Cute little villages, impressive castles and hearty food makes this perfect getaway
In late June/early July 2019, just when a heatwave hit London, we left the capital for a friend’s wedding in Toulouse. Little did we know that it was even hotter in France! In total, we were there for three days- the first was the wedding itself, and the rest of the time was spent on a little road trip around the area. We hired a car, and in total managed to actually see a fair bit of the gorgeous countryside, some ruins, castles, and eat delicious food! We’ve picked out our favourite parts of the trips and favourite dishes- hopefully will give you some inspiration and encourage you to visit this beautiful part of the country. You will not regret it!
Also known as the Armagnac region (Armagnac is the local brandy), the entire region is stunning, with much to see and do. As well as Armagnac, the area is well known for its hearty, delicious food- we’ve recommended some of the best dishes below which are simply a must try! There are also wineries to visit, various walks, cathedrals and stunning scenery- ranging from forests in the Les Landes to the Pyrenees National Park. In short- there is something for everyone.
Fourcès
We started our mini road trip with a stop off at Fourcès. This is a small medieval village, with the houses built in a circle-called a bastide- which improves the village’s defence if under an attack. This was a stunning village, and incredibly charming. We parked just outside the Eglise de Fourcès (the Fourcès church), then walked across the medieval bridge into the charming village center.
The Château Fourcès (Fourcès castle) can be seen next to the river- it is now a hotel, and looks stunning. As well as the castle, there is a clocktower which is worth checking out- from the 13th century apparently.
The houses and the streets are all charming- with a lot of character as you can see from our photos- and we even caught a game of pétanque in the central square. We also saw a few cute little shops and art galleries-certainly worth having a stroll and looking around.
Fourcès moat
A game of pétanque in Fourcès
The clocktower in Fourcès
Château de Fourcès
The heart of Gascogne, Ténarèze
Gallo-Roman Villa Seviac
Our next stop was the Gallo-Roman Villa Seviac. This is an archaeological complex just outside Montréal, consisting of a luxurious antique villa of over 6500m². This site reopened just a year before our visit in 2018- after 18 months of restoration work. We’ve been to several architectural sites during our trips, and one thing that really stood out here were the mosaics- these were in an incredibly good condition, and very impressive- today covering around 625m². As you can see from our photos there are many various designs dotted around.
As well as the mosaics, you can see some remains of what would have been thermal baths, and a swimming pool with marble. There is also a very pleasant wildflower meadow and a fair few lavender plants!
Finding the archaeological site was rather straight forward, and there is free parking on site just outside the ticket office. We bought the tickets on the day- they were around €5 for just the one site, and it seems there is the option to buy a combined ticket to visit the archaeological site, Archaeological Museum (located in Eauze), and the Domus de Cieutat (also in Eauze)- around 15 km away from the Gallo-Roman Villa Seviac. Our road trip didn’t pass through Eauze, hence we missed these two sites, but it’s certainly a reason for a return trip.
See here for more details on the three sites, and here for admission prices and ticket information. We spent a few hours walking around the site, and finished the visit off with a quick trip to the shop.
Mosaics at Gallo-Roman Villa Seviac
Château de Larressingle
Larressingle is another medieval village (en route to Condom), and is very charming and full of history. There was lots of parking nearby, we then walked into the village itself across the gate- this is the only way in- and a impressive sight. The walls around the village are heavily fortified and still in good condition mostly. Most of the houses are gift and tourist shops, as well as a cafe.
Château de Larressingle – the castle itself- is from the 13th century and is impressive. You can’t go inside but can walk all the way around the grounds, and see the various war machines. You can also have guided tours of the medieval village during the peak season (visit the Tourist Office in the village for more information).
Condom
For lunch, we stopped off in Condom. This is a decent- sized town- the biggest we came across during our trip so far- with a good number of shops, restaurants and cafes. As well as being famous for its name (although the town existed long before the well known context),
Condom has a stunning cathedral in the town center- Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Condom– and also an impressive statue of the musketeers outside the cathedral. Certainly worth a trip! The town is sometimes refereed to as Condom-en-Armagnac, and the entire regions is well known for Armagnac- a brandy produced in the region (we’d recommend this if you haven’t already had it!). There’s actually a museum in the town on Armagnac- that may be of interest- see more here.
For lunch, we chose the restaurant Le Balcon Condom- this is on the main square next to the cathedral, and has a balcony where you can have your lunch or dinner, overlooking the square. The view is great, and the food was equally as good- we had some confit du canard (a must-try dish, definitely recommended if in the area) which was delicious!
Also worth checking out (and you can’t really miss it!) is the statue of D’Artagnan et ses Mousquetaires right next to the cathedral. Perhaps one of the most famous musketeers, D’Artagnan was born in a little village in Gascogne, and there are a number of other statues of him dotted around the region.
D’Artagnan et ses Mousquetaires
Château de Larressingle
Château de Larressingle
Chateau de Larressignle
Cathedral Saint Pierre Condom
Cathedral Saint Pierre Condom
Some of the historical buildings in Auch
Auch
After our lunch stop in Condom, we drove on to Auch- a small town, about half way between Condom and Toulouse, our final despitation for the day. We found Auch to be a very quiet town (perhaps also because it was a Sunday), but after parking in the city center, we spent some time walking around and grabbing a coffee.
Particularly stunning is the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie. We weren’t able to go inside, but the architecture of the church is incredible and very impressive. Standing on the site of an old Roman church from the 11th century, the construction of the current church took almost 200 years- explaining the variety of architectural styles you can see- both Gothic and Renassance. Entry fee is around €2.50, and more infromation on visiting can be found here.
As well as the Cathédrale, equally impressive were the various historic monuments and buildings dotted around, as you can see from our photo.
