Description:

Albi, Tarn

The city of Albi has much to offer, with a well preserved, historic town centre and many sights of interest.  It is one of the cities built in Languedoc brick, along with Toulouse and Montauban and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

Geography and climate

Albi is located 80 Km north east of Toulouse in the Tarn department of the Midi Pyrenees.  It is the Prefecture (County town) of Tarn and is situated on the banks of the River Tarn, which gave the town its prosperity through trading goods up and down the river until the 18^th century. 

The city is quite compact allowing the many sights to be easily explored on foot and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants. 

The city enjoys a generally mild climate with around 2300 hours of sunshine per year.  The yearly rainfall is about average, but in common with many areas of the south west, the city experiences an above average number of storms.  Spring can be quite humid while the summers are hot and dry.

Tourism

The Sainte Cecile cathedral was built in the southern Gothic style in the centre of the city and is the main landmark.  It is situated next to the former Archbishops residence, La Berbie, which now houses the Toulouse-Lautrec museum.

From the exterior the cathedral looks more like a fortress than a place of worship, but inside is a complete contrast with massive paintings of the last judgement and frescoes on the vaulted ceiling.

The Palace de Berbie is one of the oldest and best preserved fortresses in France.  Built in the 13^th century, it was transformed into the Archbishops Palace, but now houses the world class Henri Toulouse-Lautrec museum.  With more than 1000 of his paintings and drawings and exhibits from renowned artists such as Matisse, the museum is reason enough to visit Albi.  The Palace also has a delightful garden with impressive views of the city.  There are a number of other museums, from art to the history of Albi, giving plenty to see.

On a nice day, take a stroll along the banks of the Tarn and have a look at the Pont Vieux.  Built in stone in 1035, it's this 151m long stone bridge, now clad in brick, is still in use today.  The tourist office holds maps of three 1 Km walks alongside the river, called l'Echappée Verte and river cruises are available along the Tarn to give another perspective of the city.

The centre of Albi was lucky to escape much of the damage inflicted on other towns during the first and second World wars and it is now one of the largest conservation areas in France covering around 63 hectares.  Guided tours are available and there are six heritage trails with information panels along the way.  Each walk aims to help you discover a particular element of Albi's heritage, from the architecture, the artisans through to the religious sights.

The city has a number of well maintained parks and gardens, some along the banks of the Tarn, to provide havens of peace.

Economy

The main activities in Albi are tourism, construction and manufacturing.  It produces a varied range of products from cement through glass to synthetic textiles.  The city has a busy and active shopping area and several markets through the week, although the main market is on Saturday.

Transport

Both Toulouse and Rodez airports are around an hour away.  Albi is linked to Toulouse by the A68 motorway, allowing quick and easy access from the south west and Toulouse airport.  From Rodez and the north east, the N68 is partially dualled and again access is straightforward.  From other directions, a more leisurely drive along national roads will be involved.

The nearest TGV station is at Toulouse and there are regular connections to Albi.

Have a look at our travel pages for more information.

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