66 Best Sights in Toulouse and the Languedoc, France

When peace arrived in the late Middle Ages, the town prospered and many rich residents built pink-sandstone Gothic-style houses—a sizable number of which still line the main street, Grand-rue Raymond VII. Today, many are occupied by painters, sculptors, weavers, leatherworkers, and even creators of illuminated manuscripts, whose ateliers and stores lure the summer crowds.

The late-19th-century Halles in Béziers mirrors the style of the architect Baltard, who built the original Les Halles in Paris. This is a particularly beautiful example, with large stone cabbages gracing the entrance like urns.

One of the tallest and best of Toulouse's 49 towers can be seen at this privately owned 16th-century mansion.

This 16th-century mansion is notable for its lovely Romanesque wooden stairways and galleries and for its top-floor mirande, or wooden balcony.

Now part of a school, this mansion, around the corner from the Ensemble Conventuel des Jacobins, was built for Jean de Bernuy in the 16th century, the period when Toulouse was at its most prosperous. De Bernuy made his fortune exporting woad, the dark-blue dye that brought unprecedented wealth to the city; his success is reflected in the use of stone (a costly material in this region of brick) and by the octagonal stair tower. You can visit this mansion on one of the many themed city tours (€10); the Grands Monuments de Toulouse program includes a stop here.

One of the finest mansions on rue de la Dalbade is also known as the Hôtel de Pierre because of its unusually solid pierre (stone) construction, which was considered a sign of great wealth at the time. The ornately sculpted facade was designed by Nicolas Bachelier in the 16th century.

Look for the 17th-century biblical inscriptions carved in Latin in the stone under the windows.

Officially the Hôtel Beringuier Maynier, this building was dubbed the Vieux Raisin (Old Grape) after the early name of the street and even earlier inn. Built in the 15th and 16th centuries, the mansion has an octagonal tower, male and female figures on the facade, and allegorical sculptures of the three stages of life—infancy, maturity, and old age—over the windows to the left.

Adjoining the cathedral are a 14th-century cloister and the Jardin des Évêques, a terraced garden descending to the banks of the Orb. The views from here, which take in Béziers's five bridges, are magnificent.

Boulevard Henri IV runs north from the Promenade du Peyrou to France's oldest botanical garden, which was planted on order of Henri IV in 1593. An exceptional range of plants, flowers, and trees grows here.

Perpignan's alluring town center is lined with rosemary bushes and landmarked by a medieval monument, the 14th-century Castillet, with its tall, crenellated twin towers. Originally this hulking brick building was the main gate to the city; later it was used as a prison. Now the Casa Pairal, a museum devoted to Catalan art and traditions, is housed here.

Take a look at Albi's finest restored traditional house, the Maison du Vieil Albi.

Real fans of painter Toulouse-Lautrec may want to snap a photo of his birthplace, the Maison Natale de Toulouse-Lautrec, which remains a private residence.

The small museum has relics from the town's medieval past, plus items uncovered during excavations of the 372-foot-deep Cordes Well.

No Matissses hold pride of place at the town's Musée d'Art Moderne, but the collection of 180 works deftly sums up the influence the artist had on this cité des peintures (city of paintings). Works by Cocteau, Valtat, and others are impressively housed in a picturesque, ivy-shrouded villa on a beautiful hillside site.

The real draw in the Ville Basse (newer, lower portion of Carcassonne), this museum houses a nice collection of porcelain, 17th- and 18th-century Flemish paintings, and works by local artists—including some stirring battle scenes by Jacques Gamelin (1738–1803).

This museum is worthwhile for the building itself as much as for its collection of Toulouse memorabilia, paintings, sculptures, and documents. Be sure to note the ground-floor fireplace and wooden ceiling.

