Trip Report: Southwestern France
 

I went with five friends on a two-week road trip through la France profonde, deep France, the last two weeks of August. I walked through part of this area on the Chemin de Compostelle a decade ago, but it was the first time in this part of France for the rest of the gang. It was an amazing two weeks, and the trip reports on Fodors were invaluable in helping me plan the trip. I've been negligent in getting my own trip written. It's time.

Here was our route:

• Four nights Toulouse
• Two nights Figeac
• Two nights at a rural gite in the Lot Department
• Five nights Sarlat-la-Canéda
• Two nights Saint-Émilion
• Final night at the airport hotel, Toulouse

Allons-y!

Toulouse, Arrival

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Toulouse was hot - 102F the evening we arrived. We stayed at Hotel Les Capitouls Toulouse Centre, which was an easy walk from the train station, and an easy walk to the historic district. We waited until the sun was going down before starting our exploration.

I noticed right away that Toulouse felt more local than touristic. We had been told that Toulouse wasn't a vacation destination, which - for me - made it the perfect vacation destination.

We picked a random cafe on the Place du Capitole for a light dinner, and it was nothing special. I had done a lot of research into restaurants, and had reservations for a lot of places. That paid off. Picking a random cafe on the main square? We had the most mediocre meal of the trip.

Toulouse, Day 1

Adventure 1: The Toulouse Gourmet Food and History Tour with Alejandro, our private professional chef. We had seven stops; seven stories; seven southwestern French treats. It was a great way to start a vacation!

*** We spent the morning with Toulouse Gourmet Tours. It' a history and culinary tour run by Alejandro, a professional chef. We had seven stops; seven stories; seven southwestern French treats. It was a great way to start a vacation!

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Alejandro prepares rillettes d’oie - slow cooked goose meat


We spent most of the afternoon back in our rooms enjoying the air-conditioning and catching up on sleep, but rallied later in the afternoon for an apéro and then a dinner at ** Molette. Planning ahead paid off - this dinner was excellent!

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Fricassée de poulet à la moutarde; a “black wine” of Cahors

Your trip sounds amazing! We stayed in Sarlat many years ago while visiting the Dordogne, and we love that region. Sarlat is a great base. Your gourmet and history tour sounds wonderful. Looking forward to more.

Toulouse Day 2

Today we did our own walking tour of the gardens of Toulouse, wandering through the Grand Rond, Jardin Royal, and Jardin des Plantes. All of these were close together. I'm an urban planner, and one of our crew an architect, so this was right up our alley. Toulouse has some beautiful urban green spaces; I wish we had more in the US.

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In the Jardin des Plantes

It was Monday, so a lot of restaurants were closed. We wandered back to the historic center to have lunch at Au Gascon. They are known for their cassoulet, but it was still too hot to even ponder a heavy dish like that. I tried a lot of southwestern specialties over the course of this trip, but never did manage to have cassoulet. I guess I'll have to go back. Lunch was fine, but this isn't a restaurant you need to go out of your way for.

After lunch we visited the Basilique Saint-Sernin. According to legend, Sernin was sent as a missionary to the pagan city of Tolosa. When he refused to sacrifice a bull to the emperor, the Romans tied his feet to the bull & had it drag him through the streets., After this we went back for our obligatory nap.

We tried something different for dinner, a self-guided wine and cheese pairing at ** Les petits crus. You choose your theme (creamy, voluptuous, passionate, capricious, or chouchou) & you are served six wines and cheeses based on your desires. There is a guide to talk you through the tasting. I thought it was a great idea, but I am more into wine and cheese than my friends are.

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The chouchou plate
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I was the only one who followed the directions and actually paired the wine and cheese. Or who even read the cards.

It was another early night for us - most of us are over 60, and our days of staying out late are mostly behind us.

I’ve visited all the places on your itinerary and loved them! I’m on for the ride!

Toulouse Day 3: Day trip to Carcassonne

It was only our third day, and we were already adapting quite nicely into the French way of life. Whoever got up first would head to the nearest boulangerie or market, and pick up pastries for the rest of us. If you visit, keep in mind that the proper word in the south for a chocolate-filled pastry is chocolatine, not pain au chocolat!

It was an easy 60-minute train ride to Carcassonne. The train drops you off in La Bastide, the lower town, where we lingered in the main square, Place Carnot, over a second breakfast. I get the impression that more tourists stay here, and take day trips to Toulouse, rather than stay in Toulouse. I'm glad we were in the city.

It was another thirty minutes, roughly, to the citadel. It was fantastic ... from the outside.

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Approaching the Cité de Carcassonne

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Unfortunately, the inside was absolutely packed with people. And I mean jam packed on every street. It was the end of August, so tourist season was slowing down; this was one of the few places that still had huge crowds. We had a slow lunch, hoping that the crowds would thin in the afternoon. They didn't. It was a bit exhausting.

We had an excellent lunch at least, in the rooftop garden at ** La table d'Alaïs. If you are visiting the city, definitely make a reservation here ahead of time.

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L’oeuf parfait - a “perfect egg” with cream of pea with mint, bacon, croutons

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Roasted octopus with parmesan polenta, squid ink cream, white wine emulsion

Day 4: Toulouse > Albi > Figeac

We picked up two rental cars and hit the road on Day 4. I had planned on stopping in Cordes-sur-Ciel for lunch, but at the last minute changed the plan & took the group to Albi. And that was an excellent choice - Albi was just gorgeous.

