We're looking for some small city/town near Toulouse to be a base to explore the region. These towns Albi, Montaubn, Rodez, and Castres are our current list. If you stayed in any of them, or have another town to recommend; please comment. Not afraid of the Good, the Bad or the Ugly if your experiences were any of those.
Thanks in advance for your time and input.
Albi is the most interesting of the lot (with a stunning cathedral), distantly followed by Rodez. Montauban and Castres have little of note.
Rodez has an interesting hillside setting and two interesting specialized museums for those who have developed a taste for the subjects: Pièrre Soulages Museum and the Fenaille Archaeology Museum.
But my favorite of all is this restaurant that totally blew my mind: https://www.bowlingdurouergue.com/ The photos can't capture it. I'd go back in a split-second. So, even if you just visit Rodez for the day, here's a recommendation.
I hope Conques is on your list to visit.
We stayed at a home in Albi for 3 weeks and really enjoyed the city and day trips from Albany. We liked the cathedral, the Toulouse Lautrec museum, dining and listening to music in the evening. We had a car so we’re able to explore the many Cathar villages and wine coop regions. We explored Toulouse on that trip and subsequent trips as we know some families in Toulouse.
I would choose Albi in the first place for the city itself (the cathedral of course but not only) and also for the possibility of driving in the "Gorges du Tarn" towards Ambialet.
https://goo.gl/maps/Bhfy8jtmYvSPNkfz5
The nearby town of Gaillac is lovely too (and the region is renowned for its vineyards)
The town of Rodez itself is relatively uninteresting but all the surroundings in "Les causses" and the Aveyron towards Espalion, Laguiole are worth the visit.
Castres is also nice with its old merchants' houses on the banks of the Agout river. And also its surroundings, La Montagne Noire (the Black Mountain), the village of "Soreze" and the lake of Saint Ferréol, the village "Les Cammazes"
I would drop Montauban.
A good restaurant in Albi:
"La Table du Sommelier"
(there is also one in Gaillac)
http://www.latabledusommelier.com/restaurant-albi/index.html
Another near Gaillac:
"Le Montanais" in a splendid setting in the middle of the vineyards (of Gaillac wine, of course)
https://goo.gl/maps/9b167Jssd8g5TNWj8
Near Rodez, if you want to eat in an authentic farm:
"La Ferme Carles" lunch only, reservation essential
Albi-We are enjoying our time here in Albi. That said be fussy about where you eat. One prominent restaurant on the main square is unnecessarily driving customers away if they just was to have a beer or a glass of wine. We were told we had to sit 6’ from where we sat down if we were not going to eat. We had planned to have a drink and THEN order food, but no. We moved or no service. We left and went next door to Tapas-Bar á Vin. Tibou was our waiter. His attention to detail about wine introduced me to a new varietal. The dinner we ordered reminded us why we love eating in France. We rediscovered the joy of eating food and having an excellent wine to accompany it on its digestive journey.
Albi is a lovely city. But it is places like Tapas-Bar á Vin that make it so. Try it, but be sure to ask for Tibou to make your wine selection. Then sit back and be glad you came. But yes, they do need to change the music to something more conducive to premier dining and wind drinking.
Tomorrow we head out to explore small villages, vineyards, and take some photos to treasure.
What happened at the first restaurant is normal with one area set up for dining service that starts at a set time but a second area for bar and grazing. This is the more formal set-up. Had dinner service started already or was it still apéro time? The earliest most kitchens open in restaurants, not bars, is about 7:30. If it was too early, then service in the dining area hadn't started.
Luckily a tapas bar gave you what you wanted and more. Different kinds of dining serves different tastes and lifestyles.
Albi. The cathedral and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum alone are worth it. The central covered market was delightful.
Someone mentioned Conques. I heartily add my endorsement to that suggestion for a visit. It was on one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela and has a beautifully preserved medieval center. The Abbey and church of Ste. Foy are also very beautiful.
Another lovely small town to visit is Cordes-sur-Ciel, a hilltop bastide.
Annie Sargent who hosts the superb (but slightly too much self promotion) podcast Join Us in France https://joinusinfrance.com/
lives near Toulouse and has devoted many podcasts to places around there. Well worth a listen.
