Lascabanes → Lauzerte

The route climbs through rolling countryside to the hilltop bastide town of Lauzerte, classified as one of France's Plus Beaux Villages. The final approach is steep, climbing up to the medieval core perched on its promontory.

Bastide towns were planned medieval new towns, laid out on a grid pattern with a central arcaded square and defensive walls. Lauzerte's Place des Cornieres, the central square, is surrounded by stone and half-timbered houses with covered arcades. The views from the ramparts extend across the Quercy countryside.

Look for the unusual ceramic Camino waymarks embedded in the pavement of the town's steep streets.