Quartier des Pêcheurs

Cahors lies inside a tight loop of the river Lot, which wraps around the old town on three sides and makes it almost a peninsula. The river has shaped its history, its trade and its look, and any district named for fishermen belongs to the waterside, where boatmen, fishers, tanners and millers once worked, and where houses were built close together on narrow lanes leading to the water. In towns on rivers in the south-west of France, such quarters usually have the oldest and most modest houses, built of brick, stone and timber, and they reward a slow walk.

The Lot is one of the main reasons for the town's past prosperity. In the Middle Ages, Cahors was a centre of banking and trade, with merchants who became known across Europe as Caorsins, and wine from the surrounding hills was shipped down the Lot to the Garonne and on to Bordeaux and beyond. The river was the road, and quays and warehouses lined its banks. The Pont Valentré, a fortified bridge of the fourteenth century with three towers, is the most famous monument of this period, and the old town is rich in medieval buildings. The Tour du Pape Jean XXII recalls a native of Cahors who became pope in Avignon in the fourteenth century, and the cathedral of Saint-Étienne, which has two great domes in a manner more common in the East than in France, is listed by UNESCO.

The quarter's streets, if they follow the usual pattern, are narrow and winding, with houses of pale stone and brick, sometimes with timber framing and small courtyards. Visitors can look for details such as carved doorways, stairs and old signs, and for the traces of former workshops. Cafés and small shops often occupy the ground floors, and the nearby quays give a place to sit and watch the river.

The wine of Cahors is renowned for its dark colour and firm structure, made mainly from Malbec grapes, and the Musée du Vin explains its history. In the Lot valley beyond the town, vineyards climb the slopes, and many estates offer tastings. The Parc des Expositions et de la Gare and the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires add more to explore.

It suits curious walkers and wine lovers. Ask at the tourist office for guidance on the best route.