A stop on the road to Santiago de Compostela, Conques boasts splendid residences with reddish stonework and slate roofs, as well as a superb church, each detail of which is more beautiful than the last. The Fau Museum is well worth a visit.

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques, pictured here, was built in the 11th century and is recognised as a masterpiece of Romanesque art. The tympanum, depicting the Last Judgement, is the church's most famous feature, and the stained-glass windows were redesigned by Pierre Soulages.

Difficulty ***