Albi, France
 

I have an opportunity to spend a week or so in lae May at a home located outside Albi. Having made a only flying visit a long time ago, I would like to learn a bit about the area before committing to this trip. Stu Dudley or others familar with the area..??

Specifically, would you outline a couple of day trips that I might take from there and givbe general comments about Albi? Toulouse is a given, of course, and I have no desire to return to Carcasonne.

We are interested in markets. Would I have any hope of visiting the Isle sur Sorgue market on an overnight from the Albi area? (We will rent a car)

While I would probably fly to Toulouse from the US, my friend will be arriving from Epernay; are there easy train connections from the Champagne area to Toulouse?

This has sprung up at a time when I am busily planning other travel adventures so I have not addressed it with my usual obsessiveness...would love to hear general comments...many thanks!

Albi was the religious capital of the Cathars (aka les albigeois), the home-town of Toulouse-Lautrec and an industrial city in the 19th century (coal mines in Carmaux)
Visits : cathedral Sainte Cécile, Toulouse-Lautrec museum.

In the area : Cordes, Castres, Lautrec.

L'Isle sur Sorgue would be a very long drive from Albi.

In Albi, visit the Toulouse Lautrec musum. Albi has the only cathedral in France built to double as a fortress.
The drive through the Gorge of Tarn is wonderful.

Thanks...how many hours would it be by car from the Albi area?

Any great markets around Albi? I am not looking for "sights" but rather more for a feel of what the area is like in terms of scenery, food, interesting small towns or villages, etc.

I am asking because depite having an entire shelf crammed with books on France, a brief look turned up nothing on Albi..I thought it was in the Languedoc-Roussillon region but now know better!

Thank you, Cigale. I remember the fabulous Gorges du Tarn from a trip a long time ago when our brakes failed on the rental car going downhill! I will certainly do that drive again as it was truly fantastic! Hopefully with better brakes!

What about interesting towns to mosey around in? Great markets?

Hi EK,

Albi is about 2 hr from Carcassone via Graulhet.

You Can be in Narbonne and the shores of the Med in about 3 hr.

You can get to Peche Merle in about 2 hr.

((I))

Albi to Castres takes less than an hour.
Lautrec is somewhere in between.
Cordes is less than an hour too.
There is a market in Castres on Wed. and Sat. morning (+ a Goya museum).
in Albi : market every morning except Monday.

Ira, thanks but if you read my post I said that I do NOT want to re-visit Carcassone. Can you tell me something about Narbonne since you mentioned it? Not sure I would want to drive 3 hours just to be on the Med..

Thank you, PV.

Hi ek,

>Ira, thanks but if you read my post I said that I do NOT want to re-visit Carcassone.<

Maybe your companion will? :)

>Can you tell me something about Narbonne since you mentioned it? Not sure I would want to drive 3 hours just to be on the Med..<

See http://www.le-guide.com/narbonne.html

Have you visited the Med before?

We were there in Sept, and Narbonne Plage was a beautiful sandy beach on the edge of a gloriously blue ocean.

((I))

Thanks, Ira. To answer your question, I have been to the Med more times than I can count and I believe I have been on its shores in every country bordering it with the exception of Libya. I just don't think that I would drive 3 hours in each direction to go to the beach. But if Narbonne is an interesting city I will keep it in mind. What about the area around Albi? I am trying to decide whether or not to take this trip...

Sorry to be asking such obvious questiions here. Thanks to all who respond.

Cordes is a wonderful hill town close to Albi. The drive through the Gorge de l'Aveyron is beautiful.

My Languedoc-Roussillon Iinerary hits that area a bit. E-mail me at [email protected] if you wanta copy.

I have not found any markets in France as interesting for the tourist as the one in l'Isle sur la Sorgue with antiques, food, Provence fabric, soap, crafts, other tourists, etc. The ones in the Albi region are less toursity and more geared for the people who need to buy stuff at markets to use on a day-to-day basis. That includes cars, matresses, sewing machines, food, etc.

Just north of Albi there is a very colorful market in Villefranche de Rouergue. The market is in a "sunken" town square, and they set up colorful umbrellas. It's quite picturesque. Lots of photos ops. There is also a rag market associated with this market, but you can ignore that. Villefranche also has one of my wife's favorite houseware shops (details in the itinerary).

There is also a good Sunday market in St Antonin Noble Var - just northwest of Albi. I've purchased lots of Magrets & foie gras there. The town is interesting also. It's located in the Gorge de l'Aveyron, which is a very scenic area to explore (details in the itinerary). It would be a great area to visit on a Sunday. There are several other cute villages in this region.

