Wandering the brick and timber World Heritage Old Town, exploring the imposing fortress-like cathedral and following in the footsteps of Toulouse-Lautrec. These are some of the best things to do in Albi, the stunning old red brick old city on the River Tarn in southwest France.
Albi is best-known for its colossal red-brick cathedral, described by some as the largest brick building in the world. It isn’t, but it is one of the largest brick churches. The city is also the home of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who after his death became one of the most famous artists of the late 19th century Art Nouveau period, and the Museum in the old Bishops’ Palace houses one of the best collections of his works in the world.
Albi also has one of the most beautiful old towns in France, with its unusual architecture, a mixture of red bricks, medieval timber frames and colourful window shutters making every street a delight.
I’ll show you the best things to see and do in Albi and some of the best places to visit nearby. I’ll also explain how to get to Albi, and suggest tours of the city and places to stay in Albi. I hope you find it helpful.
Cathédrale Ste Cécile – St Cécile’s Cathedral
The Cathédrale Ste Cécile is what Albi is perhaps best known for, one of the most famous landmarks in France and one of the most unusual cathedrals anywhere in the world. It doesn’t particularly look like a church – if anything it’s more like a vast brick citadel or fortress.
It’s as if it was built to be defended, the narrow windows almost resembling arrow slits in a castle – hardly flooding the interior with light like contemporary Gothic churches like La Sainte Chapelle Paris. One of the few obvious clues to its true purpose is the richly carved south portal.
It was built in the late 13th century, around 50 years after the Albigensian Crusade, which was ordered by the Papacy to crush the Cathars, one of whose strongholds was Albi. Rome considered the Cathars to be heretics, as their belief that there are two gods – a ‘good’ one ruling the spiritual world and a ‘bad’ one, called ‘Satan’ by many. This contradicted Catholic doctrine, which led to the Cathars being persecuted for 20 years, culminating in their final defeat in 1229. So the Cathedral was a statement of the power of the Catholic Church, including the military might it could call upon.
After the austere exterior, the interior of Albi Cathedral is a huge surprise. It’s beautifully decorated, the walls and ceiling vault painted vivid blues and golds. One of the most striking features is the ornate 15th-century jubé, or rood screen, which separates the nave (where the congregation sits) from the choir (choeur) reserved for the clergy and choir. It’s decorated with scenes from the life of St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated. Some of her relics (most are held in the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome) were brought to Albi in the Middle Ages, and the sculpture of her (pictured) is inspired by her original tomb.
The Cathedral is open daily. It’s open from 10.00 am to 6.00pm Mondays to Saturdays, and from 1.00 pm to 5.30 pm on Sundays.
Palais de la Berbie and Musee de Toulouse-Lautrec
The Palais de la Berbie is the 13th-century Palace of the Bishops of Albi, and like its neighbour the Cathedral it resembles a fortress, with thick, high brick walls and towers. As the perceived threat to the bishops and Catholic church gradually receded, it became more of a pleasure palace, as evidenced by the beautiful gardens at the rear of the building, just above the river Tarn. Access to the gardens is free.
The Palais makes a magnificent setting for the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, the biggest showcase in the world of the works of Albi’s most famous son, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
The exhibition follows his work in chronological order, from his early paintings through to his world-famous posters advertising bars and clubs in Paris, and his depictions of brothel life. While we’ve always loved his iconic posters, some of the subjects in his paintings have an underlying melancholy about them – something he also carried for much of his life as a result of his disability since childhood.
He broke both his femurs in his early teens, and neither healed properly, resulting in stunted growth. This affected him deeply for the rest of his short life – he died in 1901 at the young age of 36, as a result of syphilis and his long struggle with alcoholism.
I had considered myself a lifelong fan of Toulouse-Lautrec, but this exhibition taught me much more than I had known about him beforehand. It’s an exceptional Museum in an amazing setting, and if you’re an aficionado of Toulouse-Lautrec, go out of your way to see this Museum, and his works in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
From June to September, the Museum is open daily from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
From October to May it is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm, then from 2.00 pm to 6.00pm.
Albi Old Town
Much of Albi – like nearby Toulouse and other towns in the region – was built using the foraine brick, a descendant of the ancient fire-dried Roman brick still visible in many Roman sites around Europe.
