Cahors

Also known as Cahors-en-Quercy

Cahors (; ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Quercy, Cahors is home to 20,050 cadurciennes and cadurciens (2023).

OverviewAI-generated

Cahors is a commune in France, situated in the Lot department within the Occitanie region. It serves as the capital of the Lot department, the arrondissement of Cahors, and the cantons of Cahors-Nord-Est and Cahors-Nord-Ouest. The town is located near the Lot river and shares borders with Arcambal, Calamane, Flaujac-Poujols, and Labastide-Marnhac. Its postal code is 46000, and it falls under the Europe/Paris timezone.

The area of Cahors is 64.72 square kilometers. Population figures vary by source, with one listing 20,447 residents, including 9,083 males, while another records 23,331. Elevation data also differs, with values of 332 meters, 142 meters, and 137 meters above sea level. The official name of the commune is Cahors.

Synthesized by Vinony from 53 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

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7-day forecast

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Place details

Locality: Cahors
Region: Occitanie
Country: France
Population: 23,331
Timezone: Europe/Paris

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

39US AQIGood

PM2.5: 6.7 µg/m³
PM10: 11.5 µg/m³

As of 2026-08-11 02:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

French commune.name: Cahors
French commune.commune status: Prefecture and commune
French commune.image flag: Flag of Cahors.svg
French commune.image coat of arms: Blason Ville Cahors fr (Lot).svg
French commune.image: Cahors pont Valentre vgen.jpg
French commune.caption: Valentré bridge
French commune.arrondissement: Cahors
French commune.canton: Cahors-1, 2 and 3
French commune.INSEE: 46042
French commune.postal code: 46000
French commune.mayor: Maxime Lormand
French commune.term: 2023–2026
French commune.intercommunality: CA Grand Cahors
French commune.elevation m: 130
French commune.area km2: 64.72

via Wikipedia infobox

Travel guide

Understand

thumb|upright 1.4|Pont Valentré

Almost entirely surrounded by water, Cahors is a lovely medieval town in a French wine region. It is a regional centre for business and culture.

Cahors was a major town during the Middle Ages and saw a good deal of conflict during the Hundred Years' War.

Pope John XXII was born in Cahors in 1249.

Most of the city's key structures were built in the 20th century.

Cahors was the starting point of stage 18 in the 2007 Tour de France.

Do

thumb|upright 1.5|Interior, Cathedrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors

thumb|upright 1.1|A capital (11th-12th century) of the Cathedral

Eat

The food in Cahors is typical of Southwestern France. It is hearty and uses local produce.

Drink

Cahors is a major producer of wine. It is mostly known for its red wine. 70% of the vineyards in France are along a narrow strip of land on each side of the Lot River between Cahors and Puy L'Eveque. Local soils are conducive to grape growing. There are 4,200 hectares (10,000 acres) of Cahors vineyards. The area produces 30 million bottles a year.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

13 sections

Contents

History
Geography
Population
Main sites
Wine
Culture
Education
Notable people
Sport
Climate
See also
References
External links

Nestled in a meander of the Lot and surrounded by steep arid limestone hills, this historic city is home to a great monumental diversity, mainly inherited from Roman times and the Middle Ages; the city's monuments include a historic city centre, Saint-Étienne cathedral, Roman walls and the famous Valentré bridge (a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela). Famed for its wine and gastronomy (truffles and foie gras), this southern French city holds the label of the French Towns of Art and History. The Cadurcian economy is reliant on tertiary services and makes Cahors the Lot's economic centre.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cahors” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.