Lot Valley France

The Lot Valley is a large area covering five different departments - Lozère, Cantal, Aveyron, Lot and Lot-et-Garonne - which are across four different regions: Acquitaine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Auvergne, and Midi-Pyrénées.

If you come here, you'll be in great location, near the beautiful Perigord region and not too far from some world-famous wine regions such as Bergerac and even Bordeaux; there are also some lovely hotels in the area.

We have found many beautiful villages here in the Lot Valley; France has so many that are worth exploring and these are only a handful. If you're looking for more undiscovered places to visit in France, we'd highly recommend the Lot.

Be entranced by stone and timbered-framed houses with balconies overflowing with flowers, crumbling fortresses and narrow cobblestone streets. The location of these villages is what makes them appealing as well - perched precariously on top of craggy outcrops.

Some of these villages, such as St-Cirq-Lapopie, can be touristy at times, but they are well worth the hike (wear good walking shoes!).

There are other stunning spots which are a little more remote, which we would like to share with you too.

Almost all of them are among the most beautiful villages in France.

We've included some pictures as well so you can see how gorgeous they are.

St-Cirq-Lapopie is a lovely, tiny medieval village perched high up overlooking the Lot river, just east of Cahors.

It can get quite busy during the day...but it's still gorgeous! Try coming early or later in the day, it'll be less crowded then.

The houses date from the 13th to the 16th centuries and are beautifully preserved. In fact the whole town feels like a museum!

The views are spectacular and you'll find cute little cafés and art shops to explore, as well as remains of three châteaux and a 15th century church.

The surrealist poet Andre Bréton lived here in the 1950s.

Conques is another gorgeous village located on the river Dourdou, surrounded by mountains and forests.

Conques is classified as a historical monument and is a UNESCO listed site.

The lovely timbered-framed houses are huddled around the abbey of Ste-Foye. This abbey was built between the 10th and 12th centuries and was an important place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.

Conques holds medieval music and art festivals throughout the year.

Najac is another beautiful village in a stunning location, above the river Aveyron.

It has a ruined fortress and quaint medieval houses, and is surrounded by lovely countryside. It is also built along the top of a ridge so is quite unusual in that respect.

Again, it can be get busy but we still highly recommend a visit.

Penne is another lovely, tiny village with houses clustered around castle ruins.

The church just below the village dates from the 12th century and has a clocktower that still chimes.

There are many more to discover...

These are just some of the many magical spots that can be found in the Lot Valley France.

If you ever get a chance to visit, you won't be disappointed :).