Toulouse, the ‘pink city.’ offers everything from space-age thrills and incredible aviation museums to cockle warming grub.

Stepping inside the narrow aircraft cabin, I immediately find myself slipping back 35 years as I travel from the UK to Toulouse to start a circular tour of the Lot Valley. The first time I flew into this beguiling city, I was on board Concorde, one of many iconic planes engineered here in the heartland of France’s aviation industry.

So as I look down the aisle of a Concorde prototype at the city’s Aeroscopia museum, a wealth of happy memories come flooding back. In 1989, I took an unforgettable day trip to mark the 20^th anniversary of the world’s favourite airliner. A flight to Toulouse on an Air France Concorde, a gastronomic lunch at a chateau, and home on board a British Airways Concorde. A trip I have treasured ever since.

Trailblazing & tasty Toulouse

I have been back to the ‘Pink City’ – capital of the Occitanie region – to discover its heritage buildings, museums and irresistible lifestyle, but have never explored its aviation pedigree. So this time I’m taking a weekend to discover the city’s family-friendly flying attractions and indulge myself in its lively foodie scene.

From my base at the comfortable Citiz Hotel (citizhotel.com), the city is easily accessible by public transport or on foot. Ten minutes’ walk to the main station in one direction, even less to the historic centre in the other, with the Massena Metro station and key bus and tram routes also on the doorstep.

Aeroscopia

My first stop is Aeroscopia at Blagnac, close to Toulouse’s international airport to the west of the city. Open 361 days of the year, this inspiring collection includes a wealth of iconic civil and military aircraft from the early days of powered flight to the present day. Just think Concorde, Caravelle and Airbus; Falcon, Mirage and the Blériot XI. And it’s soon clear that you don’t need any particular interest in aviation to enjoy this diverse collection and the human stories behind it.

I find it strangely humbling to look at the replica of Louis Blériot’s tiny wooden plane ‘flying’ above the concourse of the vast hangar and then look across to the sleek profile of Concorde that took to the skies just 60 years later. Blériot made the first flight over the English Channel from Calais in 1909, his achievement capturing the imagination of wealthy wannabe pilots whose early flying machines were manufactured around Paris. But as the Western Front of the Great War advanced relentlessly towards the capital, the Government moved the aviation industry as far away as possible, and Toulouse quickly evolved into a centre of aeronautical excellence and innovation.

After an afternoon immersed in iconic aviation, I come right back to the present with dinner at Les Halles de la Cartoucherie (halles-cartoucherie.fr), opened in September 2023 as part of the city’s emerging new eco-district. Easily reached by tram or bus from the city centre, the Cartoucherie neighbourhood is just 15 minutes from Place du Capitole and incorporates accommodation with entertainment venues, workspaces and leisure facilities on the site of a 19^th century arsenal.

Gun cartridges and most recently electronic accessories were produced in Les Halles which has been imaginatively repurposed to combine market stalls and international street food outlets with sports facilities, meeting rooms, and cultural events. Just hop on the T1 Tram or L2 bus for access from the city centre. On a Saturday evening, the spacious building is buzzing with families and friends enjoying an eclectic choice of cuisine at communal tables.

For accommodation on a budget, check out Eklo (eklohotels.com) just across the plaza, a new French concept of green, affordable hotels, combining a design hotel and youth hostel with strict sustainability credentials.

Next morning, I enjoy a different side of Toulouse’s diverse gastronomic scene on a guided tour of the city’s Victor Hugo Market with American resident Jessica Hammer, founder of Taste of Toulouse (tasteoftoulouse.com). I know a fair bit about French gastronomy but still learn new things as Jessica leads our convivial small group from one friendly stall holder to another, finishing with an indoor picnic of carefully selected cheese and charcuterie, accompanied of course by a glass or two of local wine. Huge fun.

Cité de l’Espace

Next I head to the east side of the city for Cité de l’Espace, a family-friendly attraction that combines space craft with interactive exhibitions and timed shows, a Planetarium and IMAX®3D theatre, all set in a landscaped park. To make the most of all that is on offer, arrive early and plan your day around the scheduled events.

Inside the exhibition hall, I particularly enjoy the section on how space affects our daily lives through satellites transmitting weather information and images for telecommunications, television and GPS. And amongst a wealth of hands-on experiences, I can’t resist trying to steer a virtual moon buggy to a lunar module, albeit rather shakily!

Back outside I wander amongst rockets and moon buggies, and get a taste of an astronaut’s environment inside a space station module. It’s cosy but not all bad, given the selection of vacuum-packed food on display, including a portion of my favourite Confit de Canard, cooked up by the Souillac Hotel School in Lot!

If you have time to spare, head to nearby Montaudran where L’Envol des Pionniers –Flight of the Pioneers – celebrates the early years of the French air postal service in the former workshops beside the historic runway. Discover the pioneers of Aéropostale and legendary pilots such as Saint-Exupéry, Mermoz and Guillaumet who flew over deserts, mountains and oceans to deliver mail. And you may spot the resident Minotaur who lives next door!

With a second evening to indulge myself in Toulouse’s varied restaurant scene, I walk through the vast Capitole Square and soak up the atmosphere of this popular meeting place over an al fresco apéro the arcades. Then it’s time to head to Molette (molette-restaurant.fr), a block back from the banks of the Garonne, for my dinner reservation.

The name Molette comes from the colloquial word for a good friend and this cosy little restaurant serves hearty homemade dishes from seasonal local produce designed to satisfy the appetite of a bear, hence their ursine logo. I’m one of the first to arrive as doors open but within minutes, every table is taken. And it’s not long before I find out why. Their signature dish of Mountain Pork with Thyme melts in the mouth, so I obediently make like a bear and devour every last bit, followed by a decadent giant profiterole with caramel sauce. Then I head out into the warm evening to stroll amongst the locals on the quayside as darkness falls over this beguiling city.

Next morning, with a few hours to fill before I fly home, there is just time to take in one of the city’s most historic buildings before it closes for major refurbishment. Due to reopen in Autumn 2025, Le Musée des Augustins is home to one of the city’s leading art collections, atmospherically displayed in a 14^th century monastery. Don’t miss it if you’re travelling to Toulouse next year.

Later, at the airport, I buy a lunchtime sandwich to eat mid-air. I can’t help wishing I was having Confit de Canard instead, but preferably not in a space capsule. Give me that Concorde silver service any day!

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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Any walker who follows one of the French pilgrim trails to Santiago de Compostela in Spain is guaranteed a heady mix of natural landscapes and beautiful buildings. But few can compete with the Pont Valentré that spans the river Lot at Cahors.

A major landmark on the Via Podensis from Le Puy-en-Velay in Auvergne, this medieval bridge with its three defensive towers is a wow from any angle, but especially when reflected in still blue water. Open to traffic until 1983, Pont Valentré is now purely pedestrian and wherever I stand, I simply can’t resist another photo says Gillian Thornton as she takes a train trip through the Lot.

Pickled in the past Cahors is full of charm

North-west of Toulouse in the Occitanie region of South-West France, Cahors is the principal town of the Lot department, surrounded on three sides by steep hills and nestled inside one of the many tight meanders carved out of the landscape over the centuries.

