The year #2020 will have been a very special year, but it will inevitably have allowed us to visit #France, and in particular our own region. There is so much to see in this magnificent region, but I present to you in photos in this article only my personal favorites of summer 2020.
All the cities and villages proposed in this article have been visited during one-day #photo walks from #Toulouse. Most of the places are also accessible from Toulouse via the train that you can take at Toulouse #Matabiau station.
Good reading !
In the department of #HauteGaronne
I do not offer you a visit to Toulouse, which I detailed in a previous article.
First step, south of #Toulouse, I suggest you start with a visit to Saint-Félix du Lauraguais.
South of Toulouse, #Montesquieu-Volvestre and #Rieux-Volvestre are two magnificent villages. Note that there is the famous #Gallic #village near Rieux-Volvestre.
If you have children, this can be a very interesting and informative ride.
Still in the south of Toulouse, the village of Nailloux and its windmill is a magnificent place. If the weather is clear, you will also have a magnificent view of the Pyrenees from the mill.
Not far from Toulouse, you will find the southern port of #Ramonville. You can get there from Toulouse by bike along the Canal du Midi. You can also rent a boat from the port.
In the department of #Tarn
South-west of the Tarn, not far from Revel, is the city of #Sorèze.
If you visit Sorèze, I advise you to visit the Dom Robert museum, with the school abbey.
Of course, when we talk about the Tarn, we think of #Albi! Albi is a beautiful city, with many brick buildings, and it is the prefecture of the Tarn. If you are lucky, you may even see catfish. In Albi, you can do many activities, such as visiting the Sainte-Cécile cathedral, the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and the #Berbie gardens.
If you like views from above, then I suggest you go to the roof of the theater for a drink or brunch. The view is sublime: you will have a view of the Sainte-Cécile cathedral, whose construction began in 1282.
In the Tarn, you will find many beautiful villages such as Cordes sur Ciel, Castelnau de Montmirail, #Lautrec… Here, an alley of #Puycelsi.
Not far away, a view of Cordes-sur-Ciel, whose name we understand by looking at this photograph.
Below, Lautrec, right in the middle of the land of plenty and its famous pink garlic!
In the department of #Gers:
I visited the Gers department very little in 2020, but nevertheless, Auch, its prefecture is a magnificent city. If you like gastronomy (especially meat-based), you’ve come to the right place, in the heart of #Gascony.
If you go to Auch, I advise you to visit #Lavardens as well as #Lectoure.
Here, an alley of Lectoure.
In the department of #Ariège:
Ariège is a beautiful department, very natural, close to the #Pyrenees, but also close to Toulouse. You can start with a visit to #Foix, the prefecture of the department.
But, it would not be without forgetting to go for a walk in more lost corners in the Ariège countryside.
In the department of #Tarnetgaronne
Without lying, before the COVID crisis, I don’t think I had ever gone for a walk in the Tarn Et Garonne. 2020 will have allowed me to discover this magnificent French department.
The first stage will have been in Montauban, prefecture of Tarn Et Garonne, with magnificent brick facades.
If I had to choose only one village visited in 2020, I would choose for #Auvillar, a magnificent village, calm and lost, in which I was able to meet a very nice 91-year-old man explaining the story to me of the village in which he was born.
Not far from #Auvillar, you can also visit #Lauzerte, as well as #Moissac.
Near the Tarn, you can find the village of #Bruniquel. Not far from Bruniquel, you can also visit Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, #Penne (Tarn Department), Puycelsi (Tarn), as well as Castelnau de Montmirail.
If you go to Tarn-et-Garonne, don’t forget to go to #Quercy, especially to #Montpezat-de-Quercy.
I hope this reading will have made you want to visit our beautiful Occitane region.