Further northwest, Caussade has one of the most remarkable outdoor food markets I've seen in France. We were there in Cep season, and there must have been 10 different vendors selling cepes from 6 or so different regions. If you like to see the foods of France, this market is excellent. There is also a nice garden shops there selling plants, seeds, etc. The town is not that interesting.

The bastide town of Castelnau de Montmiral is one of my 3 favorite Bastide towns. Lisle sur Tarn is also a nice Bastide town.

Cordes, of course, is one of the most famous perched villages in the south of France, (and is close by) but I like Conques more.

Revel has a very picturesque covered market, but I've never actually visited there on market day, which I think is Saturday.

Here is a site where you can determine the days all the above mentioned markets are held. They are in the Aveyron, Tarn, and Tarn-et-Garonne departments.
http://www.livingfrance.com/lvfra/co...ault.asp?id=15

You will need Michelin Map # 338.

Get the Michelin Green Guide for the languedoc, and my itinerary & you're on your way.

Stu Dudley

Cordes is a wonderful place to visit, there's an outdoor restaurant under chestnut trees at the top of the main street. I want to cross that incredible bridge in Millau again :)

Hi EK,

Castelnau de Montmiral and Cordes sur Ciel are both worth a visit.
(We didn't actually get to Cordes because of my wife's vertigo.)

Figeac is under 2 hr away.

Peche Merle is highly recommended.

((I))

I was writing my post when you posted that you are uncertain about visiting this area. We stayed in a Gite near there for 1 week in '02. We enjoyed the region so much that we returned the next year for 1 more week. It is a very picturesque area - lots of very pretty villages, scenic drives, gorges, markets, etc.

Stu Dudley

It's a wonderful region. In addition to the many places already mentioned, there is the pretty lakeside un-resort town of St-Férréol, Gaillac, Castelnaudary, and Rodez.

You could easily spend weeks around there.

I would not bother driving to Ile-sur-la-Sorgue just for the market. I mean, it's a good market, but there are fabulous markets all over France.

Who -- WHO?? -- would NOT visit Albi, given the chance?

The Toulouse Lautrec museum is larger and more scholarly than I would have expected. And the garden behind it is surely one of the finest in France. The cathedral exterior alone is worth the trip (the interior is a tad polychromatic for my taste, but the choir is a masterpiece).

Nearby, you can visit -- in the immediate vicinity of Castelnau-de -Montmiral -- the charming villages of Bruniquel and Puycelsi. Near famous Cordes is half-ruined Penne. And if you want to wander further North, visit Monpezat de Quercy.

Ok ok..Tegdale you are right. You all have been so helpful, as usual. Stu, I will write to you for the itinerary. Thanks to all.

Ira, I made a mistake above; I have not been to Syria so have not been on the Mediterranean shores in that country. This has been bothering me all night so am making the correction..

Hi ek,

How was Albania?

((I))

Ira I have only been to the border of Albania, not inside. However, I counted Albania as being on the Adriatic. Perhaps that is a stretch; it should be exempted from my total. And yes, I have been to Lebanon, which I know you will think of next!!

Just wanted to thank everyone who provided helpful sugggestions. Cordes and the Millau Bridge and the Gorges d'Aveyron, along with all of those tempting markets that Stu and others have mentioned would add up to a great week if this trip comes to pass in late May. Just this tiny investigation has certainly piqued my interest and now I must do some reading.

Ira, I am not sure that a sandy beach and blue water would merit a 6 hour roundtrip drive, so we will likely leave Narbonne for a future trip. Unless we decide to return home from Barcelona which is doubtful but not out of the question....

ekscrunchy, we stayed in a hotel overlooking the sandy beach at St. Cyprien. That's about 2 1/2 hour drive on the autotoute

it takes 2 1/2 hours on the autoroute between Albi and St. Cyprian should you want a beach one day.

Thanks, Cigale. You are always helpful. The beach issue came up because Ira responded to my question about what to do in the Albi area by suggesting a drive to Narbonne...

Am I confused or are there two St. Cyprien's? Am I getting the name wrong on the market town in the Dordogne where I snagged great roast chickens and potatoes last fall? Tell me that this is not true, please.....do not condemn me to forced "country-arrest" for a period of one year, please!
More likely, one is St. Cyprien and the other is St. Cyprian...?