The native Gauls worshipped Divona, goddess of underground water, at a gushing spring here beside the Lot – a site now known as the Fontaine des Chartreux – but it was the Romans who founded the town of Divona within the meander where three roads met.

Arrive by road today and Cahors is an ideal base for exploring the beautiful Lot Valley. Or take the train from Toulouse in less than 90 minutes, just one of many route options on the Occitanie Rail Tour. Whatever your mode of transport, the family-run Hotel Terminus (terminus-1911.fr) is well situated opposite the station and just ten minutes’ walk from the historic old town. Expect Art Nouveau stained glass, traditional atmosphere, and seasonal dishes in the Bistro 1911.

What to see in Cahors

I start by picking up a free map at the Tourist Office in Place Mitterand, separated from the historic Old Town by Boulevard Léon Gambetta, a broad thoroughfare on the line of the medieval ramparts. Gambetta’s father ran a grocery shop beside the Cathedral and young Léon, born in 1838, went on to become a lawyer and republican politician who played a prominent role in the Third Republic from 1870.

Next door to the Tourist Office, the Cahors Malbec Lounge (vindecahors.fr) is the go-to spot for understanding the Lot Valley’s famous wines. Not just red, I discover, but white, rose and sparkling too, served here in traditional local glasses that incorporate a ring of glass in the stem. Choose from four tasting options from 6 to 16 euros per person.

Guilhem, my wine guide, explains that of the 70 domaines and 180 wine makers within Appelation Lot, 80% are independent, the others part of a co-operative. And whilst the grapes are mostly Malbec, blends can include up to 30% of other local varieties. The Malbec Lounge showcases up to six domaines each week to help visitors find their favourite and maybe book a vineyard visit.

Tasting over, I turn my back on the Old Town for a while and head west for the short walk across the isthmus to Pont Valentré, built – very slowly – in the 13^th Century close to the Fontaine des Chartreux. With its six arches and three imposing towers, this unique medieval bridge is listed by UNESCO as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

On a small grassy bank beside the first tower, I’m surprised to find rows of vines that turn out to be more than just an advertisement for the area’s liquid treasure. ‘The Garden of Inebriation’ is the start of the town’s Secret Gardens itinerary, a self-guided trail of 21 themed plots that are an intrinsic part of local life. Launched in 2002, they gained Remarkable Garden status in 2006 and are maintained on eco-friendly principles. Organic matter is recycled; beds regularly mulched; and plants chosen for their suitability to climate and soil. Pick up the free annotated trail guide.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Divona retreated to land on the eastern side of the isthmus. Enclosed with a ditch and ramparts in the 7^th century, the town grew steadily in importance thanks to its road and river trade links, attracting merchants, bankers and medieval entrepreneurs. Stroll today through the heart of the historic town and you can still see their imposing houses with arcades for shops and workshops at street level and elegant windows above, the accolade of oldest property in town going to the half-timbered corner house at 12 Rue de la Daurade.

The nearby Cathedral of St Stephen boasts two of the largest cupolas in south-west France and an ornate carved tympanum as well as vestiges of medieval wall paintings. And I find several Secret Gardens nearby including a colourful Moorish Garden with its bright mosaics and running water; the raised beds of the Monks’ Kitchen Garden; and the Flower Garden providing altar flowers for the Cathedral. For an allergy-friendly restaurant with a different menu every day, try Restaurant Marie Colline nearby.

I have another treat in store before leaving Cahors. Crossing back across Boulevard Gambetta, I come to the Henri Martin Museum (museehenrimartin.fr), reopened in May 2022 in the former Bishop’s palace after major refurbishment. This unmissable museum is dedicated to the celebrated post-Impressionist painter, born in 1860 in Toulouse and a lifelong lover of the Lot countryside. In 1900, Henri Martin bought the Domaine de Marquayrol, 23 km from Cahors where he spent five months every summer painting local scenes.

The new-look museum brings together on three floors an eclectic range of exhibits acquired by the City of Cahors including archaeological finds, work by artists from the Quercy region, and a collection based around Léon Gambetta. But pride of place goes to Martin himself. Visitors to Toulouse may already know his huge wall paintings inside the Capitole building, but this enchanting museum boasts the largest public collection of his works, amongst them scenes of Cahors and the Lot Valley.

Inspired by Martin’s paintings, I need no further excuse to head east along the river for a welcome return to one of his favourite subjects. St Cirq Lapopie is classified amongst France’s Most Beautiful Villages, named after the child martyr Saint Cyr and one of the three feudal families who administered the village. No car? Catch the bus linking Cahors with Figeac and walk up to the village perched high above the Lot.

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

St-Cirq-Lapopie buzzes by day with visitors come to browse the small galleries, eat at the restaurants, and just soak up the medieval atmosphere of houses from the 13^th to 15^th Centuries. But only a couple of dozen people live permanently in the steep cobbled streets that lead to the ruined hilltop chateau. Book a room and you can have the village to yourself.

I dine on delicious confit duck leg at the Gourmet Quercynois, rightly popular for its authentic regional cuisine, and stay in a huge room with valley views at Maison Lapopie (maison-lapopie.com), a delightful B&B that offers tranquillity in the extreme. The owners live off site, so your key awaits you in the door and breakfast arrives in a picnic basket to enjoy at your private window table.

Next morning, I take a quiet stroll through deserted streets before heading back down to river level for a tranquil towpath walk towards Bouziès, departure point for seasonal river cruises. Then I’m back on the road for the scenic drive to Figeac (read about Figeac in The Good Life France Magazine Issue 38 – it’s free!).

Find out more at Cahors Vallee du Lot Tourism

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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We share our top tips for what to see and do in Mirepoix, a medieval jewel of the Midi-Pyrénées region, with oodles of charm and a marvellous market!

Say ‘Mirepoix’ and if onions, celery and carrots are the first thing that springs to mind, it shows you know your way around the kitchen. And in a roundabout way the mirepoix you dice comes from this charming medieval market town located on the river Hers in the Ariège at the crossroads of Toulouse, Carcassonne and Foix, in the heart of Cathar country.

History of Mirepoix

With 600 members of the heretical Cathar sect and a Cathar lord – Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix – the town was an early target of the Albigensian Crusade to eliminate them all. Simon de Montfort captured Mirepoix in 1209 and bestowed it on his right-hand man, Guy de Lévis. The Lévis would rule Mirepoix until the French Revolution, while Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix went on to lead the Cathar garrison in the lofty citadel of Monségur. Here 225 Cathars were besieged by the crusaders until they were starved out in 1244. All preferred to be burned at the stake rather than convert to Catholicism.

‘Mirepoix’ comes from Mira Peis (‘see the fish’ in old Occitan), hence the golden fish on the town’s coat of arms. Originally the Mirapiciens looked at the fish from the right bank of the river Hers, until a flooded dam swept Mirepoix away in 1279, leaving only its castle, the Château de Terride. Jean de Lévi built a replacement town higher up on the left bank and created, bastide-style, a rectangular grid of streets around a market square, with a church off to the side. The Lévis rebuilt it after the Black Prince sacked it in 1355 in the Hundred Years’ War. A decade later English mercenaries, the Routiers burned it down again.

A bit after the fact, Mirepoix was fortified: one gate, the Porte d’Aval, is still intact.

