  | Other car rental locations in Albi (Per day) | |
|
 | Albi Downtown car rental - Travel Guide |  |
ALBI, 77km and an hour's train ride northeast of Toulouse, is a small industrial town with two unique sights: a museum containing the most comprehensive collection of Toulouse-Lautrec's work (Albi was his birthplace); and one of the most remarkable Gothic cathedrals you'll ever see. Its other claim to fame comes from its association with Catharism; though not itself an important centre, it gave its name - Albigensian - to both the heresy and the crusade to suppress it.
The town hosts three good festivals over the course of the year: jazz in May, theatre at the end of June/beginning of July, and classical music at the end of July/beginning of August. During July and August there are also free organ recitals in the cathedral (Wed 5pm & Sun 4pm).
The Town
The Cathédrale Ste-Cécile (daily: June-Sept 8.30am-7pm; rest of year 8.30-11.45am & 2-5.45pm; entry to choir 5F/?0.80, to treasury 20F/?3.05), begun about 1280, is visible from miles around, dwarfing the town like some vast bulk carrier run aground, the belfry its massive superstructure. If the comparison sounds unflattering, perhaps it is not amiss, for this is not a conventionally beautiful building; it's all about size and boldness of conception. The sheer plainness of the exterior is impressive on this scale, and it is not without interest: arcading, buttressing, the contrast of stone against brick - every differentiation of detail becomes significant. Entrance is through the south portal, by contrast the most extravagant piece of Flamboyant sixteenth-century frippery. The interior, a hall-like nave of colossal proportions, is dominated by a huge mural of the Last Judgment, believed to be the work of Flemish artists in the late fifteenth century. Above, the vault is covered in richly colorful paintings of sixteenth-century Italian workmanship, while a rood screen, delicate as lace, shuts off the choir: Adam makes a show of covering himself, Eve strikes a flaunting model's pose beside the central doorway, and the rest of the screen is adorned with countless statuary.
Next to the cathedral, a powerful red-brick castle, the thirteenth-century Palais de la Berbie , houses the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec (June-Sept daily 10am-noon & 2-6pm; rest of year Wed-Sun 10am-noon & 2-5pm; 24F/?3.66), containing paintings, drawings, lithographs and posters from the earliest work to the very last - an absolute must for anyone interested in Belle époque seediness and, given the predominant Impressionism of the time, the rather offbeat painting style of its subject. However, perhaps the most impressive thing about this museum is the building itself, its parapets, gardens and walkways giving stunning views over the river and its bridges.
Opposite the east end of the cathedral, rue Mariés leads into the shopping streets of the old town, most of it impeccably renovated and restored. The little square and covered passages by the church of St-Salvy are worth a look as you go by. Eventually you come to the broad Lices Pompidou , the main thoroughfare of modern Albi, which leads down to the river and the road to Cordes. Less touristy, this is the best place to look for somewhere to eat and drink.
|
|
|
|
|