Auch Cathedral
Views of Auch from Place Salinis
Toulouse
And our final stop for the day- Toulousse. We found an airbnb in the city center, which was small but conveniently located, walking distance to the main attractions. As we arrived in Toulouse rather late in the afternoon on a Sunday, the city was quite quiet, and museums were mostly closed, so we just spent some time walking along the river and city center, admiring the various buildings and architecture. Also known as the “pink city”, as most buildings are made from pale pink-coloured bricks, the city is easy to navigate around and explore.
Some places we would recommend checking out:
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Le Capitole de Toulouse– this stands on a gorgeous square, surrounded on all sides by shops, restaurants and cafes- you would be spoilt for choice. The Capitole has both the town hall and the opera house. Unfortunately this was closed during our visit, however you can have a tour of the historical rooms, and there is free admission. See more here for information on opening times and visiting.
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Basilica of Saint Sernin– this is a very impressive and imposing looking church, a very short walk from the city center.
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The gallery under the arcades– a collection of interesting art work, under the arcades across the square from the Ville Rose. There are many restaurants here as well, and this place is great for grabbing a drink or some nibbles and people watching.
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Place Saint-Georges– we stumbled upon this little square by accident- but it’s a place we would definitely recommend. There are many restaurants and cafes around the square, and it was very lively! There was even what seemed like an organised dance taking place- with both tourists and locals taking part. This square provides another perfect people watching spot!
Basilica of Saint Sernin
Le Capitole de Toulouse
Dancing in Place Saint-Georges
Streets in Toulouse
La fontaine Boulbonne
The gallery under the arcades
Toulouse riverbank
Castelnaudary
On our last day in Toulouse, as we had a late flight back, we were able to spend a good chunk of the day driving around and exploring the region a bit more. We first visited Castelnaudary, a small market town located around an hour’s drive from Toulouse. The town is well known for a particular dish- the Cassoulet– and this was the main reason for us stopping by! Parking was rather straight forward, then we spent a bit of time walking around the main square.
There was a market there during our visit (there seems to be a market at the town on Mondays), selling everything from fruit and veg to cheese, bread, wine etc etc. After walking around the various stalls, we paused for a coffee at a cafe at the Cours de la Republique (great location for people watching) and then went to grab some lunch- the famous Cassoulet. After having a quick look online, we went to La Belle Époque, which is located only a 5 minute walk away from the main market square. The restaurant wasn’t too busy and we were able to get a good table by the window. We had some gizzards to start, and then of course the Cassoulet. Both dishes were delicious, and this is certainly a restaurant we would recommend if you’re in the region!
Cassoulet in Castelnaudary
Carcassone
The city center is incredibly pretty, with stunning architecture, cute cobbled streets, a cathedral which looks like a fortress, and the Canal du Midi running just outside the city center. Just to note- the Canal du Midi is a canal running for over 200km in Southern France, connecting a number of cities and offering a great cycling route for parts of it.
The city was quite lively, and it was very pleasant walking around and checking out the various shops. We then walked away from the city center, right past the Notre Dame de La Santé church. This is a stunning little chapel located right next to the Pont Vieux (old bridge), which is the main route towards the Cité de Carcassonne, and worth popping into. Then, we crossed the Pont Vieux- a pedestrian bridge, which offers views of the fortress and the city park next to the river, and followed the footpath towards the fortress, along the D104 road and then along Côte de la Cité. There are perhaps other routes to get up to the fortress, but we felt like this was a very nice walk up (although on a cobbled path), offering a number of great view points en route.
Once you get up the hill, and through the walls, you’ll be impressed with the medieval city. We were a bit tight for time so weren’t able to do a guided tour- but you can do a tour of the castle and ramparts and a museum of the inquisition – see here for more details. We spent a little bit of time walking around, popping into the various tourist shops and enjoying the architecture. There are also many cafes and restaurants you can visit. We’d highly recommend a visit to the fortress (and a guided tour if you have time!) To see more about Carcassone, and check out various maps, tourist information etc- see here.
Notre Dame de La Santé church
Canal du Midi in Toulouse
Carcassone streets
Cité de Carcassonne- click to see more
Our Favourite Food (and drink) in Gascogne, Tuscany and surroundings
Cassoulet
A delicious, rich casserole dish, slow cooked, containing beans and meat. A very hearty dish and a must-try if in the region- even worth travelling to Castelnaudary just for this one dish!
Gizzards and Confit gizzards
Chicken gizzards are a delicious dish, not too strong in terms of flavours but very tasty. Many restaurants in this area have this on their menus so do give it a try!
Confit de canard (confit duck)
Slow cooked duck is delicious anywhere, more so in Gascogne, where it is hearty and tender.
Saucisse de Toulouse
If in Toulouse, a must-try is the Saucisse de Toulouse- a pork sausage usually sold in a coil. It is often also found in Cassoulet dishes, or grilled- we just had it grilled, with mustard and it was delicious!
Armagnac
A type of brandy from the region, armagnac is distilled from wine and uses a slightly different production method to cognac. There are many wineries and tasting you can also do in the region.
Suggested itineraries
Weekend trip
If you’re only in the region for a weekend, we would suggest visiting Toulouse, the Cité de Carcassonne, Castelnaudary for some Cassoulet and stopping by Larressingle. Be sure to try some Armagnac and some Saucisse de Toulouse.
Week-long trip
In addition to our suggestions for the weekend trip, you will also have time to visit the Gallo-Roman Villa Seviac (and the other museums), stop by a few more market towns and visit a winery for some tasting sessions. We would also recommend doing some walking/cycling along the Canal du Midi and exploring some of the gorgeous countryside.
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