Medieval masterpiece

But karma was done with Mirepoix, leaving it one of the most beautiful (and biggest) market squares in all Occitanie: the colourful, 112m by 55m Place des Couverts, lined with wood pillared porticoes where merchants could trade in all weathers. “The unique half-timber framed houses around the marketplace, naturally create a shopping and restaurant arcade,” say locals Mark and Kay Williams of Real South of France Tours. “And there are amazing wooden gargoyles along some of the frontages.”

The best gargoyles and carvings (103 of them!) adorn the ends of the beams of the Maison des Consuls, once seat of the local magistrates.

Because of its key location, Mirepoix has always been an important market town, and Place des Couverts is the perfect stage for Mirepoix’s massive Monday morning market as well as for festivals, including the Swing à Mirepoix jazz on Easter weekend and the themed Fête de la Pomme in October. The local apple artists love a challenge: bulls made of apples? Musical instruments? Tintin? No problem!

Historic monuments

Looming over all is the 58m tower of the church of Saint-Maurice. The Lévis began it in 1298, but in 1317 when the pope elevated Mirepoix to a bishopric (part of the Church’s scheme to keep a close eye on heresy danger zones), they went a bit mad and carried on building for the next six centuries. The nave is a tour de force of southern Gothic, where width rather than height was a thing: its 22.2m single span nave is surpassed only by Girona’s Cathedral (22.98m).

Walk along Avenue de Pont to see Mirepoix’s other monument historique: an 800-year-old holm oak, last survivor of the forest chopped down to re-build the 13^th century town.

Even older is the remarkable three storey Église Rupestre de Vals, 12km west of Mirepoix. Partially built into the rock, a holy site since the Bronze Age and once a temple to a Celtic god, its mid-level is decorated 12^th century Catalan frescoes. There’s no place in France like it.

And the Mirepoix?

One of the last dukes, Gaston Pierre de Lévis-Mirepoix (1699-1757) despite being “an incompetent and mediocre individual… who owed his vast fortune to the affection Louis XV felt toward his wife,” had a chef who invented a sauce and named it after his boss. The original version included wine and meats, but over the decades mirepoix simply came to mean the diced carrots, onions and celery that you sauté to start dozens of sauces, soups and stews.

Dana Facaros has lived in France for over 30 years. She is the creator of French Food Decoder app: everything you want to know about French food, and co-author of the Bradt guide to Gascony & the Pyrenees and many guide books to France.

Find out more about Mirepoix at: ariegepyrenees.com

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Day or night, whatever the weather, Montauban’s Place Nationale is a magical spot to wind down a gear or three at a café table. Centre of local life since medieval times, this bijou square is surrounded by red brick properties, built after the old wooden buildings were gutted by fire in the 17th century. Nearly 400 years later, the double arcades and harmonious facades simply ooze symmetry and wellbeing.

Whenever I make a welcome return to Montauban, Place Nationale is always my first port of call. So I’m thrilled this time to find that the square is now even more enchanting, thanks to the installation of a water mirror that zings periodically to life with dancing water jets and swirls of coloured illuminations.

What to see in Montauban

The largest town of Tarn-et-Garonne, Montauban lies north of Toulouse in the west of the Occitanie region. But Montauban is large only in relation to the rest of this rural department. Bisected by the river Tarn, this enchanting town numbers barely 30,000 inhabitants but still carries the prestigious label of Art & History Town in recognition of its rich heritage and outstanding art collections.

Many visitors arrive in Tarn et Garonne by car, bent on discovering a landscape that includes steep gorges, rolling farmland, and peaceful waterways. Not just the Tarn and Garonne either. Both the Aveyron and the Canal Latéral la Garonne join the Tarn at UNESCO-listed Moissac with its decorated abbey cloister. For hikers and bikers, the department offers a wide choice of marked trails but there are slow tourism activities to suit everyone. I have been horse riding on the cliffs above the Aveyron; explored at water level by kayak; and revelled in a level pedal beneath towpath trees.

And if you don’t want to drive or just want a more planet-friendly holiday, Montauban is less than an hour from Toulouse by train on the Lot and Dordogne Line. Stay on the train line to visit the white limestone houses of Caussade, capital of the French hat-making industry in the Quercy Blanc area of Tarn et Garonne. Or pick up the Canal des Deux Mers Line to visit Moissac. Plan your route and buy tickets at Occitanie Rail Tour.

I love Moissac, where society guests danced at riverside guinguettes in the 1930s during their grape juice ‘cure’; the atmospheric market town of St Antonin Noble Val on the banks of the Aveyron; and the medieval villages of Auvillar and Bruniquel, both classified amongst France’s Most Beautiful Villages.

For a central but quiet hotel in the heart of town, the Hotel du Commerce ticks all my boxes. Situated on a landscaped pedestrian square, this good-value hotel is overlooked by the white façade of the Cathedral. Currently closed for restoration, this Baroque extravaganza was commissioned by Roman Catholic king Louis XIV as a show of power after the Protestant town refused to yield to his father, Louis XIII in the siege of 1621.

After an al fresco bistro dinner at Chez Olympe beside the water mirror, my first stop next day is the Ingres Bourdelle Museum opened in December 2019 after major refurbishment. This former Bishop’s Palace stands on the remains of a riverside fortress begun in 1360 during the Hundred Years War by England’s ‘Black Prince’. Unfinished after French forces regained the town nine years later, the medieval hall is now an atmospheric venue for temporary art exhibitions.

But the main focus of the collection is the work of Montauban’s two famous artistic sons, neo-classical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominque Ingres – born here in 1780 – and 19^th century sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, born 1861. Originally a museum dedicated to Ingres alone – who left 44 paintings and 4500 drawings to his hometown – this enchanting museum houses the largest collection of his work, as well as the second largest Bourdelle collection after the Bourdelle Museum in Paris. I wander from one elegant room to another, lingering over a portrait of the young Ingres against a backdrop of décor designed by his father – himself a jobbing artist and stonemason – and stopping to admire his personal collection of antiquities portrayed in his pictures.

Beyond the museum walls, look out for dramatic Bourdelle bronzes as you walk beneath the red brick facades with their pale blue shutters. The monumental war memorial overlooking the Pont Vieux; a pensive statue of Ulysses’ wife Penelope outside the Tourist Office; and Greek poetess Sapho who stands opposite the theatre dedicated to local heroine Olympe de Gouges. Playwright and political activist, Olympe was executed in the Revolution for her feminist writings.

What to see near Montauban

Next morning, I discover a very different kind of art at the Abbey of Beaulieu-en-Rouergue, tucked away up a country road near St Antonin Noble Val. Second only in importance to the Pompidou Centre in Paris, this newly restored heritage building houses a collection of modern art from after the Great War, amassed by husband and wife collectors Geneviève Bonnefoi and Pierre Brache.

As with the Musée Ingres-Bourdelle, Beaulieu Abbey is another example of the French talent for turning heritage buildings into art museums. Now owned by Monuments Nationaux, it reopened in 2021 after a four-year restoration programme that includes a cavernous Cistercian chapel flooded with natural light. Art journalist Geneviève and gallery owner Pierre bought works by relatively unknown artists and continued to support their careers, amassing a collection of more than 4,000 modern paintings, drawings and sculptures. Enjoy the changing display, then relax outside in the rose garden, still fragrant during my October visit.