LOL. France has so many places with the same name. Plage St Cyptien is near Perpignan. And inland is Riversalts where our house wine comes from at the Chateaude Jau. There have an art gallery, an alfresco winetasting and lovely restaurant. Riversalts is also where many Jwish children were saved(including Elie Wiesel)

Thanks, Cigale. And speaking of winetasting, I just remembered that, Albi is close to Gaillac, one of the oldest grape growing regions in France and home of some good white wines!

But what and where is the Chateau de Jau?

For every night dinner wine, w buy the least expensive Jau de Jau. This is a hand written copy of the French Artist BEN on the label. It's inland from Perpignon. A lovely lady named Estelle Daure runs the Chateau.
http://www.martinsinkoffwines.com/daure.html

Thank you, Cigale. I will make note of the wine. Will do some reading and ask more questions when I am a bit better informed as far as geography and general overview....

Here is a small update to this post from a few months back. I am leaving this week for Paris, La Rochelle, and Cognac. From Cognac we will be driving not to Albi as originally planned, but to Monasties. I got lots of good information here on the driving route and possible lunch stops. If anyone cares to add information on Monasties and its surroundings, I would be grateful. We will have 3 nights and two full days here (at a friend's house) before flying back to the US via Toulouse and CDG.

La Rochelle, a dining suggestion,
Les Flots.

As you are likely a foodie, I would recommend visiting Roquefort (full name Roquefort-sur-Soulzon) which is right in the area.

It is a bit like Cognac, in that from this sleepy little backwater, an internationally famous product has been successful.

The town is nothing fancy,but visiting the caves is definitely worth a morning. You get to sample some really unctuous and incredible local versions which are not generally available elsewhere, as well as the major brands.

It is so quaintly rural France, that the last time we were there several years ago, we could not get a coffee in any bar... a ballon of wine at 9:00am no problem, but no coffee. One place told us they were actually "thinking about getting a machine"!

You will have to book elsewhere to get a great meal, but it is a stop you won't forget and might be interesting to compare with Cognac, which is also rather sleepy and lost in time. Best, Rouss

Thanks to both of you. Cigale I will plan a dinner at Les Flots. We have two nights there and the people from Cognac also recommended Restaurant Andre. We are staying at the St. Jean in La Rochelle. Do you think I need to reserve more than a day in advance at Les Flots?

I visited Roquefort many years ago, I think it was on my second trip to France (shows where my priorities were even that many years ago..) but because I remember so little about the cave tour, I would be interested in a second visit if we venture that far west...

I am feeling frustrated because I could not find a good guidebook to the Albi area; I usually use Cadogan but I am not finding Albi in any of their books...not do I find La Rochelle in any of my guides..

The Hachette Vacances, France by the French in the edition Poitou Charente & the Vendee

http://france-for-visitors.com/atlan...lle/index.html

this is a helpful site.

Thanks! I see that I made a mistake about Roquefort..the town with the cheese (Roquefort-sur-Soulzon) is near Millau; there seems to be another Roquefort near Agen.

EK -trust you will post again should a future trip take you to Albi. I only saw this thread today, thought I'd mention that the Toulouse Lautrec home in Albi has for many years been owned by the family of a friend of mine. I don't know that it is every open to the public, although I believe it is a landmark so possibly has some open times. Anyway, a tour might conceivably be arranged.

I've never seen it myself, but I'm told it's quite special.
Tom

The Michelin Green Guide to the Languedoc has good info about Albi & the surrounding region. My Languedoc itinerary has my favorite villages, drives, etc for the area. We stayed close by for 2 weeks a few years back.

The Atlantic Coast Michelin Green Guide has info about La Rochelle.

We'll be in La Rochelle for two days in late August. We're planning on dining at les Flot, but are looking for another place the second night. Let us know what you think about Les Flots & anyplace else. It would be helpful to also read about the particular "plats" you had.

Stu Dudley

I had the Grilled lobster, something they do not do well here in New England.
His father's restaurant is considered the best in town. Richard Countanceau.

Lobster...

The week before our trip to La Rochelle, we'll visit our closest friends who live on the coast of Maine. We'll probaly have lobster every night - they usually catch about 50 per year. A few days after La Rochelle - we'll stay in a Gite on the northern coast in Brittany for 2 weeks - lobster again. I think I'll pass on lobster in La Rochelle.

Several years ago, we visited our friends in Maine & had lobster several ways and many times. That same year we also visited a different section of Brittany (near Dinan), and had lobster. Both my wife & I felt the Lobster in Maine was better - what do you think?

Stu Dudley

Yes, We have great Fresh lobsters here but always steamed. The flamed grilled is a special treat,except these days the lobster prices are way out of budget, lobster meat going for $45 a pound.