Toulouse

The perfect antidote to the numerous medieval villages of the area is a trip south to Toulouse.  Within 40 minutes you can be in the centre of this important southern city.  Built almost entirely of pink brick the city has a unique style and beauty, especially in the sunlight of a Mediterranean summers day.

The industrial life of the city revolves around the aerospace industry, while a top class university gives it a lively and youthful atmosphere.  Built on the banks of the river Garonne, the old city is manageable on foot. The main squares are the Place du Capitol and the place Wilson, both offering great places to sit and watch the world go by.  On the cultural trail St. Sernin is an excellent place to start.  It is the most famous of the great pilgrimage churches of southern France. The present building was begun in the late 11th century and completed in the 14th.  The donation of relics by Charlemagne made it a centre for pilgrimmage and a stopping off place for the Compostella pilgrims.  The musee St. Raymond houses the archaeological museum.  Les Jacobins is the "mother church" of the Dominican order founded in Toulouse in 1216.  There are various museums tracing the history of the city and guided tours are organised by the tourist office which is situated in the old capitol building just behind the new one. 

There are also several interesting markets in Toulouse, worth mentioning is the flea-market around St. Sernin on Sunday mornings.  No description of the city is complete without the mention of woad, the blue dye that led many of the city merchants to great wealth and is responsible for the numerous fine private mansions, an example of which may be found in the Hotel d'Assezat.  There are also several splendid chateaux to the north of Toulouse and one or two could be combined with a day trip to the city.

Aveyron Gorges

From your base you may head north east and follow the river Aveyron with its steep gorges along a most picturesque scenic route past the medieval towns of Montricoux, Bruniquel (one of the most beautiful villages in France), and Penne with its historically important castle, before reaching the pretty town of St. Antonin-Noble-Val famed for its wealth of 13th - 15th century houses built by merchants who had grown rich on the cloth trade.  The ancient hotel de ville built in 1125 is one of the oldest examples of civic architecture in France, together with the covered market it forms a wonderful backdrop to the main square where you can enjoy a relaxing drink outside the local bar to recover from the exertions of your sightseeing tour.

Albi

Your drive to Albi, the city that gave its name to the crusade against the Cathars, will take you through the wonderful vineyards of the Gaillac region.  It is among the oldest wine growing regions in France and produces a consistently high quality wine, which can be sampled by visiting one of the many vineyards.  While in Gaillac itself visit the abbey church of St. Michel, founded by the Benedictines in the 7th century.   Also at the Parc de Foucard you will find gardens laid out by Andre Le Notre, of Versailles fame.  Albi is a most attractive town with lots to do and see.

Moissac

Our third itinery takes us west past Montauban and onto the town of Moissac about 30 km away.  The town lies among countryside covered with orchards and vineyards, it is most famous for its abbey church of St. Pierre and its Romanesque cloisters.  At its height the abbey was a stopover point for pilgrims on the route to St. James at Compostello, after passing through Cahors and Conques, both of which are within an easy distance to visit, pilgrims would rest here before taking the ferry across the junction of the Tarn and Garonne rivers.