After an al fresco lunch on the terrace of Chez Ernest on the outskirts of Montauban, popular for its wood-fire grills and traditional local fare, I drive south-west out of town to visit the department’s most unusual tourist attraction.

Canal Lateral

In 1856, the Canal Lateral à la Garonne was constructed between Toulouse and Bordeaux to link with the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to Sète, thus creating the Canal des Deux Mers. But in the 1970s, locks were extended by 10 metres to accommodate larger cargo barges, a problem at Montech where five locks occur in just over 2.5km on the Garonne canal.

Enter engineer Jean Aubert who designed The Pente d’Eau de Montech, an ingenious solution using two railway locomotives to push a volume of water uphill, thus enabling a boat to float up the water slope. Built in 1973, it was last used in 1993 but has now reopened as a free immersive museum that makes a fascinating stop on a walk or bike ride along the Voie Verte or Green Way towpath. Pick up the free leaflet from the waterside Tourist Office to follow the self-guided town trail.

Back in Montauban, I have time for a last lunch beneath the arcades of Place Nationale at Les 5 Bouchons, a great-value small restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide. Then I turn north to continue my circular trip by train through Cahors, Figeac and back to Toulouse.

Find out more about Tarn-et-Garonne at: tourisme-tarnetgaronne.fr/en

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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Nestled beneath the snow-covered peaks of the Pyrenees, Ariège is a department relatively unknown even by the French says Gillian Thornton as she explores its many treasures and shares what to see and do in Ariège…

Standing in pitch darkness deep inside a mountain, I’m not sure what to expect next.

A few minutes ago I was in the bright sunshine of the Ariège valley, now I’m inside a cave with only a hand-held lamp to light the way through a gloomy cavern. There are no stalagmites, no stalactites, in fact not very much of anything as we walk along the dry riverbed. And the guide has told our small group to turn off the flashlights. The blackness is absolute and it’s strangely disorienting.

‘Can you hear how the acoustics have changed,’ she asks, upping her volume so we can hear the echo. ‘Our ancestors couldn’t see very far with their flaming torches, but they would have sensed that they’d come to a high cavern. Now … keep your lights off, but look towards me.’

Suddenly she turns her own lamp back on, the beam pointed at the floor, and I blink in the brightness. But as the light moves up the wall, my eyes open wide. Galloping across the rocky contours are horses, bison, and ibex, each one so skilfully outlined that I half expect them to canter off into the darkness with a snort and a shake of the head. No wonder we’ve been told not to touch the walls.

Grotte de Niaux

For these are not replicas, but the real deal, painted 14,000 years ago by Cro-Magnon man here in the ‘Salon Noir’ of the Grotte de Niaux. The cave is open throughout the year, but numbers are closely regulated to preserve the environment, so pre-booking is essential at www.sites-touristiques-ariege.fr.

The Grotte de Niaux is a highlight of any visit to the department of Ariège in the Occitanie region. Today it is one of the most rural departments in France with a population of barely 153,000. But whilst Ariège may not seem crowded now, in prehistoric times the limestone cliffs near the river were positively buzzing. Along with Lot and Dordogne, Ariège is one of the three most important departments in France for prehistoric sites. Not just Niaux but a number of sites including the Mas d’Azil, today a drive-through cave but once a refuge for rhinoceros, mammoths and men, although not, one assumes, at the same time.

What to see and do in Ariege

Foix, the county town of Ariège, is less than 100km from Toulouse airport and just 80 from Carcassonne, and yet many Francophiles have never heard of it. But if you like stunning landscapes and ancient history, character small towns and time-honoured traditions, put Ariège high on your To Do list.

My face-to-face with the region’s extinct wildlife took place just outside the small town of Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Here the Parc de la Préhistoire is the perfect complement to the cave at Niaux with its interactive exhibits and demonstrations. And for anyone who doesn’t do dark caves, a replica of the paintings at Niaux brings that Magdalanian magic vividly to life, with the added bonus of artwork found in galleries not often on show to the general public.

Just 20 km away in the centre of the department, Foix oozes atmosphere, dominated by a medieval hilltop castle owned by the powerful Counts of Foix. In the early 16^th century, they became kings of Navarre, the last of whom – Henri III – went on to scoop the top job as Henri IV of France. Tour the restored rooms, visit the interactive museum, and walk the ramparts for a taste of medieval power and politics.

Montségur

If you’re feeling adventurous, experience power struggles of a different kind at Montségur, 35 minutes’ drive from Foix. This hilltop castle was the last outpost of the Cathars, a strict religious movement which gathered much support in south-west France during the early 13^th century amongst people weary of the corrupt Catholic Church. The Cathars shunned material possessions but took refuge from the Papal armies led by Simon de Montfort in strongholds such as Montségur and nearby Roquefixade.

The Cathars last stand came in 1244 after a 10-month siege at Montségur. The occupants were given two weeks to renounce their faith, but more than 200 refused and were burnt alive at the foot of the hill. The steep 150-metre climb is not for the faint-hearted but offers spectacular views across peaks and valleys to the plains beyond.

Mirepoix

North of Montségur, the bastide town of Mirepoix is a must-see for its central square surrounded by open wooden galleries or couverts. Soak up the colourful half-timbered facades and explore the straight streets radiating out from the square. Don’t miss the carved wooden heads on La Maison des Consuls, once the council chamber and now a stylish hotel. www.tourisme-mirepoix.com. Nor St Maurice Cathedral behind the 19^th century covered market which boasts the widest nave in France and the second widest in Europe after Gerona in Spain – a graphic illustration of how new Catholic churches were built to accommodate the maximum number of souls in a vigorous recruiting drive after the fall of the Cathars.

Mirepoix and the fortified community of Camon – listed amongst Les Plus Beaux Villages – stand on the flat land in the eastern part of the department, but head west and the landscape soon becomes increasingly craggy. For dramatic views and deep gorges, take the scenic route from Tarascon-sur-Ariège to the market town of Saint-Girons and neighbouring Saint-Lizier with its Romanesque cloister and narrow cobbled lanes, a stop-off on the Santiago de Compostela routes.

Here in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of the Ariège Pyrenees, you can see black Mérens horses, a small sure-footed local breed ideally suited to the mountain terrain. Once close to extinction, the Mérens has been saved in recent years, largely thanks to enthusiasts like Jean-Louis Savignol at the Haras Picard du Saint in Lasserre, which offers both riding excursions and accommodation www.merens-ariege.com.

Cro-Magnon man was moved to paint the forbears of today’s Mérens horses on the walls at Niaux. See them for yourself and you could find yourself reaching for a paint brush too.

www.ariegepyrenees.com

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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France is without a doubt a world leader in culinary excellence. It’s the country with the most Michelin stars throughout Europe – way more than 600 – and can proudly declare some of the most iconic foods in the world as their own. Pleasure is on the menu across the country with regional specialities owning star status. Take a taste tour through Toulouse’s gut-busting local dishes and delicious must try foods.

