune d’Ente”, which when dried becomes the delicious Agen prune. Your route will be marked by ancient bridges and superb villages such as Casseneuil, Sainte Livrade and Pujols, one of the most beautiful villages in France!

Villeneuve-sur-Lot is a charming bastide town in the Lot-et-Garonne region, founded on both banks of the Lot between 1251 and 1264, under a deed of parage between Alphonse de Poitiers, representative of the King of France, and the powerful Benedictine abbey of Eysses. One of the largest and most powerful bastides in the South-West, Villeneuve-sur-Lot boasts a rich heritage to discover: Place Lafayette and its covered market, the Pujols and Paris towers, 17th and 18th century half-timbered houses, the Cieutat Bridge… Dinner, overnight stay and breakfast in a 4* hotel.

Day 4 - Villeneuve sur Lot - Puy Lévêque

Departing from Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the route takes you along back roads through plum orchards in the wide bed of the Lot. You’ll pass through the magnificent medieval village of Pujols. Other noteworthy hilltop villages are Monsempron-Libos and Fumel. A few kilometers from Fumel, you can make a detour to visit one of France’s most beautiful fortified castles, Château de Bonaguil. From the top of its rocky spur, it has dominated the valley and medieval village for 8 centuries. The castle is unique in Europe for its gigantic proportions and remarkable state of preservation.

You’ll then reach Puy-Lévêque, built on a rocky promontory on the borders of Quercy and Périgord, the medieval town is considered one of the pearls of the Lot Valley and vineyards.

Night and breakfast in a 2* hotel

Day 5 - From Puy Lévêque to Cahors

The cycle route winds its way through vineyards and orchards, giving you the benefit of green, unspoilt landscapes. You’ll pass through small villages such as Belaye, a medieval village with a breathtaking view over the valley, or Luzech, at the heart of a meander forming a peninsula, one of the most spectacular sites in the Lot valley, with breathtaking scenery.

You will then arrive in Cahors, “Ville d’art et d’histoire”.

From Valentré Bridge to Saint-Etienne’s Cathedral, the Lot’s premier city combines a southern ambience with a wealth of history. Born in the days of Rome, the city of Cahors became a European trading and financial center in the Middle Ages. Today, this golden age has given rise to a delightfully lively, unspoilt old town that’s well worth a visit. Night and breakfast in a 3 or 4* hotel

Day 6 - Saint-Cirq-Lapopie loop

Loop tour to the jewel of the valley: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, one of France’s most beautiful villages. The medieval village, with no fewer than 13 historic monuments, perched on a cliff overlooking the Lot valley, offers breathtaking views. Take a trip back in time as you visit the charming village and its remarkable heritage: narrow streets, fortified gates, 13th-century keep and old houses with stone and timber-framed facades.

Night and breakfast in a 3 or 4* hotel

Day 7 - Departure

Departure after breakfast.

rates

Price per person

6 days – 5 nights: €890
7 days – 6 nights: €1,005

Price includes

5 to 6 nights in 3* and/or 4* hotels (1 2* hotel) with breakfast (in double/twin room)
2 dinners
Road book (with map and directions)
1 GPS application
Luggage transfer at each stage
24/7 telephone assistance

Supplements

	6 days – 5 nights	7 days – 6 nights
Touring bikes (VTC) Electric bicycle (VAE)	145 € 250 €	160 € 275 €

Further information

We take care of transporting your luggage every time you change accommodation, so you can travel light and enjoy your day’s hiking.

Leave your luggage at the reception desk of your accommodation before departure.

At the end of the afternoon, you’ll meet them at the reception desk of your new accommodation or directly in your room.

Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (maximum 23 kg) + 1 carry-on.

Your travel file corresponds to the documents or files you receive prior to your trip (generally one month before) and/or on arrival at your first accommodation.

It includes :

A welcome letter with key practical information:

Baggage transport times
Details of delivery and collection of rental bikes if required
Your local contact and emergency telephone number(s)
Any additional information

Travel logbook including map with route (at the appropriate scale) and directional, tourist and practical information

Any necessary vouchers to be given to the service provider(s)

On request and depending on the tour:

The “Evazio” application, downloadable onto your smartphone, for GPS navigation with visual (reading the route on your smartphone screen) and/or spoken guidance. The app also contains practical and tourist information. Once the trip has been downloaded, no Internet connection is required.
Loan of a GPS device with pre-recorded tracks
Send GPX tracks of each stage for use with your own navigation device

On this tour, we can provide you with a choice of the following, upon reservation:

A VTC bike suited to the tour and the route (men’s, women’s and Unisex)

T830 Black

Velo Lot et Garonne Woman

T831 White

An electric bike adapted to the route

VAE Lot et Garonne bis

With equipment :

Bag 1

Handlebar bag

Repair kit

Anti-theft device

Headset

1 rear bag
1 handlebar bag
1 repair kit
1 helmet (on request)
1 anti-theft device
1 charger (for electric bike)

For younger children, depending on age and size, we can offer

Children's bikes

Bicycle follower

Second trailer

A child’s bike
A baby seat
A trailer
A follower bike

The bike is adjusted to your size and delivered to the first accommodation.

At the end of the tour, the bike must be left at the last accommodation with its equipment. We’ll take care of collecting them.

This tour is offered in the “superior” category

Hotel categories :

Comfort: The tour features mainly 2 and 3-star hotels (or equivalent comfort level) and bed & breakfasts.
Superior: The tour features mainly 3- and 4-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort) and charming bed & breakfasts.
Luxury: The tour features mainly 4- and 5-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort).

For the duration of your stay, our telephone assistance service is available:

7 days a week
from 07:30 to 20:30.

Itinerary

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