Lot Valley: combine Pech Merle with Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Rocamadour, Cahors and truffles

Q: Can you visit Pech Merle and Rocamadour in the same day ?

With a car, yes, provided you have a cave time slot in the morning and accept an hour’s drive between the two. No guided excursion on this page combines the two. I recommend two days instead: the cave with Saint-Cirq, then Rocamadour. Travel times are on how to get here .

Q: Which excursion combines the cave and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie?

The excursion from Cahors , in a small group, with cave entry included, followed by Saint-Cirq and the towpath. It’s the only one of the six activities I’d do to experience both in a day.

In short: the cave visit takes one hour, and Cabrerets is at the end of a valley. No one comes for just an hour. This page suggests a way to fill two days around Pech Merle: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and the towpath on the first day, Rocamadour or Cahors and the vineyards on the second. The guided activities below do not include the cave (except for the excursion from Cahors); they complement it.

Cahors ⇄ Cabreretsabout 45 min

Cabrerets ⇄ Saint-Cirq-Lapopiearound 15 min

Cabrerets ⇄ Rocamadouraround 1 hr

Cabrerets ⇄ Padirac Chasmaround 1 hr

Cave openfrom February to early November

Truffleswinter caving by appointment

A two-day itinerary

This is the itinerary I take my visiting friends on. It requires a car, or the tour from Cahors for the first day.

Day 1: the cave, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, and the towpath

Morning cave time slot, booked in advance on reservation.pechmerle.com or included in the excursion from Cahors. Before or after the guided tour, the Amédée Lemozi Museum is included in the ticket and is worth twenty minutes. Upon exiting, you are on the causse above the Célé; heading down towards Cabrerets, you can see the Château de Gontaut-Biron from the road and the ruins of the Château du Diable clinging to the cliff. The Célé joins the Lot at Conduché. Fifteen minutes further on, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, perched above the Lot. Have lunch there, then walk the towpath at Bouziès in the late afternoon, when the village empties. For details about the village and the causse, see what to do in Cabrerets.

Day 2, Option A: Rocamadour

One hour’s drive from Cabrerets. The sanctuaries are built into the cliffside, and the small-group guided tour (1 hr 30, in French) starts from the Plan de Rocamadour, near the elevator ticket office, parking P2 at the top. The route descends: panorama from the ledge, forecourt and sanctuaries, Notre-Dame Chapel, Saint-Sauveur Basilica, the grand pilgrims’ staircase, ending at Place des Senhals. This is the highest-rated activity on this site, with 4.9 out of 17 reviews, and all feedback mentions the guide: Franck finds him very knowledgeable, Coralie remembers the anecdotes, and Helen describes Melissa as an excellent guide. Appropriate attire is required, as this is a religious site. The Padirac Chasm is the same distance away if you want to visit a second cave, though this one has no paintings. My review of the Rocamadour visit provides more details.

Day 2, option B: Cahors, Malbec and truffles

Cahors is best explored on foot, starting with the Valentré Bridge. Five minutes from the city, the Château Pech de Jammes offers a private activity for up to six people, by appointment: a tour of the estate, truffle fields, truffle hunting with dogs in season (winter), saffron, followed by a tasting of three Malbec and two Chardonnay wines with appetizers. You leave with the truffles you find. Allow three hours in total, including one and a half to two hours on-site. Wheelchair accessible, which is rare on this page. Lunch is not included; the nearby restaurant Lou Bourdié in Bach is an option. This is a recent activity with no reviews yet.

Outside truffle-hunting season, the truffle part is limited to the fields and explanations, though the tasting remains. I mention this because someone once complained.

Guided activities in the valley

Four maps. None enter the cave; the Sarlat map starts in Dordogne and connects to Rocamadour and Saint-Cirq by private van, which may be useful for those staying there.

Top-rated

What I’d skip

Doing everything in one day. On paper, the cave, Saint-Cirq, and Rocamadour fit, but not in a car with children. The cave visit is short for the travel time it requires, and stacking Rocamadour afterward turns the day into a series of parking lots. Two days, or choose. To plan durations, see how long the visit lasts.

Insider tip

If you have to choose between Saint-Cirq and Rocamadour with the cave on the same day, pick Saint-Cirq: fifteen minutes by road versus an hour. Rocamadour deserves its own day and a guided tour, as the site is hard to understand without someone to explain it.

Availability for the guided tour of Rocamadour

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Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Pech Merle and Rocamadour in the same day?

By car, yes—provided you have a cave time slot in the morning and don’t mind a one-hour drive between the two. No guided tour on this page combines both. I recommend two days instead: the cave with Saint-Cirq, then Rocamadour. Travel times are available on how to get here.

Which excursion combines the cave and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie?

The excursion from Cahors, in a small group, with cave entry included, followed by Saint-Cirq and the towpath. It’s the only one of the six activities I’d do to experience both in a day.

Is the cave open in winter?

No, it closes from November to February. The 2026 opening dates are provided for information on the booking and tickets page; check the official website. Winter, however, is the season for truffle hunting near Cahors.

Are there other caves to visit in the Lot?

Yes. The Cougnac Caves in Gourdon are also decorated, and the Padirac Chasm is an underground river with no paintings. I compare them with Pech Merle on the page the most beautiful caves in France.