Albi...please give me some advice.
 

I will be spending a week in Albi, France while my husband is meeting with clients. I would love some suggestions for sightseeing and restaurants. I have done a little research but we just found out that we will be making this trip and I do not have much time to plan.
Thanks so much
1jan1

First of all you must know of the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum and in France, it's the only city built with a cathedral to double as a fortress.
Its called the red town because of the red bricks. Í hope to go back.

The Bishop's Garden is in a sunken area just to the right of the cathedral's entrance--beautiful when the flowers are in bloom. The town is small and easy to walk around in; on a day trip you could drive down to Carcassone or other points south.

St Cecilia's cathedral at Albi is a tall, brick building with quite a distinctive fortress-like external appearance whose ambience, when I visited last June, was spoilt a lot by extensive road works in the near vicinity. The interior has Gothic vaults supported by large columns braced by enclosed aisle chapels in the Spanish style. The interior walls are totally decorated, probably in original medieval style. There is a magnificent organ mounted high over the main altar.
I had a very pleasant lunch at 'La Table Au Somelier', which, as its name suggests, has a most extensive and reasonably-priced wine list. The ambience was relaxed and friendly, and this was a very good restaurant.
I also visited places mentioned in the posts above, the gardens of the Berbi Palace, which are very formal in the 16th century French style, and the Palace itself which is now a very comprehensive Toulouse-Lautrec museum.
The Centre Ville is pedestrianised to a large extent, and delightful to stroll around.
Finally, resist the temptation to shout out 'You're all heretics! Albi was, after all, the centre of the 'Albigensian Heresy' in the 13th century, and there were quite a few atrocities in the general area as the heresy was put down. Simon De Montfort might still be a feared name in those parts.

I didn't think St Cecile was special anyway from the outside but- when you go in Bolognese artists were imported to fresco every available surface except for those niches where the saints are.. that huge wall with the last judgment and that gilded choir!

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. I am looking forward to this week and your suggestions will certainly give me a good start.
1jan1

If you have a car, you might want to take a day trip to Cordes and Najac, north of Albi.

Hi 1,

Take a look at the Albi and region of my trip report for some suggestions:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

((I))

We ate at Le Quatre Saisons restaurant and were very impressed with everything about it. One of our best meals!!

http://lejardindes4saisons.chez-alice.fr/