The bricks were used in combination with timber-frames as was also the case elsewhere in contemporary Europe, giving Albi and other places in the area a distinctive appearance. Hence Albi’s centre historique (old town), with its shades of red, ochre and even pink, is gorgeous.
Historic Albi consists of four small districts, each slightly different. The Castelviel area around the Cathedral is more open with squares and wider streets, while the area around Saint-Salvi Church – just a few minutes’ walk from the Cathedral – has narrower streets and a much more intimate feel.
The city centre of Albi is very small, but with such rich architecture and detail, it’s somewhere you could easily wander for a day or more, as I did.
Maison du Vieil Alby
This ‘House of Old Albi’ is one of the best-preserved in the city, and it also underwent a major restoration in the early 1970s.
It has the typical local mixture of wooden frame and brick, a more durable combination than many of the medieval houses elsewhere in France and to the northeast in Germany.
The Maison du Vieil Alby is one of the few houses you can actually enter, so it’s well worth the short visit. The interior has wooden beamed ceilings and a spiral stone staircase, leading to a small exhibition on the childhood of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
If you stand back far enough – and your camera lens is wide enough – you can get a great shot of the front of the house (on the corner of Rue de la Croix Blanche) with the Cathedral Tower framed by the street to the right.
It’s open from February to December, Mondays to Saturdays, 2.15 pm to 4.45 pm. It closes later between April and September, at 5.30 pm. Entry is €3 for adults.
Church and Cloister of Saint-Salvi
Apart from the Cathedral and Palais de la Berbie, the Church of Saint-Salvi is the most impressive sight in Albi. It’s also the oldest building in the city, founded in the 11th century, almost 200 years before the construction of the present Cathedral.
Dedicated to the first bishop of Albi, St Salvius, the church was built in stages over the following 600 years. The remains of Salvius were buried in the church, but following restoration in the 18th century, the exact burial site is no longer known.
The Gothic interior of the church is magnificent, and the peaceful Cloister (Cloitre de Saint-Salvi) is breathtaking. It’s wonderfully quiet, with a flower and herb garden surrounded by Romanesque arcades with carvings of dragons, serpents and other creatures.
The Church and Cloister are open from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm Mondays to Saturdays. It’s also open 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm on Sundays. It remains open through the day during July and August, with no lunchtime closure.
Pont Vieux
Albi’s Pont Vieux – the Old Bridge – is one of the most beautiful bridges in France.
Like the rest of the city, it’s built with red brick. The present bridge is the second on the site, built during the early Gothic period of the 13th century (Note the pointed arches). This replaced a less sturdy 11th-century bridge.
During the Middle Ages Albi was a prosperous port, and the then-fortified bridge levied tolls on anyone crossing it, particularly traders with goods. It was on an important trading route midway between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The bridge has changed much over the centuries – it used to have a fortified tower, and was also lined with late-medieval timber-framed brick houses.
The View From Across The River Tarn
Perhaps the best view of Albi is from across the river Tarn, on the north bank of the river looking back to the Cathedral and Old Town.
I had always looked forward to photographing Albi, and it lived up to expectations – it’s one of the most beautiful small cities in France, not to mention one of the best underrated cities in Europe.
The view from the Pont Vieux is wonderful, but the view from the next bridge upstream, the Pont du 22 Août 1944. It’s a higher vantage point, and the view from there also includes the handsome Pont Vieux too.
The best time to enjoy the view is first thing in the morning or in late evening light.
Musée Lapérouse
The one place in Albi that I didn’t visit is the Lapérouse Museum, just around the corner from the Pont du 22 Août 1944. At the time I wasn’t aware of the significance of Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse, but now that I’m married to an Australian, I’ve come to learn all about him.
The Albi-born Comte de Lapérouse was an explorer and navigator, who became Secretary of State of the Navy in 1785. He set off on a voyage of scientific discovery in 1785, rounding Cape Horn before visiting the likes of Chile, Easter Island, California, Alaska, Russia and Japan before landing in Botany Bay in what is now Sydney, on the east coast of Australia, in January 1788 – at the same time as the First Fleet of British colonists arrived.
