Tarn

Tarn is a department in the Occitanie region of France.

Cities and towns

Cordes-sur-Ciel

• 1 Albi — its Cité épiscopale, an intact set of mediaeval buildings surrounding the cathedral, is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site
• 2 Briatexte — its church is a beautiful historical monument, and you can visit a vineyard to taste the local Côtes-du-Tarn wine
• 3 Brens — it has a 13th-century tower, a cemetery chapel from 972, and the Tuile bridge is medieval with a single arch
• 4 Cadalen — a wonderful place if you like nature
• 5 Carmaux — at the Cité Minière of Carmaux you can learn about the city's mining history, while the Musée de verre of Carmaux displays art and glass
• 6 Castelnau-de-Montmiral — built on a limestone peak overlooking the valley of the Vère river
• 7 Cordes-sur-Ciel — a breathtaking village perched on a hilltop
• 8 Couffouleux — visit the 160-m bridge of Rabastens, an arch bridge with upper deck
• 9 Durfort — nicknamed the "copper city" for the prosperous copper artisan trade
• 10 Gaillac — visit the wine museum at the l'Abbaye Saint Miche
• 11 Giroussens — it has a beautiful old town hall
• 12 Graulhet — has a charming medieval district
• 13 Lagrave — keeps a solid wine tradition and historic churches
• 14 Lautrec — known for its pink garlic, and 1000 ha dedicated to garlic cultivation
• 15 Lisle-sur-Tarn — a 13th-century fortified town in the heart of the Gaillac vineyards
• 16 Montgaillard — has a lot of hiking trails through the medieval landscape and around the dark lakes
• 17 Puycelsi — an ancient medieval village from in the 10th century built on a hill
• 18 Saint-Sulpice — its church dates from the 14th century, and is known for its 40-m-high bell tower
• 19 Salvagnac — a 15th-century castle dominates the historic centre of town
• 20 Vaour — it has very impressive dolmens

Other destinations

• Le Sidobre — just east of Castres, this forms the westernmost extremity of the 1 Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc . It is cut by deep river valleys and covered with marvellous woods. It's renowned for its granite: huge boulders litter the woods, often carved by the millennia into fascinating shapes, such as Les Trois Fromages and l'Oie.

Get in

Castres-Mazamet Airport (IATA:DCM) is linked by twice-daily flights from Paris Orly. However, Toulouse-Blagnac (in the neighbouring department of Haute-Garonne is much better served by airlines from all over Europe.

Drink

The village of Gaillac (about 10 km west of Albi) is the heart of one of France's smallest wine appellations, and is the best place to try the wine.