Tournon d'Agenais travel guide

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Visit Tournon d'Agenais (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)

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Tournon d'Agenais is a lovely village stretched out along a hill top in Lot-et-Garonne about 25 kilometres east of Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Like many historic towns in the region it was originally founded as a bastide town (in 1270).

Explore Tournon d'Agenais

It is possible to drive to the top of the village but if you are feeling energetic it is more pleasant to park below the village and walk up the streets and steep steps that take you up to the top of the village, and you have nice views of Tournon as you climb.

When you reach the village a short medieval street quickly takes you to the Place des Corniers, the historic centre of Tournon d'Agenais. This charming central square is surrounded by houses above arched stone arcades.

town hall in Place des Cornieres

One side of the square is overlooked by the town hall, and on the opposite corner you can see a 17th century bell tower on the edge of the square that has an attractive lunar clock below the bell, in copper with a deep blue background, that was added in the 19th century.

Follow the Rue Rhilippe from the corner of the square to reach the ramparts and an original 13th century gateway into the town.

From here you can follow the Rue de la Citadelle and the Rue du Couvent to see some medieval houses, then head along Rue Saint Francois to the Place de l'Eglise to see the church and the Convent of the Recollets.

Originally a castle stood in this location and now there is a small public garden with the war memorial. This is interesting because it has very extensive views across the countryside to the south of Tournon d'Agenais.

 
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The other side of the main square there are more streets to explore, with the 13th century bishop's house called 'Abescat' (on Rue de l'Ecole) being the highlight.

This building was used as a church from the 17th to the 19th century and is now the village hall: take a look at the lovely stonework on the outside of the building.

A good day to visit Tournon d'Agenais is during its Foire aux Plantes which takes place at the beginning of May. During this time the centre of the village becomes a blaze of colour as specialist plant growers from miles around all come to display and sell their plants.

Tourtiere

The town is also known as being home to the 'tourtiere', a delicious dessert made from apples, thin sheets of flaky pastry, and some sort of alcohol based sauce. A tourtiere festival is held in Tournon d'Agenais each year in August, which would also be a perfect time to visit.

view across Lot-et-Garonne

Attractions nearby

Two more villages of particular interest to the west of Tournon d'Agenais are Penne d'Agenais and Pujols (Pujols is a listed 'most beautiful village in France').

To the north you can visit two very impressive castles - the Chateau de Bonaguil and the castle at Gavaudun.

You can find more travel ideas in the Lot-et-Garonne guide and the Aquitaine guide.

See also: 

Photos of Tournon d'Agenais

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Address: Tournon-d'Agenais, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Aquitaine, 47370, France || GPS coordinates: latitude 44.400833, longitude 0.996111

Plan your visit to Tournon d'Agenais, Lot-et-Garonne

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The French version of this page is at Tournon d'Agenais (Francais)

 
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