Lot-et-Garonne is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Essentially rural, the Lot-et-Garonne is a land generous in agricultural production, bathed in orchards and vines. Prunes, tomatoes, Buzet wines, Duras, melons, strawberries, asparagus… It is the main agricultural department of the Aquitaine Region. It is definitely a region of eating well.
In our first blog, we discovered how much we loved the Vienne Region. But it was soon then time to head south and find a bit more about Lot-et-Garonne Region (You can check this guide – Lot-et-Garonne Region).
There was plenty to discover with the family in the Lot-et-Garonne Region. From feeding goats, making cheese, climbing to the top of a beautiful Château and discovering quaint French town. Here are a few of the things we did in Lot-et-Garonne region with our family.
Cabanes Les Folies
Our first night here was spent at Cabanes Les Folies de Sophie à Coulx and we had a wonderful night, in this rather special location! Located on a family farm, our tree house house had have been built in an environmentally friendly manner. In the morning, we were lulled by the song of the birds, first thing in the morning. That morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast, with prunes grown right there on the farm, which were simply delicious – a great start to the day!
Ferme Pédagogique du Chaudron Magique | Best Educational Farm in Lot-et-Garonne Region
After a great start at Les Folies, we then spent a couple of hours at the nearby Ferme pédagogique du Chaudron Magique. Our children simply loved everything about this farm! From feeding the young goats, then making cheese and even getting inside the pen with the rabbits! All the staff were super nice and very welcoming. They explained everything simply and with a smile. I would highly recommend a visit here if you are in the area.
Château de Bonaguil | Best Chateau to See in Lot-et-Garonne Region
Next on our agenda was a visit to Château de Bonaguil, which was an amazing experience and so beautiful! Take time to climb right through the village, the views from the tower are then simply incredible. Personally, I’d recommend going into the grotto, where you might even find a dragon – seriously!
Hand on heart, you simply have to admire all the amazing restoration work which they’ve done here! It’s an amazing achievement and a credit to the local town, volunteers and all involved.
The Château de Bonaguil is a château fort from the Middle Ages designed for defence. We were told that its name “Bonne Aiguille” translated to “good rocky crag”. Which did a great great job of describing defensive position as it was a perfect place for a fortress.
Lunch at the Stelsia
After visiting Château de Bonaguil, it was then time for lunch at the Stelsia. Driving up through the entrance was amazing – it suddenly felt like we were about to enter our own fairy tale and we asked ourselves where the story would go?
OK, here goes…. “Once upon a time, there was an enchanted castle in the middle Saint-Sylvestre-sur-Lot.. The hungry travellers arrived at the front gate and were met by a wonderfully eccentric decorated castle.” Or something along those lines!
Our experience at the restaurant did not disappoint either – as we all enjoyed an excellent meal, with impeccable service!
Penne d’Agenais + Terra Aventura Travel Hunt (ideal for Children)
In the afternoon we decided to explore the beautiful village of Penne d’Agenais, and we did it with the help of Terra Aventura Travel Hunt. We found their app to be really useful too. To imagine it in action, just think of it as Pokemon GO, combined with a bit of history.
Penne d’Agenais is a fortified medieval hilltop town on the banks of the Lot River, Penne d’Agenais. It has plenty of narrow, sloping streets, old and picturesque houses and Romanesque churches. After our extensive treasure hunt, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Le Peyragud. This was a lovely family run restaurant, in the heart of the Bourg de Penne d’Agenais.
That evening we stayed at Le Préau de l’Horizon, which is a truly magical retreat, located in the remains of an old girls school. Interestingly, the rooms were even decorated with a school theme and ours had a distinct Geography/History feel about it!
Villeréal and Monflanquin
Our final day of the trip, we took time out to explore the villages of Villeréal in the morning and Monflanquin in the afternoon.
For us, visits to traditional French markets are one of the great pleasures of being in France. I absolutely love to arrive in a town or village and discover that it’s market day – visiting market stalls that include seasonal fruit and vegetables, local goats cheese, honey, bread and so much more – I just love it! Visiting Villeréal we got exactly that feeling. At the centre was a superb 14th century central hall with magnificent oak beams which then housed the market.
We then had lunch at Maggies, this was a really lovely café, very well set up for small children, as they were able to use colours and chalk. Plus, the food here was also delicious!
After that, we hopped back into the car and drove for 10 or 15 mins or so, back down the road to Monflanquin, which is a small and charmingly authentic village set on a rocky hillside.
That evening, we spent our time in the beautiful and charming restaurant and Boutique apartment Bassivières Barn Chic. A great place to finish and the food was excellent and our barn was absolutely incredible!
We absolutely loved our spending time in the Lot-et-Garonne region with our family.
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