Invoked by the late-medieval poets, the powerful and serpentine course of the emerald Tarn cuts its way across the plateau landscape. The sheer stone faces it has hewn are one of the region’s great attractions and visitors come from far and wide to a..

The familiar outline, standing clearly apart from the main Pyrenean chain, the breathtaking views and the scientific facilities (observatory) have largely contributed to the widespread fame of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre (2 865m). On arriving at level..

At the entrance to Couflens, the Port d’Aula road runs above the impressive forested valley of Angouls. The peaks of the last cirque in the valley, above Salau, can be made out through Salat Notch. Keep going past the superbly oriented ‘‘balcony vill..

This square is surrounded by (late 13C-15C) houses with the 1 st floor jutting out over timber-roofed arcades; note in particular the sculpted heads at the Maison des Consuls. Everything here seems to evoke Occitania: the welcoming shade, the large ..

Combining Gavarnie and Barèges Valleys, Luz-Gavarnie is mainly known for its Cirques ( Gavarnie , Troumouse , Estaubé ) with different overlapping layers of limestone that are sometimes clearly visible. Many of the summits are over 3000m. Here agai..

From Barèges, the road enters the Escoubous Valley where a stream winds through stony meadows. After La Gaubie Bridge (don’t miss the botanical gardens ), the road winds up to the pass (alt. 2,115m), where there is a remarkable panorama. The way d..

This site is exceptional because of its huge galleries and the profusion and quality of its aragonite concretions which look like snow crystals due to their white colour and shape. The Lake Room in the damp area has superb concretions. The cave, op..

The 1km-long cave, discovered in 1948, contains many stalactites and stalagmites as well as broad swaths of melted calcite in unusual shapes evoking cascades, huge organs and draperies (in the Matterhorn, Great Organ, Hindu Temple and Gallery of Wond..

Starting from the Albi Tourist Office, follow the circuit Azur (blue loop) to explore the banks of the Tarn River which offer superb views of the city and its old fortifications. On the right bank of the Tarn there are some nicely restored old br..

The Entombment (1490) is a remarkably elegant ensemble on three levels representing the final episodes of the Passion. The figures were sculpted in local limestone by an artist who is unknown to this day. The centre of the scene is occupied by the ..

It was St. Odilon, the prestigious abbot of Cluny, who helped the Abbey of Moissac reach its golden age in the 11C. It is famous for its cloister and the tympanum on the south portal (circa 1130) of the Church of Saint-Pierre, one of the masterpi..

From col de la Gargante, head up left following the “Belvédère à 600m” sign (15min on foot there and back). From the viewpoint there is a fine panorama over the plunging Frau; 700m lower are the piton de Montségur and la montagne de la Tabe. Beyond c..

At the heart of Corbières , this little hill is a gateway froom the Languedoc into Catalan territory and offers fine views. Peaks run into the distance behind the jagged crest dominating the Fenouillèdes .

This mountain area of the Aude borders the eastern Pyrenees, its heights overlooking the UFenouillèdes , has the citadels of the sky ( Peyrepertuse , Quéribus et Puilaurens ), the scene of dramatic episodes in Cathar history. The spiny aromatic sc..

Unyielding and obstinate the River Truyère has cut deeply into the granite plateau of the upper Auvergne, creating a winding and narrow gorge which is often wild and wooded. Hydroelectric dams have greated a long narrow lake. Leaving Entraygues on ..

Less well-known and thus less visited than the Tarn Gorge , the Dourbie Gorge has equally spectacular scenery as it winds its way sometimes vertiginously from Nant. Narrow and steep-sided for most of its course, its fresh wild waters are full of tro..

Follow the thunderous torrent between high rocks as it drops in waterfalls and pauses in calm pools, the largest of which is the gouffre du Cerisier . Further along on the right is the majestic cirque de Farrières , surmounted by jagged needle outc..

Hewn by wild forces in the side of Mont Liausson, this is a magnificent natural spectacle. A 340ha-amphitheatre, the Mourèze cirque is a vast chaos of dolomitic rocky outcrops bordered to the south by the Petite Dourbie Valley. Many footpaths facilit..

Downstream from Meyrueis, the River Jonte flows through a canyon, its steep limestone flanks hewn by erosion. A bit further along, the canyon becomes narrower and in summer the river disappears among crevasses. Approaching the hamlet of Douzes, the r..

Here at the heart of the Tarn Gorge area, there is a remarkable view of the canyon, hewn between the Sauveterre and Méjean plateaus, Mont Lozère, the Aigoual massif, the village of La Malène and the winding D 16 as it rises across the plateau.