From crowd-packed Place de la Comédie, Boulevard Sarrail leads north past the shady Esplanade Charles de Gaulle to this rich, renowned art museum. The building—combining a 17th-century hôtel, a vast Victorian wing with superb natural light, and a remnant of a Baroque Jesuit college—is a mixed bag of architectural styles. The collection inside is surprisingly big, thanks to the museum's namesake, a Montpellier native. François-Xavier Fabre, a student of the great 18th-century French artist David, established roots in Italy and acquired a formidable collection of masterworks—which he then donated to his hometown, supervising the development of this fine museum. Among his gifts were the Mariage Mystique de Sainte Catherine, by Veronese, and Poussin's coquettish Venus et Adonis. Later contributions include a superb group of 17th-century Flemish works (Rubens, Steen), a collection of 19th-century French canvases (Géricault, Delacroix, Corot, Millet) that inspired Gauguin and Van Gogh, and a growing group of 20th-century acquisitions that buttress a legacy of paintings by early Impressionist Frédéric Bazille.

For proof that life is indeed sweet in Cordes-sur-Ciel, visit this two-room museum dedicated to sugar and chocolate. It showcases the confectionery creations of noted chef Yves Thuriès.

This museum, dedicated to medieval applied arts, is housed in the Hôtel Pierre Besson, a 17th-century mansion.

The city's archaeological museum, next to the Basilica of St-Sernin, has an extensive collection of imperial Roman busts, as well as ancient coins, vases, and jewelry. It's second only to the Louvre in the richness of its sculptures and Gallo-Roman vestiges.

Originally called Sancta Maria de Ecclesia Alba in Langue d'Oc and Ste-Marie de l'Église Blanche in French (alba and blanche both meaning "white"), the name of this church evolved into "de Albata" and later "Dalbade." Ironically, one of its outstanding features today is the colorful 19th-century ceramic tympanum over the Renaissance door.

The 18th-century Notre-Dame de la Daurade overlooks the Garonne. The church's name—derived from doré (gilt)—refers to the golden reflection given off by mosaics decorating the 5th-century temple to the Virgin Mary that once stood on this site. It's also known as Notre-Dame la Noire, a nod to the church's "Black Virgin," a figure of devout worship and dressed in special finery by designers, including Christian Lacroix.

Built on the spot where St-Saturnin (or Sernin), the martyred bishop of Toulouse, was dragged to his death in AD 250 by a rampaging bull, this church is famous for its cloche-mur, or wall tower. The wall looks like an extension of the facade and has inspired many similar versions throughout the region.

At the end of Boulevard du Boramar is the 17th-century church of Notre-Dame-des-Anges. It has exuberantly carved, gilded churrigueresque altarpieces by celebrated Catalan master Joseph Sunyer and a pink-dome bell tower that doubled as the original lighthouse.

Richly sculpted cloisters link the cathedral to the former Palais des Archevêques, home to collections covering archaeology, art, and history. Note the Donjon Gilles-Aycelin and its late-13th-century keep; climb the 162 steps to the top for a view over the town and surrounding region.

The Spanish influence is evident in Perpignan's leading monument, the fortified Palais des Rois de Majorque, begun in the 13th century by Jacques II of Majorca. Highlights here are the majestic Cour d'Honneur (Courtyard of Honor), the two-tier Flamboyant Gothic chapel of Ste-Croix Marie-Madelene, and the Grande Salle (Great Hall), with its monumental fireplaces.

To see some interesting medieval buildings, walk along the Petite Rue des Fabriques d'En Nabot—near Le Castillet—to the adjacent Place de la Loge, the town's nerve center.

The number of bistros and brasseries increases as you leave the Vieille Ville to cross Place des Martyrs, and if you veer right down Rue de la Loge, you emerge onto the festive gathering spot known as Place de la Comédie. Anchored by the neoclassical 19th-century Opéra-Comédie, this broad square is a beehive of leisurely activity, a cross between Barcelona's Ramblas and a Roman passeggiata (afternoon stroll, en masse). Eateries and entertainment venues draw crowds, but the real pleasure is getting here and seeing who came before, wearing what, and with whom.

Set beside the river, Place de la Daurade ranks among the city's nicest squares. The corner of the quay offers a romantic view of the Garonne, the Hôtel Dieu on the other bank, and the pretty Pont Neuf. A stop at Café des Artistes is almost obligatory.