Temptations of tasty Toulouse – the best local dishes

Toulouse, nicknamed la ville rose thanks to its many buildings in magnificent shades of pink through terracotta, is a city of winding cobbled streets, timber-framed houses – and a bustling food scene. The city’s delicious temptations are irresistible even if, as you’re about to find out, they might add a few pounds! Some of these recommendations are heavy with regional significance, while others demonstrate the city’s expanding menu to cater to all tastes. Most importantly, these 10 foods are tributes to France’s delicious cuisine – and put Toulouse firmly on the food map.

Cassoulet

First is, of course, cassoulet. If you visit Toulouse without trying this famous regional delicacy, then your experience is incomplete!

To say the southern cassoulet is hearty is an understatement. In fact, like most of the food in the south-west, it is a celebration of meat, in this case surrounded by baked white beans which, thanks to their thin skins, soak up all the rich flavours. Cassoulet originated in the medieval era as peasant food and cities across the region all serve their own versions with either mutton, duck or goose. In Toulouse, it is often presented with a saucisse de Toulouse as well as the preferred meat of the chef, in this case, duck confit. Cooked low and slow, the dish is meltingly soft. Its cooking is considered an art and served at traditional French restaurants such as Au Gascon or Maison du Cassoulet.

Saucisse de Toulouse

Many of you will have already tasted Toulouse sausage as the meat is a favourite beyond French borders. However, the recipe is unprotected so some international brands could be naughty fakes poaching the Toulouse name! Dating back 250 years, saucisse de Toulouse is sold in coils like a pink pudgy snake at all butchers and markets. Made from pork mince, pork belly and the butcher’s own ‘secret’ seasonings, it is an essential ingredient in the regional cassoulet in which it is slow-cooked. It can also be fried or braised, and is served at L’Aubrac, a restaurant honouring gut-busting Toulousain food (and their website clearly states if you’re craving a light meal, L’Aubrac isn’t for you!)

Magret de Canard

And yes, the meat continues! An iconic dish of the south-west is magret de canard – seared duck breast – one of the most revered dishes across France. It is easy to find on almost every menu in Toulouse, so famous and beloved is this duck recipe. Cooked like a steak, duck breast is pan-fried until the skin is crisp and golden, and the meat is served blush pink and sliced. In keeping with the rest of the city’s cuisine, it is rich and often served with a savoury jus to complement the meaty flavour. A delicacy and one I highly recommend.

Charcuterie

While I’m on the subject of meat… you cannot miss the charcuterie of Toulouse. Restaurants and cafés serve apéro (aperitif) in the early evening where you can order cured and cold meats and pâtés, most of which are local or market purchases, as pre-dinner appetizers.

Explore the markets yourself, particularly Marché Victor Hugo, and everywhere you look there are saucissons and dried shoulders of jambon hanging from the ceiling and terrines, rillettes and pâté enshrined in glass cabinets. Ask the butchers for regional delicacies, and if all else fails, sample porc gascon which comes sliced or as a pâté.

Cheese

While wandering those hallowed aisles of Marché Victor Hugo, the fromageries will be calling your name! France and fromage go hand in hand, especially as there are 1,600 French cheeses. You will find many of them in Toulouse’s markets, particularly those from the south-west. A creamy firm cheese called Ariège Toudeille is made in a village two hours from Toulouse, and one cheese in particular is a Toulousain creation – Pavé Toulousain. A speciality made by the fromagerie Xavier just outside the market, the cheese’s unmissable cube shape and edible grey rind resembles a brick, yet the inside, made from raw cow’s milk, is smooth with a somewhat crunchy texture.

Sandwiches

When it comes to making sandwiches, the French are professionals. The sublime baguette avec jambon et beurre served with cornichons epitomises the rustic simplicity of French cuisine, and you can find such a sandwich at Le Détaillant. This little sandwich shop couldn’t exist anywhere else as it combines ingredients of the local terroir with those of our neighbour, Spain. The delicatessen boasts a bounty of quality chorizo, serrano ham and Manchego, as well as, naturally, dried duck as a tribute to its Toulousain roots.

Vegetarian food

If you’re vegetarian, you might be wondering if you’ll starve during your visit to Toulouse. While meat receives a lot of love and attention, I promise not all restaurants are L’Aubrac! If you need a break from the region’s richness, no one could blame you, and there is plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans, including French food at La Maison de Vélo which offers a simple ever-changing menu including one meat, fish and vegetarian option.

Pastries

At last, the dessert course! If you always have room for dessert, then Toulouse has you covered. While the focus is on the savoury side of life, the city’s many pâtisseries and tea shops beg to differ. Cakes beckon from café windows and the act of eating a sweet pick-me-up is a serious pastime here. Try Flower’s Café or Salon d’Eugénie for a coffee and an afternoon sweet treat or visit Poussin Bleu or Le Pâtisserie Conté for éclairs and other impressive patisserie to eat on the go.

Chocolatines

This is a controversial topic! In the south of France, pain au chocolats are called chocolatines. Most of the time, if you walk into a boulangerie and mistakenly ask for a pain au chocolat, you’ll be forgiven, but if you’re a stubborn Parisian who is trying to make a point, then things could get feisty! Keep your eyes open for the chocolatines that are crisp and glossy, packed with those painstakingly folded layers – my recommendation is to try Le Péché Mignon.

Fruit and vegetables

After all the pastries, cheese and of course, meat, you’ll be waddling to the airport! However, we can’t forget that Toulouse is in the south of France and has the perfect weather for growing fruit and vegetables. Throughout the summer, peaches, apricots and nectarines adorn market shelves before figs and plums in the colours of a traffic light appear in the autumn, ripe and perfect. Next time you find yourself at a market, take a peek at the fruit and vegetables and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Toulouse has something for all tastes!

Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance writer, specialising in food and recipes. Ally left the UK to live in Toulouse in 2021 and now writes about her new life in France on her food blog NigellaEatsEverything.

Where the locals eat out in Toulouse

This article was first published in The Good Life France Magazine

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La Couvertoirade may be one of the prettiest places in France that you never heard of. Deep in the heart of the Aveyron department, southeast France, the little village of La Couvertoirade provides a glimpse into a long-gone past. It is one of the best preserved Templar Knights villages in France. And it’s a classified plus beaux village – officially one of the prettiest villages in France…

La Couvertoirade

La Couvertoirade is located in territory known as the Causses and Cevennes. This UNESCO classified World Heritage site is listed for its ‘agro-pastoral cultural landscape of the Mediterranean’. It’s a rather dry description of a stunningly beautiful area of France. You’ll discover exquisite countryside where villages in the valleys look as though they have been hung on the sides of the hills like baubles on a Christmas tree. The area touches on four departments: Aveyron and Lozère in the Midi-Pyrénées region, and Gard and Herault in Languedoc-Roussillon.

La Couvertoirade looks out over the Larzac plateau, a land of fertile valleys and villages which seem to grow out of the rocks. In the 12^th century, this area was considered the private fiefdom of the crusading Knights Templar and later the Knights Hospitaller. And in La Couvertoirade you’ll find the only castle built by the Knights Templar in France.

What to see in La Couvertoirade

There’s plenty to see and fall in love with as you wander the narrow cobbled alleyways lined with ancient houses. The atmospheric 14^th century church of Saint Christophe is reached by steps cut into the rock. The 14^th century Windmill of Le Rédounel is the only restored windmill in Aveyron. From its hilly position you have fabulous views over the village. The wonderfully preserved Templar castle was built at the end of the 12^th century and last updated in the 15^th century. It sits atop a rocky spur, dominating the town with its imposing high walls.