La Perouse and his crew spent some time with their British counterparts, eventually moving on towards New Caledonia, to the northeast. His two ships, the Astrolabe and Boussole, eventually came to grief on a coral reef in what is now the Solomon Islands later in 1788.
The Museum in Albi includes a collection of artefacts retrieved from the wreck site at Vanikoro. It also maintains close links with the La Perouse Museum in Botany Bay, Sydney, commemorating his voyage and landing in 1788.
Explore Castelnau-de-Lévis
We had to drive through Castelnau-de-Lévis on our way to the more widely-known Cordes-sur-Ciel (see following section). It’s a small village only a couple of miles west of Albi, and the tall tower of the Castle immediately caught our attention.
There’s not much of the Castle other than the 40-metre tower, but it’s well worth the short climb for the stunning view over the Episcopal City, with the river, Cathedral and Palais de la Berbie.
There are also a few beautiful Albi-style brick-and-timber houses in the village, but it’s probably not somewhere you’d spend more than half an hour or so.
Visit Cordes-sur-Ciel
Cordes-sur-Ciel is probably the best day trip from Albi, a half-hour drive or bus ride northwest of the city. It’s a classic hilltop bastide village, fortified and once very wealthy, thanks to its leather and weaving industries. This explains why there are around a hundred Gothic townhouses from the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
When I visited I spent a few hours wandering the steep cobbled streets, where I came across a few lovely cafes and a great many craft shops and artists’ studios. Cordes became something of an artists’ colony after the Second World War, coalescing around the painter Yves Brayer.
The main sights in the village are the fortified gates, with the church of Saint-Michel at the top of the hill. You may not be surprised to learn that it has long been considered one of les plus beaux villages de France, one of the most beautiful villages in France. It has become a bit of a tourist honeypot, but the crowds are minimal compared to places elsewhere in Europe like the Cinque Terre villages or San Gimignano in Tuscany, Italy.
The 707 bus service runs from Albi gare routière (bus station) on Place Jean Jaurès four times a day, taking half an hour to the bottom of the village.
Visit Lautrec
Lautrec, 25 km (15 miles) south of Albi, is another member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France network, and is well worth a stop for an hour or three.
The centre of the village is beautiful, particularly the surprisingly large square, with its medieval houses and arcades. There are hundreds of the local brick and timber-framed houses around the village, and a gorgeous 17th-century stone windmill, the Moulin de la Salette, on the hill above the village.
Lautrec is also, as you may have guessed, connected with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec -it’s the ancestral home of his family. The village is also known for its pink garlic, for which I can personally vouch – it is absolutely delicious. Even if you have tried similar varieties, make sure you buy a few bulbs of this.
Lautrec is quieter than Cordes-sur-Ciel, and well worth the visit. It’s only a half-hour drive from Albi, and you could easily combine it with a few hours in nearby Castres, as I did.
Other Places To Visit Near Albi
Toulouse is the nearest major city to Albi, one I’ve only briefly seen long ago, but always planned to return to at some point. I stopped there on a road trip with friends while still at high school, allowing just enough time to see the Basilique Saint-Sernin, one of the greatest Romanesque churches in France. Some of my friends from that trip have returned there a few times since to see the city’s famous rugby union team in action.
I was devastated not to have time to visit the awesome Gothic Jacobins Convent, a mighty wonder reminiscent inside of some of the great Venetian Gothic churches including SS Giovanni & Paolo and I Frari.
Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose – The Pink City – because of the stone and bricks with which it is built. When I briefly visited I loved the narrow medieval streets of the centre historique like the one pictured, a feast for the eyes, with some outstanding restaurants. Toulouse is in the home region of the bean and meat dish cassoulet, and an ideal place to try it.
Castres is another famous French rugby town, 42 km (26 miles) south of Albi. It’s a major stop on one of the French branches of the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrims’ route to the Shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela. The relics of St Vincent of Zaragoza, one of the most prominent Iberian saints, were once held in the church of Saint-Benoit in Castres.
