Gaillac in 4 days
Between Albi and Toulouse, Gaillac has one of the oldest vineyards in France, with grapes you will rarely drink anywhere else: braucol, duras, mauzac. Around it, brick and stone bastide towns such as Lisle-sur-Tarn, Castelnau-de-Montmiral and Puycelsi line the river or look over the Grésigne forest.
_Abbaye_Saint-Michel_de_Gaillac_exposition_sud_vue_des_berges_du_Tarn.jpg/1280px-(Gaillac)_Abbaye_Saint-Michel_de_Gaillac_exposition_sud_vue_des_berges_du_Tarn.jpg)
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Saint-Michel Abbey and the Maison des Vinsabout 1 hThe abbey that made Gaillac rich by shipping wine down the Tarn to Bordeaux; its vaulted cellars now tell the vineyard's story.
- Afternoon
Parc de Foucaudfree · about 45 minA 17th-century Italianate château above the Tarn, home to the fine arts museum, with French formal gardens stepping down to the river.
Day 2
- Morning
Lisle-sur-Tarnfree · about 1 hA 13th-century bastide built around a vast arcaded square lined with brick, half-timbered and jettied façades.
- Afternoon
Notre-Dame-du-Bourg, Rabastensfree · about 30 minA priory church on the road to Compostela, rebuilt in southern Gothic style, keeping a Romanesque doorway with eight carved capitals.
Day 3
- Morning
Les Jardins des Martelsabout 1 h 30A 3.5-hectare English-style flower garden at Giroussens, listed as a Jardin Remarquable, with a tropical glasshouse and colour-themed beds.
- Afternoon
Castelnau-de-Montmiralfree · about 1 hA hilltop bastide around an arcaded square of half-timbered houses, with a 17th-century wash house, stretches of rampart and views over the Grésigne forest.
Day 4
- Morning
The Grésigne forestfree · about 1 h 30A large state oak forest on hills cut by small valleys, once felled for royal navy masts and now rich in old-tree insects.
- Afternoon
Puycelsifree · about 1 hOne of France's Plus Beaux Villages, on a spur above the Grésigne forest, with most of its ramparts intact and a wall walk to follow.
Where to sleep in Gaillac
- Hôtel des Consuls · €80 a night
- Hôtel le Relais des Deux Vallées · €70 a night
- Hôtel l'Occitan · €85 a night
- Château de Tauziès · €200 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.