On the banks of the River Lot, Estaing is dominated by its 11th-century castle. Built by the illustrious Estaing family (former president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing acquired it in 2005), it mixes Romanesque, gothic and renaissance styles and is open to the public in summer. The village is on the Camino de Santiago, and its 16th-century bridge is Unesco-listed. Its narrow streets have hardly changed over the centuries.
In summer, there’s a son et lumière show on Wednesdays; a Nuit Lumière festival on 15 August sees the village lit by candles; and there’s a medieval weekend in September. With mountains, rivers and gorges nearby, Estaing is a good base, and there are hiking trails from the village.
