Things to do in Albi
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La Table du Sommelier
Across the 11th-century Pont Vieux is this bright, friendly bistro where the food almost takes a back seat to the wines: the owner's a qualified sommelier, and he's passionately knowledgeable about local vintages.
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Cathédrale Ste-Cécile
Right at the heart of Albi is the mighty Cathédrale Ste-Cécile, which was begun in 1282 but took well over a century to complete. Attractive isn't the word – what strikes you most is its sheer mass rising over town like some Tolkienesque tower rather than a place of Christian worship.
Step inside and the contrast with that brutal exterior is astonishing. No surface was left untouched by the Italian artists who, in the early 16th century, painted their way, chapel by chapel, the length of its vast nave. An intricately carved, lacy rood screen, many of its statues smashed in the Revolution, spans the sanctuary. The stained-glass windows in the apse and choir date from th…
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Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
Lodged inside another of Albi's impressive red-brick landmarks, the Palais de la Berbie (built in the early Middle Ages for the town's archbishop), this wonderful museum offers a comprehensive overview of the life and career of Albi's most celebrated son. The museum owns over 500 original works by Toulouse-Lautrec (the largest collection in France outside the Musée d'Orsay), spanning the artist's development from his early impressionist influences en route to his celebrated poster art and Parisian brothel scenes.
Pride of place goes to two versions of the Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, hung side-by-side to illustrate the artist's subtly different technique. Elsewhere aro…
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L'Esprit du Vin
David Enjalran's gastronomic restaurant is a gutbuster, renowned for lavish spreads of fine French food with a sky-high price tag to match. Menus are divided into five 'ateliers' (levels), and take their culinary cue from the changing seasons: the approach is very much Michelin-style, so it might be a bit stuffy for some. The lunchtime 'Pause Gourmande' is marginally more affordable at €23/27 for one/two courses. Reservations recommended.
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Le Lautrec
This excellent restaurant is right opposite the Toulouse-Lautrec family home (in its former life it served as the carriage house and horse stables). It's now one our favourite food finds in Albi, offering a market-driven menu brimming with Gascon goodness and Gaillac wines, and a choice of tempting settings: a knick knack–packed interior or an outside patio shaded by fragrant wisteria.
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Le Jardin des Quatre Saisons
Here you've got a choice of eating environments: the light, bright main dining room giving onto the street, or the intimate rear room with its cosy fireplace. Strong on tempting desserts, it also has a particularly tempting wine list.
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Boat Trips
From mid-June to mid-September you can take half-hour boat trips from just north of the Palais de la Berbie on a gabarre, a flat-bottomed sailing barge of the kind that used to haul goods down the Garonne to Bordeaux.
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La Tête de l'Art
Dishes for the adventurous such as jugged hare, tripe and boned pig's trotter mix with more traditional local stuff. It does excellent desserts (sink your spoon into their pistachio and chocolate tart) and gourmet takeaways.
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Le Tournesol
This highly popular vegetarian restaurant - why, even the beers and wines are organic - is airy and full of light. The aircon blows in summer or you can eat outside on their terrace. Mixed salad platters are great.
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Le Musée
Beneath the brick vaulting of what was once the bishop's stables, this attractive brasserie, its dominant colours deep red and black, offers traditional fare with a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pizzas too.
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La Maison de Lapérouse
La Maison de Lapérouse is where the Albi-born explorer lived before sailing around the Pacific in 1785; guided visits can be arranged for groups via the tourist office.
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Maison Natale de Toulouse-Lautrec
A short stroll away from the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is the privately owned Maison Natale de Toulouse-Lautrec where the artist Toulouse-Lautrec was born.
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Lou Sicret
Tucked away down an alley at the northwest corner of place du Vigan, this friendly, very Occitan, arty restaurant serves delightful regional cuisine in a secluded courtyard.
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Covered Market
Albi’s landmark turn-of-the-century covered market is a foodie delight. You can even fill up your water bottle with wine (€1.10 a litre).
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Grand Chœur
On no account miss the Grand Chœur at the Cathédrale Ste-Cécile with its frescoes, chapels and 30 biblical polychrome figures, finely carved in stone.
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La Ferme St-Salvy
Pick up the very best in cheese from La Ferme St-Salvy, one of France's dwindling number of fromageries (specialist cheese shops).
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Maison du Vieil Alby
Maison du Vieil Alby houses a small exhibition on the city’s history and its connections with Toulouse-Lautrec.
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Gardens
The attractive ornamental palace courtyard and gardens of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec are also well worth a wander.
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Boat Trips
From June to September, Albi Croisières runs half-hour boat trips aboard a gabarre, a flat-bottomed sailing barge of the kind used to haul goods down the Garonne to Bordeaux. Boats depart from the Berges du Tarn landing stage.
For a longer spell on the river, the company also offers full-day trips (single/return €15/23) between the village of Aiguelèze, near Gaillac, and Albi. Trips depart at 10am and include an afternoon in Albi, with the return journey arriving back in Aiguelèze around 7pm.
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Old Town
Vieil Alby is an attractive muddle of winding streets and half-timbered houses, one of which, the Maison du Vieil Albyhouses a small exhibition on the city's history and its connections with Toulouse-Lautrec.
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Le Vieil Alby
For authentic southwest flavours, this hotel restaurant is hard to better – it's a specialist in rich, traditional Gascon fare, heavy on the beef, duck and tarbais beans. House specials include homemade melsat sausages, dried pork stuffed with radishes and (of course) piping hot cassoulet.
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L'Epicurien
The steely grey and glass facade says it all: this establishment is a temple to cutting-edge contemporary French cuisine, run by Swedish chef Rikard Hult and his wife Patricia. The presentation is so arty you'll almost feel guilty tucking into the dishes: delicate towers of roast monkfish or lamb noisettes, accompanied by an arty slash of sauce or a just-so sprig of herb. An utter spoil.
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Albi Croisières
From June to September, Albi Croisières runs half-hour boat trips aboard a gabarre, a flat-bottomed sailing barge of the kind used to haul goods down the Garonne to Bordeaux. Boats depart from the Berges du Tarn landing stage.
For a longer spell on the river, the company also offers full-day trips (single/return €15/23) between the village of Aiguelèze, near Gaillac, and Albi. Trips depart at 10am and include an afternoon in Albi, with the return journey arriving back in Aiguelèze around 7pm.
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