Lot

The Lot department is in southwestern France, in the Occitanie region, and its capital is the city of Cahors, whose historic bridge (Pont Valentré) is one of the icons of medieval French architecture. With its limestone plateaus (Causses du Quercy), river gorges and beautiful cliffside villages, this department offers one of France's most striking rural landscapes. Its economy combines agriculture (Cahors vineyards, truffles), historical and natural tourism, and small industries. Lot is one of France's least populated departments, with a low cost of living and pristine nature, which in recent decades has drawn British and Dutch buyers to purchase rural homes.

Cahors, Figeac, Gourdon

• Centre universitaire Maurice-Faure (UT2J / INSPE / ISTHIA)
• IUT de Figeac – Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès

Towns are generally small and calm; urban crime and crowding are at a lower level than in big cities. Student life in Figeac and Cahors has a close-knit, familiar feel.

TER trains on the Paris–Toulouse line pass through the Cahors and Gourdon stations, and Figeac also has a station and an IUT. Regional buses operate between towns; having a car is useful for reaching villages.