Puy-l'Évêque

File:Puy-l'Évêque Banner.JPG Puy L'Eveque is a small town (Pop. 2,200) in France, north of Toulouse and located in the surrounding area of Cahors. The village is located in the Lot Department. The book From Here You Can't See Paris made this region famous.

Travel to Puy-l'Évêque

To get in to Puy l'Eveque one must take a train from Paris or Toulouse to the Cahors station and then the bus west to Puy l'Eveque or drive. There is a very fine bus that runs from Cahors, along the Lot River for the most part, through Puy l'Eveque to Monsempros-Libos, just the other side of Fumel. The scenery is stunning and the drivers are most helpful and the schedule reasonable, changing with the seasons to adapt to school schedules, feast days and tourists. Taxis can be called from the train station in Cahors for the ride to Puy l'Eveque but are quite expensive.

Get Around

Public transportation to sites away from the towns on the bus route is almost non-existent. If you're staying at any of the many chateaus/hotels in the area ask to see if owners will provide transportation and/or if you will be able to borrow a vehicle. Usually visitors will want to rent a vehicle from any of the respected automobile rental services. If renting a vehicle is out of the question there are plenty of taxi companies operating within the area.

What to See

Château de Hautefort 2 - Château de Hautefort

La Place de la Truffière | La Place de la Truffière

Chateau Hautefort
Château Bovila
The Chapel of Saint Michel
The Lychairie
The Church of Saint Sauveur
Zadkin Museum of Sculpture - In Les Arques and the setting for From Here You Can't See Paris.
Chateau de Bonaquil - Medieval chateau.

Things to Do

The town is in the Valley of the Lot, which meanders in large loops through a wide flood plain. It is surrounded by rolling hills covered with scrub woods, full of beautiful walking and biking paths. The local tourist office sells booklets of maps with walking itineraries for the region. Nearby are scores of beautiful villages, often 'bastides' (i.e., fortified villages built by both the French and English during the 100 Years War), beautifully preserved and maintained. There are castles to visit and it is only a short trip to nearby Perigord with its karstic caves full of stalagmites and stalagtites and paleolithic art. L'Arque has a small but wonderful Zadkin Museum. Cahors is a medieval city full of narrow alleys and old buildings as well as a wonderful old bridge and churches. Fishing is feasible in the river and in small reservoirs.

Puy L'Eveque is holds a fishing competition and celebration of local soft drinks every two years (2008,10 etc) called the Fète de la Rivière et du Vignoble

In May 2010 a number of local locks on the river are to be reopened allowing river traffic on the River Lot to pass between Prayssac and Fumel, via Puy L'Eveque traversing a series of locks - the first time in over 100 years.

River traffic on the Lot was very important for many centuries as it permitted the export of the local Cahors (known in medieval times in England as 'Black Wine') to be exported via the rivers Lot and Gironde to Bordeaux.

Bonaguil and other castles and chateaus can be visited nearby and in Perigord. The Valley of the Celé is exquisitely beautiful and not far away. Figeac is a pretty town with a small museum dedicated to Champollion and the first modern person to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. Les Ezyies de Tayac in the Perigord has a great museum of prehistory and that area is also quite beautiful, especially in the Valleys of the Dordogne and the Vezere Rivers, which have extraordinary views dotted with pretty villages and chateaus.

Shopping

Postcards are available at the Cahors train station. For something more regional buy a bottle of Cahors soft drinks. Cahors was made famous by a Roman Catholic Pope, who, made Cahors the official of the Catholic Church.

Les jardins du Marqueyssac - 24220 Vezac 9km de Sarlat ☎ +33 553 313636 | Opening Hours: 10-6pm Beautiful romantic and picturesque gardens of Marqueyssace offers more than wsix kilometers of shaded paths bordered by 150,000 hand pruned box trees a hundred years old. Tearoom and restaurant with a panoramic terrace.

Halal Restaurants in Puy-l'Évêque

The Lot Department is known for the impeccable foods that the local residents produce. Consult Michael Sanders' book From Here You Can't See Paris or the Michelin Guide.

La Recreation (in Les Arques, 20 miles from Puy l'Eveque)
L'Aganit is a Michelin Guide recommended restaurant located at the Hotel Bellevue. The restaurant's menu is based upon local produce, which, more than likely assures fresh foods. L' Aganit is closed during the same period of time Hotel Bellevue is closed. See the "Sleep" section for contact information.

Wine is the drink here due in part because there are over 300 Cafes in the regional area. Plus this is France.

Muslim Friendly Hotels

Many hotels and chateaus close down for the low season or for only a few weeks. Check with the chateau/hotel before arriving in town.

Domaine du Haut Baran - ☎ +33 5 65 36 06 60 +33 5 65 36 06 61 The B&B owners are an American married couple. The husband speaks fluent French and is a historian. The B&B offers specials geared toward certain interests such as: horseback riding, Tour de France, artists, and culinary tours with Michael Sanders.

La Truffière | 3 Rue des Scafegnous ☎ +33 5 65 21 34 54 +33 5 65 21 84 47€+ per day. Located in the center of the town.

Hostellerie Le Vert - ☎ +33 5 65 36 51 36 +33 5 65 36 56 84
Maison Delmas - Rue du Docteur Rouma 44.502338, 1.137771 ☎ +33 5 65 23 31 75 - 55 Euro + Check-in: 3.30PM / Check-out: 10.30AM Maison Delmas a Chambres d'Hotes and is in the village within easy walking distance of the ten restaurants in the village. It has four Bedrooms and a lovely garden overlooking the town for the guests to use.

News & References

Travel Next

St. Cirq La Popie - A village voted most picturesque in France. Located an hour from Puy l'Eveque.

There are lots of 'gites' and apartments for rent on farms and in the town and surrounding villages, as well as the hotels mentioned. One can find them on websites offering 'self catering' in the regions of Midi Pyrenees or the Lot. Puy l'Eveque is at the western extreme of the Lot region, near the eastern border of the Lot et Garonne Region. Tourist offices in these regions will supply you with detailed maps that are great for touring. Some of the prettiest villages in France (les plus beaux villages en France; has a website)are within an hour's drive from Puy l'Eveque. In the town there is a library and a "mediatech' with internet access. There are wonderful bakeries and the local produce is of the finest France has to offer. In the town there are several supermarkets, as well as others nearby. There are also local markets on different days of the week.