Gaillac

Abbaye Saint-Michel and Maison des Vins

The Abbaye Saint-Michel towers over the Tarn in the heart of Gaillac. Built on the ruins of a Roman villa, it soon became the lifeblood of the town, with a river port from which wine was shipped to Bordeaux, and it was this trade that revived it after the destruction of the Wars of Religion: it was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries, before the Revolution brought its religious life to an end. The finest view of the brick-and-stone complex is from the Pont Saint-Michel at sunset. The vaulted cellars house the abbey museum, which traces the history of the town and its vineyards since Gallo-Roman times, with workshops and guided tours. The Maison des Vins, in the same complex, presents the Gaillac appellations, reds, dry and sweet whites, rosés, primeurs and méthode ancestrale sparkling wine made from mauzac, and runs free tastings and introductory workshops. The abbey church, whose interior has been under restoration since June 2024, will stay closed for several years; it can still be seen from the courtyard and the banks of the Tarn.

Parc de Foucaud

The Parc de Foucaud covers a large site on the banks of the Tarn, very close to the centre of Gaillac. It is laid out around a 17th-century château built on an Italian-style plan, which now houses the town's fine arts museum. In front of the façade, a French formal garden steps down in terraces towards the river, dotted with pools and a reading pavilion, while a rose garden adds colour in late spring. The park, owned by the town since 1903, is open every day and free of charge. It makes a good shady stop after the market or a visit to the abbey, and a pleasant viewpoint over the Tarn. The fine arts museum in the château is included in Gaillac's three-museum pass, at €8, which also covers the abbey museum.

Lisle-sur-Tarn

Lisle-sur-Tarn is a 13th-century bastide built on the banks of the Tarn, between Gaillac and Rabastens. Bastides, new towns founded at that time by lords, kings or abbeys to stimulate trade, follow a regular grid plan, which Lisle has kept almost intact. Its large central square is surrounded by arcades; the façades combine red brick, half-timbering, overhangs and carved lintels. The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Jonquière, as old as the town itself, is recognisable from afar by its brick bell-gable and has a Southern Gothic interior. The town's wealth came from its port, now gone, from which flat-bottomed gabares sailed down the Tarn laden with woad, wine and grain. Two museums round off the visit: the Musée Raymond Lafage, devoted to graphic art, and the Musée Art du Chocolat, which runs workshops during the school holidays. In September, the Lisle Noir festival brings together crime-fiction authors and readers.

Notre-Dame-du-Bourg in Rabastens

Rabastens is a small brick town on the Tarn, on the old road linking Lyon with Toulouse via Rodez, still followed by pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compostela. In the 12th century, Benedictines from Moissac abbey founded a priory in the Bourg quarter and built a chapel, of which the doorway and its eight Romanesque capitals survive. The church was then enlarged in the Southern Gothic style in the 13th and 14th centuries. Its fame rests on its painted decoration: during the Wars of Religion the Protestants turned it into a guardroom, then the Catholics, on their return, whitewashed the walls; that coat protected the medieval paintings, which were rediscovered and restored in the 19th century. The vaults and walls are thus covered in scenes, patterns and vivid colours. Listed as a historic monument in 1899, the church has been a World Heritage Site since 1998 as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela. It is open every day, including during the current works.

Castelnau-de-Montmiral

Castelnau-de-Montmiral is a hilltop bastide above the Vère valley, facing the Grésigne forest. Its heart is the Place des Arcades, lined on all four sides by arcaded houses with brick, plank and half-timbered façades, home to the town hall, the tourist office, restaurants and, on Tuesday mornings, the market. A local tradition holds that unfaithful wives were once put on display here before being banished. Further on, the Place de la Rose was the starting point for pilgrims heading to Rome or Compostela; a 17th-century wash house, remains of fortifications and several fine mansions punctuate the stroll. The castle has left only a few sections of wall, and it has nothing to do with the one in the film Les Visiteurs. The church of Notre-Dame, closed for restoration, normally keeps in its treasury the consuls' cross, a masterpiece of religious goldsmithing, which is on display in Albi cathedral in the meantime. In summer, the Terres Rouges festival in July and the free CastelRoc around 15 August bring the square to life.

Puycelsi

Puycelsi comes into view from afar, perched on a rocky spur above the Grésigne forest and the Vère valley, and reaching it is already a small climb. A former stronghold, the village has kept much of its walls, its gates and its rampart walk, from which the view stretches over wooded hills. Inside, stone and half-timbered houses shelter craft workshops, a honey house, a grocery and a soap maker, and it's easy to linger in the small shady squares. The village is listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Below it, the departmental conservatory of fruit species and old vines, created in 1986 by the département, brings together more than 700 old varieties of fruit trees and over a hundred grape varieties, and offers free guided tours in the morning from June to October.