“It’s so extraordinary that when you walk around the medieval ramparts, you know that these walls are original. It’s easy to imagine that the Knights Templar and generations of people since who have walked here. Like us they have stood and gazed out at the astonishing views” says Julia Girard-Gervois of TripUSAFrance. “It never ceases to amaze me just how absolutely gorgeous this village is. Lovely cobbled streets, beautiful grey stone houses and flowers and vines everywhere. It’s been likened to a miniature Carcassonne and it really is incredibly pretty.”

Authentic and fantastic

Just an hour’s drive from the city of Montpellier and close to the beautiful village of Saint-Guilhelm-le-Desert, La Couvertoirade has an epic history. “This is no museum town though” says Julia. “It’s brimming with history and vibrant with artisans, potters, wool spinners and more. It’s not hard to imagine it how it was in the days of the Templars. There’s even a communal bread oven at the windmill which has been restored and once a week you can taste bread and other local specialities.”

This little village certainly lives up to its Plus Beaux Village award…

3 Must-sees in Aveyron

Aveyron is a land that echoes with the past. Every densely wooded gorge and valley, every ancient bastide town and every winding road seems to whisper of the footsteps of pilgrims making their way south. Of Romans and rebellious Gauls. And of Knights Templars, thundering across the plateaux. It’s a place where you’ll find picture-postcard-pretty medieval villages, historic towns, rolling valleys and vast canyons where rivers roam and forests reach to the sky. Here you’ll find authentic markets, ancient churches clinging to rocky cliffs and divine cathedrals with soaring towers. There are ancient castles and museums galore. It’s a land that’s rich in natural beauty, as well as cultural and spiritual. We picked just 3 of the many must-sees in Aveyron:

Conques

This is a village with an inescapably spiritual feel. It is a towering masterclass in Romanesque engineering and architecture (the Abbey of St. Foy) and the very tangible memory of the weary feet of pilgrims, shuffling along the well-worn streets. The village has a genuine sense of hushed reverence with its medieval walls, slate roof tops, forgotten gates, time worn 11^th century fountains, narrow, cobbled streets. The views will leave you in stunned and silent awe and contemplation. Read more about Conques

Belcastel

The village is well deserving of its “plus beaux villages de France” status because, yet again, here is a place in the Aveyron that is shockingly beautiful, with the gentle tumble of water from the River Aveyron in the background and its steep, cobbled streets leading up to the castle. If you’ve got the time, have lunch at the Vieux Pont (a Michelin star restaurant in the village. Then walk off your indulgences with the climb (and it really is a climb) up to the castle.

Rodez

Certified as a “grand site Midi Pyrénées and “pays d’art et d’histoire”  Rodez is a city which, like so many in France really seems to enjoy mixing the old and the new whether that’s in terms of art, architecture, gastronomy or culture. A small city which clings to the last of the mountains of the Massif Central and dozes quietly 600 metres above sea level. It was originally two cities and is ever so slightly disjointed, with two city squares and a heady combination of gothic and renaissance architecture, hand in hand with the ultra-modern Musée Soulages. Read more about Belcastel and Rodez

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Gascony was England’s first colony, its influence reflected in the historically rich fortified villages, ancient cathedrals, grand chateaux and beautiful gardens which dot the region. Today, old Gascony, the land of swashbuckling Musketeers and dapper Counts, virtually coincides with the Gers, department 32, one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution.

The Gers is far enough off the beaten path to retain its identity, yet established enough to cater to travellers. Located south of the main autoroute linking Bordeaux to Toulouse, the Gers offers an intimate portrait of French rural life without the distraction of crowds. The landscape is characterized by green river valleys, bucolic farmland, and undulating hills of vineyards and sunflowers that stretch to the horizon. The only pauses in the department’s tranquillity are the many summer festivals and year-round farmers’ markets.

History

Roman Ruins

The Via Aquitania, one of the important Roman highways that traversed France from Bordeaux to Narbonne, had a station at Eauze. Originally the capital of a Celtic tribe called the Elusatii, it became a significant village after Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. There are three exceptional examples of Gallo-Roman architecture in and around this village. The Musée du Trésor displaying some 28,000 coins, and 50 magnificent pieces of jewellery from the 3rd century. The Domus de Cieutat, an archeological excavation at the residence of an aristocrat during the 3rd century. And the Villa de Séviac, an  excavation below the village of Montréal-du-Gers displays large parts of a Gallo-Roman villa with stunning mosaic floors, and remains of a thermal spa complex. www.elusa.fr

Medieval Villages

Between 1256 and 1325 over 300 bastides (fortified villages) were built in fifteen departments in southwest France. The Gers has over a dozen beautiful examples. Laid out according to a geometric plan, a central square was always included. Often there was a covered market hall and arcaded shops. These villages were organized around three essential elements of peasant life: the cemetery, church and the castle. Each village has retained its own architectural identity, from the round, fortified village of Fourcès, to the arcaded villages of Tillac and St. Clar.

Gastronomy

The Gers is authentically farm to table. It’s a culinary heartland comprising a cornucopia of free-range poultry, goose and duck foie gras, confit, paté, pink and white garlic, earthy mushrooms, tender asparagus, ripe tomatoes, sweet plums, and succulent melons. The Gersois believe good food, carefully prepared, is not a luxury, but a common daily priority. In a department  where food is profoundly revered, it’s easy to find a delicious meal every day of the week, though usually between noon and two. Mealtimes are charmingly sacrosanct.

Wine

The Gers has been home to viticulture for almost 2,000 years. No longer lost in the shadow of Bordeaux, it is fast becoming a hot spot, producing some of the finest white, red, and rosé craft wines in France. Small, independent domaines such as Pellehaut, Chirolet, and Uby, as well as the larger domaines of Côtes de Gascogne, Tariquet, St. Mont, and the very distinctive Pacherenc-du-Vic-Bilh, and Madiran AOCs are now producing award winning appellations. Madiran, the most tannic wine in France, is particularly unique due to its high levels of resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant.

Armagnac

France’s oldest brandy has been produced in the Gers since the 14th century. The first evidence of its use dates back to the year 1310. Then Maître Vital Dufour, prior of Eauze and Saint Mont, extolled the 40 virtues of Aygue Ardente. Its grapes are grown in three distinct areas: Haut-Armagnac, Ténarèze and Bas-Armagnac. Each domaine has its own unique recipe in contrast to its industrialized, twice distilled cousin, Cognac.

Armagnac is distilled once. No additives are permitted at any stage from grape to bottle. It is the most natural, and elegant brandy in France. The spectrum of producers range from the Domaine de Laberdolive touted by Michelin-starred restaurants, to Domaine de Saoubis, one of the few Armagnac producers that is completely organic and biodynamic.

Floc de Gascogne

This seductive aperitif, which means “bouquet of flowers” in Occitan was officially launched as Floc de Gascogne in 1954. It is a fruity, red or white liqueur composed of two-thirds grape juice and one-third young Armagnac. Once the grapes have been harvested and pressed, the unfermented grape juice is added to Armagnac distilled the previous year on the same property. Eighty percent of Floc de Gascogne AOC is produced in the Gers.