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On the Tarn

The drive was easy, though parking was confusing. We visited the Sainte-Cecile Cathedral of Albi, at lunch, then spent the afternoon at the excellent Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, We spent a lot more time exploring Albi than we were expecting to. I had to encourage my friends to pick up the pace a bit at the end, as we still had a few hours of driving left.

The drive to Figeac was interesting - our GPS units sent our cars to different exits from Albi, and we ended up on two separate routes to Figeac. My car ended up on a narrow country road that took us through dark woods and tiny medieval towns that looked like they belonged in fairy tales. We only saw a few cars most of the drive, which I'm thankful for - the road was only wide enough for one! The other car also ended up on small rural roads, though they said that their road was wide enough for 1.5 cars.

I knew not to drive in Figeac, and we parked in the municipal lot by the river, just outside the historic district. The other car did not take my advice, and tried to drive in the medieval center. They were properly traumatized and vowed not to do it again.

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Park by the River!

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Because Figeac was not built for cars.

Our home for two nights was the Hôtel Mercure Figeac Viguier du Roy, a stone mansion that had been converted into a boutique hotel.

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Courtyard at the Mercure

Day 5, Figeac

We had no plans today beyond just hanging out and exploring the town. Figeac is one of my favorite small towns, and a great spot to have a rest day. That evening there was a festival in the main square, with music and lots of food booths. We had two more southwestern specialties - one potato and cheese dish (aligot) and one potato, cheese, and ham dish (I forgot the name).

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Here's us, going local

What a fantastic trip! On my bucket list..

What a wonderful region, looking forward to read more. We had a wonderful trip to the Dordogne and Lot back in 2017, covering a lot of the places you mentioned - this is a timely reminder to return!

Michael, I am really enjoying your report and photos. We visited France quite frequently when our oldest daughter lived there for 10 years. They are back in the US now, so we haven't been to France for 3 years. Your report brings back lots of fond memories. We enjoyed visiting Carcassonne with our young grandchildren. They loved it. We were there in 2021, during Covid, so it wasn't as crowded as you mention. I remember having an excellent dinner at a restaurant inside the citadel, dining outside in the evening, and being awed by the illuminated fortress.

You certainly have had some delicious meals! And I get a chuckle out of some of your comments, such as your friends being "properly traumatized" when trying to drive through Figeac. :)

Following along too. I've not really explored France outside of Paris.

Looking forward to more. Loved our time in the area. More photos to go with your interesting commentary please.

I am also enjoying your report and photos. The south west is one of our favourite areas in France. We have spent quite a few weeks in various parts and reading your report is bringing back happy memories. Looking forward to more.

You are spot on that random wandering into a cafe or restaurant is not a good strategy. In fact, it is no strategy at all. Your food photos look like a dream.

I must get to Figeac. My kind of place. They have more activities and festivals there than just about anywhere. There is always something going on. The potato, cheese, and ham dish might have been a truffade.

Sounds like an ideal trip, and I look forward to reading the rest.

Hallo michael_cain & friends,

I'm another huge fan of the southwest, which is a new discovery for me. I've been to Sarlat twice, and absolutely love the town. I was in Saint-Émilion only once and am dying to go back and just relax and enjoy the ambiance. I haven't been to Bordeaux, though I aim to spend time there on my next trip, dreamed for Spring 2027.

I did spend time in Figeac, in that same wonderful hotel. It's a lovely town. I did the self-guided walk from the TI. Just lovely.

I didn't know enough not to try to drive into town ... and me without a navigator (except the car's GPS: " ...am I supposed to turn into that impossibly narrow lane that will demolish my side mirrors???") I ended up calling the hotel, and they sent someone out to guide me to the hotel. Getting to the hotel's parking lot on the edge of town was much easier. When I left, the staff asked if I wanted them to watch my luggage while I got the car and drove to the hotel.... NO!!! Uh, no thank you. I can walk to the parking lot with my suitcase.

Really looking forward to more, though it will be torture...

Thanks for posting this!

s

Ooops, sorry, I misread; you didn't make it to Bordeaux!

s

michael_cain_77398 im loving this report! I have never beeen to this part of France and would love to visit some time. OTOH needing a rental car and issues with GPS and parking gives me a pause... Almost 20 years ago DH and I rented a car for Loire Valley and that was the last time he agreed to drive in Europe!

looking forward to the next installment.

yk, we travelled to Toulouse, Bayonne, San Sebastien and Madrid in February of 2024, all on public transport. No issues at all. Also enjoying your current trip report.
michael_cain_77398 I am really enjoying your report!

Yk, while a rental car certainly simplified our travel and expanded our options in southwestern France, you can enjoy quite a few towns and cities by train and bus. Fewer stops per day, that’s all.
Michael, loving this report. Thank you!

You can take a train to both Albi and Figeac, I did. But 2 different days. I was staying in Brive la Gaillarde, though, for the Figeac trip.

. They listened to me the next time when I said "don't drive into the historic quarter!" And I think we just hit the wrong day at Carcassonne.

. In my mind there are two separate places, "Paris" and "France." Both are great, but they are not the same!

I'll take any excuse to post more photos.

. Same here, the southwest just stands out for me. And it is so relatively undiscovered.

. Truffade! I couldn't recall the name; that was it. Regarding just picking a cafe at random - sometimes I think I am overthinking things, or overplanning. But it pays off, doesn't it?

. The other car ended up calling the hotel for rescue also. I was perfectly fine parking by the river & walking a bit.

. The only real GPS issues were that we were in two cars, and were always sent on two different routes! We would have never known if we were just in one car. The driving was fine, the only time I was really stressed was driving at night in the Dordogne, where I wanted to stay under 30 km and other cars would end up lining up behind me. I pulled over a lot.