There are two other must-see sights in Castres. The first is the row of tanners’ and weavers’ houses which lean slightly over the river Agout in the centre of the town. The other main attraction has another connection – the Goya Museum, housed in the former archbishop’s palace, is home to the collection of Spanish art in France outside Paris. There are a few works by Francisco Goya, and also others by Diego Velazquez and Murillo.
Two hours’ drive south of Albi is another World Heritage-listed gem, Carcassonne. It’s best-known for its Cité, an extraordinary fairytale walled citadel that is one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. The Chateau Comtal is located within the Cité – essentially a castle inside another castle – and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire is one of the loveliest undiscovered Gothic churches in France.
Carcassonne is also one of the most popular stops along the Canal du Midi, the famous waterway linking Toulouse with the Mediterranean Sea near Sète. Check out my guide to spending One Day in Carcassonne for more information.
Where Is Albi
Albi is the prefecture (capital) of the Tarn département, in the Occitanie region of southwest France.
Here are some sample distances from nearby major cities and towns to Albi:
Toulouse to Albi – 85 km (53 miles) to the southwest
Carcassonne to Albi – 102 km (61 miles) to the south
Bordeaux to Albi – 277 km (172 miles) to the northwest
Montpellier to Albi – 182 km (113 miles) to the southeast
Avignon to Albi – 276 km (171 miles) to the east
Paris to Albi – 659 km (409 miles) to the north
How To Get To Albi
The nearest airports to Albi are Toulouse, Rodez and Carcassonne.
Rodez (60 km, 39 miles) away is served by budget carrier Ryanair during the summer season (early June to late September).
Carcassonne is also served by Ryanair, who fly from London Stansted (year-round), Manchester and Dublin (the latter only over the summer season).
Toulouse-Blagnac airport is the largest of the three airports near Albi. It has connections with London, Amsterdam, Brussels , Frankfurt, Dublin and regional British cities. There are also direct flights from Montreal to Toulouse.
If you’re travelling to Albi by train, there are 12 services a day from Toulouse and these take just under an hour. There are two stations in the city, and Albi-Ville is more useful than Albi-Madeleine.
Albi doesn’t have a very convenient location on the regional rail network. It’s on the Toulouse to Rodez line, which is convenient if you’re flying into either of these airports. However, if you’re travelling anywhere else in the region by rail, you’ll almost certainly have to change at Toulouse.
Both times I’ve visited Albi have been as part of s south of France road trip. I normally only recommend driving if there is no other option, and driving will save you time and is more flexible in a region with limited bus services. For example, if you catch a train from Albi to Montpellier, it’ll take you between four and five hours. If you drive, it’ll take you two hours.
Hotels In Albi
There are some excellent Albi hotels, and these are the best of them:
**** – Hotel Alchimy – beautiful hotel in the historic centre, with an outstanding restaurant
**** – Mercure Albi Rives du Tarn – housed in an 18th-century watermill overlooking the river, with some of the best views in town
*** – Villa Caroline – exceptional guest house just across the river from the Cathedral
** – Hotel Les Pasteliers – the best budget option in Albi
Things To Do In Albi – Final Thoughts
I hope you find this article helpful. Despite being a World Heritage Site, Albi is very much off the beaten track, especially in comparison with Carcassonne, to the south of the Montagne Noire.
As well as the articles I have referred to in this guide, check out some of my other articles on France here:
One Day in Arles – the World Heritage Roman city which inspired Vincent van Gogh
One Day In Avignon – 24 hours in the City of Popes, one of the great cities of France
14 Best Day Trips From Avignon – Roman sites, lavender fields, picture-perfect villages and much more
10 Day South of France Road Trip – from Avignon to Albi, the best of Provence and Occitanie
What Is France Famous For? – cheese, wine, chanson, cinema, the Eiffel Tower – and so much more
15 Best Places To Watch The Sunset in Paris – best sunset spots in one of the most romantic cities in the world
Best Eiffel Tower Views – the best places to see Paris’ greatest icon
How To Visit The Arc de Triomphe Paris – all you need to know about visiting this great French icon
Pont Alexandre III Paris – possibly the most beautiful bridge in Paris
22 Famous Churches in Paris – from Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle to the world’s first Gothic church in Saint-Denis
Normandy Road Trip – the ultimate 7-day Normandy itinerary