Nature

The Gers department, considered the heart of Gascony, is characterized by its tranquil landscape and agreeable microclimate. The hills are topped with medieval villages. The valleys are criss-crossed by rivers and streams. Wooded copses, folded into the landscape, often conceal a multitude of birds and wildlife. Rows of golden-yellow sunflowers stretch to the horizon in July.

With few towns or villages to interrupt a leisurely walk or ride, the countryside is Elysian. There are also a several cultivated gardens worth seeing. The Jardins de Coursiana botanical garden and arboretum covers 6 hectares, located in the lovely village of La Romieu. Palmerie de Sarthou in Bétous, is an 8-hectare oasis of botanical splendor. It has a conservatory orchard, children’s treasure hunt, Gascon farm, nursery, and integrated trails. www.jardinsdecoursiana.com; www.palmeraiesarthou.com

Farmers’ Markets

Almost every village in the Gers has a weekly farmers’ market, some of which have been ongoing for 700 years. Market days are typically held under a medieval covered marketplace or the shade of entwined plane trees. One can buy everything from farm fresh produce, delectable cheeses, and roasted chickens, to flowers, table clothes, shoes, and crockery by the kilo. There is literally something for everybody. Most market days begin at 8 and finish by noon. In some villages you can still hear the lunch siren sound, an old custom designed to call together farm workers out in the fields. During the summer months there are also night markets, a convivial social occasion for locals and tourists alike. The town of Samatan (photo above) is where you’ll find one of the biggest and best markets.

Festivals

Every village in the Gers has a festival whether it’s a gathering in the village foyer or an outright street party. There is no doubt that the Gerois love a good party. The 13th century village of Marciac hosts one of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe. Les Territoires du Jazz, takes place each August, a fortnight dedicated to jazz. The village on Vic-Fezensac hosts Tempo Latino at the end of July.

The village of Condom hosts Bandas every second weekend of May  with 35 bands and 2000 musicians (brass and percussion), accompanied by street dancing. In arenas throughout the summer the Course Landaise is welcomed. It is one of the 4 traditional forms of bullfighting, but there is no killing of the bull, it’s a purely acrobatic showcase.

Abbeys

There are some beautiful examples of religious architecture in the Gers. One of these, is the austere, yet elegant, Abbaye de Flaran, nestled below the hilltop village of Valence-sur-Baïse. The abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1151. The complex, includes a medicinal garden and a small museum dedicated to Saint Jacques-de-Compostelle. In the former monks’ dormitory there is a display of  artworks by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Monet, Braque, from the “Simonow” collection. There are also temporary exhibitions of ancient or contemporary art, classical music concerts and many other activities throughout the year. www.tourisme-condom.com

Churches

Churches in the Gers were often built in the southern Gothic style, which emerged in France in 1140, and was dominant until the mid-16th century. They share three major characteristics: ribbed vaults, flying buttresses and strained glass with at least one rose window. Although most of these churches are technically called cathedrals, they are essentially basic houses of worship because they are no longer run by bishops. Most churches in the department were either damaged or destroyed during the Wars of Religion and the French Revolution. The smaller, picturesque churches that dot the countryside are always closed, but sometimes you can ask for a key at the mayor’s office. Cathedrals and small churches were an integral part of village life in the countryside.

Castles

There are more than 95 castles including towers, dungeons, and dovecotes (pigeonniers) in the Gers. Many chateaux are little more than ruins, while others are private homes. Some of them are open to the public, and are definitely worth a tour.

Chateau de Terraube  is a typically Gascon castle built around 1272 for the de Galard family, Merovingian dukes of Gascony. There is a date over the doorway confirms this. The de Galards have owned the castle ever since. It was enlarged in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Stone decorations include animals, people, gargoyles and coats of arms, including those of the Galards, on a chimney.

The chateau has been listed as a historic monument since 1947. It is open to the public during cultural events. There is an antique fair held on the chateau grounds in September. It’s a good place to look for silverware, jewellery, furniture, carpets, books, linen, paintings, and porcelain.

Chateau de Cassaigne  is comprised of two castles, each privately owned. The buildings date from the 13th, 15th and 18th centuries. Worth noting are the façades and roofs, including those of the common buildings, the moat and bridge, the 18th century dining room and its chimney and the ground floor kitchen in the north wing. The Château de Cassaigne has been listed as a historic monument since 1987. www.chateaudecassaigne.com

Chateau de Lavardens is a massive structure that dates from 1620 onwards. It was built based around an earlier castle from the 13th century, which was dismantled in 1496 by Charles VIII following a siege. It is open to the public and holds art exhibits and cultural activities year round.

National Treasure

D’Artagnan was not just a fictionalized character from Alexandre Dumas the elder’s novels! He was a real person by the name of Charles Ogier de Batz-Castelmore D’Artagnan. A valiant soldier, he became Captain of the Musketeers, and was answerable only to the Sun King, himself, Louis XIV.

D’Artagnan was born in the ancient village of Lupiac in 1611, son of Bertrand de Batz and Françoise de Montesquiou d’Artagnan. In the 1630’s he travelled to Paris and became one of the Musketeers, living a life of daring and espionage. In 1655 he became Captain of the Musketeers and in 1667 he was promoted to governor of Lille. Longing to return to the exciting life he once knew, Louis IV ordered him to the field of battle during the Franco-Dutch war. He died there, at the siege of Maastricht in 1673.

In the center of Lupiac you’ll find the Musée D’Artagnan housed in the Chapelle Notre Dame. If the weather is warm you might want to take very short drive to Lac de Lupiac. It’s a beautifully kept 32 acre swimming, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking lake with a Gidget Goes Hawaiian Bar serving drinks, food and entertainment all summer long. www.lupiac.fr

Find more info at: www.guide-du-gers.com/en

Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of southwest France where she runs French Country Adventures, which provides private, personally-guided, small-group food & wine adventures in the Gers/Gascony, the Pays Basque, Tarn and beyond…

More on the Gers area

Discover Gorgeous Gers

Road Trip Gers

The officially prettiest villages in the Gers

What to see and do in Auch

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In the regional natural park of Auvergne there are 80 volcanoes spread over an area 32km long and 4km wide. They are a sort of living open air museum, the fires that once raged in them, long burned out. Over time, nature has covered them in wild flower pastures, shrubs, forests and brilliant greenery and they now form a unique and distinctive plateau of peaks and slopes, cones and craters. Known as the Chaine des Puys, the area is a UNESCO listed world heritage site.

It’s an area which is ideal for walking and hiking, with routes to suit all levels.

Puy de Dôme

The Puy de Dôme is nicknamed the Giant of the Domes. Appearing to burst through the land, it’s the highest volcano in the Puys chain and is the symbol of Auvergne. The Romans chose it’s summit as the ideal place to build a temple to Mercury. You can’t help but pity the workforce who had to drag the materials 4,850 feet up those slopes. You can still see the remains of the temple at the top.

