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Overview

The village is located at the confluence of the Dourdou and Ouche rivers. Built on a hillside and with classic narrow Medieval streets, vehicles other than those belonging to residents may not enter the historic town centre but must park outside.

Consequently, most day visitors enter on foot and, as at least one overnight visitor has observed, the majority of the tourists depart in the late afternoon, leaving the town much less crowded. The town was largely passed by in the nineteenth century, and was saved from oblivion by the efforts of a small number of dedicated people.

As a result, the historic core of the town has very little construction dating from between 1800 and 1950, leaving the medieval structures remarkably intact. The roads have been paved, and modern-day utility lines are buried.

Things to do

The tiny village of Conques occupies a spectacular position high on the steep, wooded gorge of the River Dourdou, a small tributary of the Lot. It is highly picturesque and peaceful — the Rough Guide to France calls it “one of the great villages of southwest France.”

Parts of the medieval walls still survive, along with three of its gates. The houses date from the late Middle Ages and are divided by cobbled lanes and stairways that are a pleasure to wander.

The Abbey Church of St. Foy stands at the center of the village, dominating the landscape, but harmoniously so — its great pointed towers are echoed in the roofs of the medieval houses that huddle closely around it. The fortress-like facade overlooks a small cobbled square beside the tourist office and pilgrims’ fountain and is surrounded by terraced gardens.