Page 436 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

14 17th­century covered market, INSIDER TIP
where the inhabitants hid at
Domme perilous moments during the Visiting Gouffre
Hundred Years’ War and the de Padirac
! D6 ⌂ Dordogne n Pl de 16th­century Wars of Religion. The temperature in
la Halle; www.perigord­
noir­valleedordogne.com Despite a seemingly impreg­ the Gouffre de Padirac
nable position, 30 intrepid cave is 13° C (55° F),
American writer Henry Miller Huguenots managed to so it’s worth wearing
warm clothes. A water­
wrote: “Just to glimpse the
capture Domme by scaling
EXPERIENCE The Dordogne bluff… is some thing to be 15 "' -= immense Salle du Grand
proof jacket for the boat
the cliffs under cover of
black, mysterious river at
ride is also a good idea
night and opening the gates.
Domme from the beautiful
after heavy rainfall in
the area.
grateful for all one’s life.”
Considered to be one of
the most beautiful villages
Gouffre de Padirac
in France, Domme itself is
Dôme chamber dwarfs the
a neat bastide of golden
stone, with medieval gate­
Nov: hours vary, check
descend into the cave by
ways still standing.
website ∑ gouffre­de­
Occupying a splendid ! D6 ⌂ Lot # Mar–mid­ tallest of cathedrals. Visitors
stairs or lift and walk through
padirac.com
position, people come here a spectacular cave system,
to admire the view, which Formed by the collapse of a where punts await to take you
takes in the Dordogne Valley cave, this huge crater mea­ along the underground river.
from Beynac in the west to sures 115 ft (35 m) wide and An audio tour is also available.
Montfort in the east, and to 337 ft (103 m) deep. The
wander the maze of old streets under ground river and stun­
inside the walls. There is also ning succession of galleries y
a large cavern under the were discovered in 1889. The
Cahors
! D6 ⌂ Lot £ @ n Pl
François Mitterrand;
www.tourisme­cahors.fr
The capital of the Lot départe­
ment, the small town of
Cahors is renowned for its
dark, heady red wine, which
was produced as far back as
Roman times. It is also famous
for being the birthplace of the
statesman Léon Gambetta
(1838–82), who led France to
recovery after the war with
Prussia in 1870. The main
street of Cahors – like many
towns in France – is named
after him.
Cathédrale de St­Étienne,
entrenched behind the
narrow streets of Cahors’s
Old Town, dates back to 1119.
It has some fine medieval
details: don’t miss the lively
figures of the Romanesque
north door and tympanum,
which depict the Ascension,
or the huge cupola above the
Visitors taking a tour
underground in the crater
at Gouffre de Padirac
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