The gite is in the countryside yet convenient for shops,
restaurants and golf courses
- Shopping
- It takes less than a 5 minute drive to reach our nearest small
town which has a good range of traditional French shops - butcher, charcuterie,
boulangeries etc. - plus mini-supermarkets, pharmacy, banks, a post office,
cafés, restaurants; and a weekly market.
- A pleasant 10 minute drive from the gite, passing through the
vineyards, brings you to a major shopping area on the edge of Albi. Here you
will find big supermarkets as well as a huge range of other stores.
- Albi,
UNESCO World Heritage
site,
is rather special - and the centre is only 15 minutes away.
The shops in and around the old part of the city, much of which is
pedestrianised, are varied and generally of high quality.
- Castres Another
lovely traditional French town with excellent shopping.
- Toulouse
is about 45 minutes by car - or you can take the train, leaving your car at our
local station 5 minutes away.
- Markets
- There are a number of
markets in Albi during the week
including that held in the delightful, newly restored,
covered market
- Art, history & culture
- The museums of the artists
Toulouse-Lautrec
(Albi), Goya (Castres),
Ingres
(Montauban),
Lenoir
(Montricoux) and Bistes (Chateau de
Mauriac) are noteworthy and well worth visiting.
- Of particular interest to visitors from Australia will be the
museum honouring
the exploits of Lapérouse.
Lapérouse, born in Albi, and his expedition vanished after leaving
Botany Bay in 1788
- Wine and food
- The gite is in the Gaillac Appellation area so there
will be no problem in finding vineyards where you can taste and purchase the
local wines. Particularly outstanding are the wines from nearby
Domaine Rotier ,
Château Touny-les-Roses
, and the 'caves cooperatives' of
Labastide de Lévis and
Tecou
- There is a superb choice of places to dine, from simple
cafés to smart restaurants. Perhaps try
L'Epicurean, one of
many restaurants of quality in Albi or, in the surrounding countryside,
Château de
Salettes, Le
Pigeonnier and La
Falaise
- Birdwatching
- For information about birdwatching in the Tarn, plus a list of
birds we have seen around the gite, please click here