La Metairie Neuve

St.Julien du Puy

Activities & Days Out

The local area is beautiful and varied with plenty to see and do. The city of Albi, within 30 minutes drive, is a stunning example of mediaeval architecture with the largest brick built cathedral in the world at its centre. The cobbled streets in the city centre are lined with fashionable boutiques and outdoor cafés. For those in search of culture, the City is home to the excellent and recently renovated Toulouse Lautrec Museum, the famous painter having been born nearby. Also worth visiting is a museum to Laperouse, France’s most famous mariner, and other local history museums. For further information on Albi, see http://www.albi-tourisme.fr

A similar distance from the house is Castres, another beautiful old city with the River Agout winding through its centre. Some of the tall narrow shop houses are built so close to the river’s edge, they look like they are about to topple in. The Goya Museum houses the biggest collection of Spanish paintings in France outside the Louvre. A river boat cruise offers the best vantage point for admiring the city’s unusual architecture, and takes you out to the Parc Gourjade, a large attractive park where you can enjoy a picnic or the adventure playground. Alternatively, a short drive on beyond Castres leads you in to the Sidobre, a national park offering walks amongst scenery of outstanding natural beauty. For more information on Castres and its environs, see: http://france-for-visitors.com/languedoc/castres.html

The house itself is within both the ‘Val Du Dadou’ and the ‘pays du cocagne’ tourist areas. 6 miles away is the attractive walled town of Lautrec (http://ot.lautrec.free.fr/) where they produce a famous pink garlic and hold an annual festival in that herb’s honour every year. We would also recommend a visit to Cordes sur Ciel in the north of the Tarn and to some of the vineyards in the Gaillac wine growing area nearby. There are also two 18 hole golf courses nearby and opportunities for horse riding and canoeing. For the more adventurous there is a huge leisure centre at Carmaux called Cap Decouverte (http://www.capdecouverte.com) with dry ski slopes, water ski-ing, skateboard park, and ‘the largest death slide in Europe’! At Giroussens 30 minutes drive away there are a lot of pottery studios and an old tramway which has been restored to a working tourist railway.

In summer there are many festivals, mostly celebrating some form of food, wine and/or music. At this time of year there is usually a market somewhere nearby most Sunday mornings, where you can pick up all manner of bargains or just watch the locals go by and get a flavour of French country life. As for gastronomic flavours, you will find a wide range of excellent restaurants to suit all budgets in all of the places mentioned above. We are happy to offer our recommendations on restaurants for any specific destination. For more information on the Tarn area go to http://en.tourisme-tarn.com/

Site By: Toolman Web Design