While it is not exactly undiscovered, Albi is one of those French provincial cities that has only recently come into its own as a tourist destination.

Albi is probably best-known as the birthplace of the painter and illustrator, *Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. But at least equally relevant to travellers is the Cité épiscopale, an intact set of Mediaeval buildings surrounding the cathedral (*Basilica of Saint Cecilia) that was recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.

⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Occitanie (tourism-occitania.co.uk)

The cathedral has twelve small chapels placed between the buttresses along the sides of the nave, and an additional twelve alongside the choir, plus an additional five chapels radiating from the apse at the east end, and another, the Chapelle Sainte-Claire, at the west end.

It is 75 km northeast of Toulouse.

Among the buildings of the town is the Sainte Cécile cathedral, a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic style, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is characterised by a strong contrast between its austere, defensive exterior and its sumptuous interior decoration.

Older than the Palais des Papes in Avignon (map), the Palais de la Berbie (map), formerly the Bishops’ Palace of Albi, now the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, is one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in France. This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century.

The Old Bridge (Pont Vieux, map) is still in use after almost a millennium. Originally built in stone (in 1035), then clad with brick, it rests on eight arches and is 151 m long. In the 14th century, it was fortified and reinforced with a drawbridge, and houses were built on the piers.

Albi is on a branch line between Toulouse and Rodez.  It can be reached by train from Paris via TGV to Toulouse, then connecting to a local train.

⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Getting to France (uk.france.fr)

BUS: sobus.travel — sells bus tickets for all the bus companies. Ouibus • Isilines • FlixBus • Eurolines • Megabus >> (*Intercity buses in France)

TRAIN: Trains are a great way to get around in France. For regional trains, schedules can be found at ter.sncf.com. You can get from pretty much anywhere to anywhere else by train.

For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, or High-speed train) on which reservations are obligatory. TGV • Thello • Ouigo. + RailEurope • Eurostar • Thalys • izy (Paris-Brussels) • TGV Lyria (Switzerland) • DB (Germany) • RENFE (Barcelona) >> *Rail travel in France

AIRPORT: parisaeroport.fr – Paris airport information. The main international airport, Roissy – Charles de Gaulle, is likely to be your port of entry if you fly into France from outside Europe.

FERRY: Brittany Ferries • P&O Ferries • DFDS Seaways

Les bons plans de Laura Miquel, Hôtelière de L’ Alchimy à Albi :

1. La Cité Épiscopale : explore la rive gauche du Tarn pour voir surgir l’imposante cathédrale fortifiée Sainte-Cécile qui s’avère être la plus grande cathédrale de brique au monde et découvre également le vaste Palais de la Berbie qui abrite le Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.

2. Le Centre historique : déambule dans le vieux centre historique, laisse l’architecture du bourg médiéval avec ses vestiges et ses remparts, t’immerger et profite de la place pour un moment détente sur une terrasse ensoleillée ou une visite au marché.

3. La presqu’île d’Ambialet : vadrouille dans la nature et les sentiers de cette vallée du Tarn et profite des différents points de vues panoramiques.

4. Le Festival Pause Guitare : participe à ce festival culturel entre musique et spectacle dans lequel la convivialité et la chanson règnent.

⇒ video source: Office de Tourisme Albi / youtube.com /

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