If you’re fit enough, a walk provides fabulous views. Or hop on the electric cog train that winds up to the top in a rather more civilised 15 minutes. From here, you’ll have a birds eye view over the regional natural park and the Auvergne volcanoes with the chain of Puys, the Dore mountains and the mountains of Cantal. On a fine day you can see as far as the city of Clermont-Ferrand, and beyond, the mountains of Forez. Puy is a geological term used locally in the Auvergne meaning volcanic hill.

Puy Mary

A classified “Grand Site de France”, Puy Mary is one of the most visited sites in Auvergne. And it’s a classified Grand National Site of France. Located in the south of the volcanic natural park, this iconic pyramid rises 1,787 metres above sea level and was formed some 6.5 million years ago. There are superb views  from the top which look over the mountains of Cantal, the dome of Puy Griou and the Plomb du Cantal. It’s not an easy walk to the peak but there are plenty of places to stop en route and get your breath back.

Puy de Sancy

At 1,885 metres, Puy de Sancy is the highest point of the Massif Central. It’s also the tallest volcano in metropolitan France. The alpine crest, steep slopes and jagged ridges contrast with the other peaks of the Massif Central. Take an exhilrating cable car ride almost to the top. It carries you more than 450 metres in four minutes! Then continue the 20 minute climb to the apex on foot, via a wooden staircase.

Puy du Pariou

You might recognise this rather small 8,000-year-old volcano. With its characteristic silhouette, It’s the star of Volvic water commercials. Reaching 1,290 metres above sea level, this volcano has two hiking trails (around 2 hours there and back) to the top where you have fabulous views over Clermont-Ferrand. You can even descend into its centre to explore the bottom of the crater (allow about an hour to walk down and back).

Puys de la Vache and de Lassolas

Twin volcanoes, born from the same eruption share key characteristics: their stony slopes indicate that their craters are not closed. The red earth of these volcanoes is Mars-like and they are great for a hike. A tour of Puy de la Vache takes about 1h30 (3 km), and Puy de Lassolas takes about 2h30 (5 km).

Puy de Lemptégy

Born 30,000 years ago, the Puy de Lemptégy was mined for its volcanic slag leaving it open in an unusual and striking way. The colours and layers of strata can be clearly seen which has made it a popular visit. It is like an amphitheater of volcanic history. You can enter the volcano on foot or take the 2.5 hour little train guided tour, an immersive experience which includes a simulator ride.

More on the Auvergne

Guide to a weekend in the Auvergne

Searching for a long lost cheese of the Auvergne

Discovering the Auvergne

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Between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic ocean lies Béarn, a historical region. It’s in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the furthest corner of southwest France. The region is often a surprise to visitors with glorious countryside, historic towns and a rich culture. This is a lush land of rolling emerald-green hills on which honey coloured cattle called La Blonde d’Aquitaine graze. From the top of the hills which dot the land, you’ll find spectacular views of the mountain chain of the Pyrénées. The region is blessed with a mild, temperate climate. A healthy rainfall supports a thriving agricultural industry while the farmers take intense care and pride in maintaining the countryside.

Pau, capital of Bearn

Pau is the capital of Béarn. It can trace its roots to the settlement of the Romans at the beginning of the first century. It is the birthplace of one of France’s most famous kings, Henry IV (1553-1610), father of Louis XIII (1601-1643).

The Pyrénées mountains dominate the views from Pau with the Pic du Midi the tallest at 2877m. It stands out with its jagged edges like a chipped tooth. The region offers a wide choice of activities ranging from skiing in the winter to summer hiking and mountain biking. The area often plays host to the gruelling climbs of the Tour de France.

For motor racing enthusiasts the Grand Prix takes place annually in the streets of Pau. It is the oldest town race in France and offers a challenging circuit that has been driven by top Formula one drivers including Lewis Hamilton.

The river Le Gave de Pau which runs down from the mountains towards the mouth of the Atlantic, is great for canoeing and rafting.

The Way of St James, Camino de Santiago pilgrim route runs through Béarn and a very small part of it goes through the national forest of Pau, the Forêt de Bastard. The most important village for the Pilgrim Route is the medieval town of Lescar, former capital of Béarn. It’s a 10-minute drive from Pau. Here you will find a charming Romanesque Cathedral and shelter for pilgrims.

Wine and castles

South of Pau is the wine-growing region of Jurançon. Here dry and sweet white wines are produced, cultivated from the Manseng grape. There is a local legend that the baby Prince Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) was fed a tablespoon of this wine to give him the best start in life and the strength to one day rule!

The Chateau du Pau, built in 1370, evolved from a fortress to become the residence of the rulers of Navarre. The façade is decorated with the monograms of Henry IV and his wife Marguerite of Valois. Famous guests include Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette who is said to have helped to cultivate the chateau’s gardens during her summer stays. The castle is open to the public and has a large collection of tapestries and furnishings including a memorable table that can seat 100 guests. There is also a famous turtle shell brought from the Americas. It is said to have served as a cradle for the baby Prince Henry.

Around Pau

Pau is surrounded by beautiful villages and small towns between the rolling countryside and the Pyrenees. Orthez for instance, with its medieval Pont Vieux bridge keep over the Gave de Pau. The battle of Orthez (1814), was fought here during the Peninsular War resulting in a victory for the Duke of Wellington. It is marked by the Monument du General Foy on the outskirts of the town.

Salies–de-Béarn is also worth a visit. This Spa town is noted for its discovery of famous salt crystals in the nearby marshes and has a museum dedicated to the tradition of salt making. Close by is Sauveterre-de-Béarn, a very pretty fortified medieval town.

Navarrenx is a very well preserved fortified town with a magnificently intact wall. It was the first bastioned city in France. Today it’s a a listed Plus Beaux Village de France (prettiest villages of France). The Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis (who was named after his small town in Béarn), all came from  Béarn and spent time in Navarrenx. From here it is easy to head towards the Pyrenees via Oloron-Saint-Marie where you can visit the UNESCO listed Cathedral Saint-Marie with its Romanesque doorway. And don’t miss the historic and elevated Quartier Saint-Croix which sits on the original Roman settlement. The town is also home to the last beret maker left in France.

Mountains and grottoes

The beauty of this region is enhanced by the Ossau Valley, carpeted in every shade of green. From here you can wind your way towards the resort town of d’Artouse and ogle the Pic du Midi on its doorstep. A cable car will bring you to the top of the mountain. And, from there, hop on a train to meander through breath-taking scenery before ending your journey at the lake d’Artouste. The ride takes about 50 minutes. Or, you can hike it which takes around three hours.

Last but by no means least on the list of places to visit is the Grottes de Betharram. It is a pristine example of what lays beneath the stunning countryside. Discovered in 1810, it was formed by tiny droplets of water over tens and thousands of years. The constant dripping forms stalagmites, creating astounding illusions of grand halls, human like figures and ceilings draped by nature’s graphic designs. It’s a good idea to bring a jumper because it’s nippy down there!

The region is around an hour from the Atlantic Ocean and borders Spain. Two motorways run through the region, the A64 and the A65 and there is an international airport in Pau. The French regional train service and TGV stops at Orthez and Pau connecting Béarn with Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris.

The only problem when visiting this beautiful, sublime region – you may be tempted never to leave!

Katie Disken grew up in Dublin, Ireland and now lives in southwest France where she writes short stories and poetry, and is a fan of the unique wines of Jurancon.

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