A Beautiful Village Rocamadour, France

Picture a charming medieval village built of stone houses and cobblestone streets. And imagine that village being built into the side of a rocky mountain. Rocamadour, France is that village and it is incredibly beautiful. Today I am sharing a peek at our stop in this charming old village in southwest France.

Rocamadour, France

One of the best things about having a car in Europe was the ability to get off the main roads and ways to travel- and to make stops anywhere that looked inviting. When we were staying in the sweet village house in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val we studied the road maps and villages in the area to see where we wanted to explore. One of the villages that was off the route but along the way was Rocamadour.

Exploring Rocamadour

I was familiar with Rocamadour from seeing various social media posts about it. It looked like an absolutely beautiful village and the scenery looked right up our alley. After we stopped at the village of Saint-Circ-Lapopie– we got on the road over to Rocamadour.

Through the meadows and woods and all kinds of countryside charm- and up and down a winding road. We reached a small village and then as we rounded the corner- off in the distance you could see a most beautiful village peeking out of a foggy mist.

We parked the car and climbed the steps (a whole lot of them) up to the village and started to explore.

Things to Note About Rocamadour

A few things to know if you are planning a visit below:

You get a great leg workout

There are a whole Lot of Stairs to climb in Rocamadour. The village is terraced on several levels and each one has a decent set of stairs. And on top of that- there is a path that climbs even higher to the tower on the top. There is an elevator if you prefer- but I do not know the details on that cost. And there is also a road that takes you up to the very top – which we discovered AFTER we climbed all the way up. We just considered it leg day that day.

The Views Are Beautiful

The Views Are Incredible. From any level of Rocamadour you can look out across the countryside and the views of the river valley and countryside scenary are breathtaking. Once you get to the very top- there is a clock tower where you can climb even higher – but be prepared to pay to access it.

Narrow Streets & Parking

Parking is plentiful but be careful on the road. When we first drove in on the narrow road to Rocamadour, we almost got taken out by a tour bus. The roads are VERY SMALL. We had to drive up onto the sidewalk areas and even then the bus driver (who literally did a 300 point turnaround on that tiny road to reverse direction) was having a heck of a time getting past us. Of course there were a backlog of cars behind us so we were all captive until the bus was able to move. The parking is below the village and there is quite a bit of it.

Chapelle Notre Dame

The Chapelle Notre Dame is a beautiful church in the village and there is a lot of religious importance in this village including several chapels & the Black Madonna statue believed to be from the 12th century.

Top of the rock trail. There is a trail called The Way of the Cross that winds from the sanctuary to the top of the mountain. There are stations along the way that depict different scenes of Christ’s walk from Jerusalem to Mount Calvary.

The Main Street can be quite busy. Lots of folks stop to take in the charm and beauty Rocamadour offers. Go in the off season or early in the morning (or in the rain) for fewer crowds.

Rocamadour is a Must Stop

Rocamadour is an absolutely charming village that appears out of nowhere on the side of a cliff. Just seeing it from the distance is worth the drive that direction, but wandering the streets and climbing the steps is a lovely way to spend a few hours enjoying all the charm it has.

Have you been to Rocamadour before? What did you think of this hillside medieval village? Up next, another charming village and a stay in the French countryside.

Happy Monday.