What to visit around Toulouse – Circuit des Bastides du Tarn

If you are wondering what to visit around Toulouse, here is the Bastides du Tarn tourist circuit in Occitanie which can be done in 2 days.

In this article, I will share with you the very nice itinerary which allows you to discover a magnificent part of my beautiful region ofOccitania South of France. You will find the stages of this Bastides du Tarn or Bastides Albigeoises circuit and the Google maps to follow by car, van or motorbike!

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What to visit around Toulouse in 2 days?

High-perched villages, Cathar castles, medieval cities but also the Tarn gorges and our beautiful hills colored with sunflowers, each landscape, each stone contributes to the beauty of the Occitanie region. It's difficult to select only a few places to visit for the very short time of a weekend!

So, for this little escape from 2 days around Toulouse, I selected only:

• a few Great sites of Occitania (for some classified as World Heritage by Unesco),
• the sites that are among the most beautiful villages of France,
• un unusual site in the South West : a Whiskey distillery,
• but also my hometown: Toulouse (starting point of the circuit).

Visit the Bastides of Tarn from Toulouse

My program does not leave time to visit Albi or Gaillac which are also essential sites to visit around Toulouse. In fact, I preferred to include the visit to the city of Toulouse which serves as a starting point for my tour of the Bastides du Tarn (maybe am I a little chauvinistic?).

Here is the ideal program for visiting the Bastides du Tarn from Toulouse:

• DAY 1 - Arrival and Toulouse visit + night in Toulouse

• DAY 2 - Bastides du Tarn circuit :
  • Whiskey Distillery
  • Ropes on Sky
  • Saint Antonin Noble Val
  • Penne
  • Bruniquel
  • Castelnau-de-Montmiral
  • Return to Toulouse.

How to organize this weekend around Toulouse?

Nothing could be easier than organizing this weekend around Toulouse! Simply :

• Take a bus, flight or return train to Toulouse or carpool with blablacar to Toulouse;
• Book a hotel or Airbnb in Toulouse center;
• Rent a car to do the Bastides du Tarn circuit by following the itinerary and my advice below.

The Cathar Bastides around Toulouse

The word bastide comes from the Occitan bastida which was the name given to new towns founded from the 13th century in southwestern France during the period from the Albigensian crusade in the Hundred Years War.

In fact, they are linked to Catharism which developed mainly in the South-West of France. The Catholic Church quickly rejected this religious movement which they called “heresy”. To destroy all heretics, the Catholic Church will rely on the lords who organize in 1208 a great crusade which will ravage the South West of France for decades.

Ropes on sky ou Castelnau-de-Montmiral represent the typical example of the bastides founded during the crusade against the Albigenses to protect the "good men" and "good women" of the villages that were destroyed. Simon of Montfort.

Nearly 500 bastides were built between 1222 and 1373 in the southwest of France. In addition to their incredible charm (because they are built high up in the middle of the sublime landscape), these bastides constitute an important historical heritage and a fundamental element of the identity of the Occitanie region!

Route map of the Bastides du Tarn circuit

This tourist circuit around the Bastides du Tarn or Albigensian Bastides makes a loop from Toulouse which is approximately 250 kilometers long. This route can easily be done in 1 day (by getting up early) or in 1 weekend (cooler).

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Take the opportunity to visit Toulouse

Before discovering the sites of my tourist circuit around Toulouse, I advise you to take the opportunity to visit the pink city (see how visit Toulouse on foot in 1 day).

By following this walking tour, you will be able to discover the most beautiful places in the pink city and enjoy its festive atmosphere. Namely that the best wine bar in the world is located in Toulouse !!!

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Bastides du Tarn circuit around Toulouse

To start this tourist circuit from Toulouse, you will have to hit the road early for a 1h15 drive to reach the 1st stage in Villeneuve sur Vère.

Unusual visit in the South West

Indeed, for the first stage of my tour around Toulouse, I suggest you visit a whiskey distillery. In fact, the Castan distillery is the 1st whiskey distillery in Occitanie region. It produces VILANOVA whiskeys with limited editions with unique characteristics.

But the Castan family, owner of vines, also operates and vinifies the wines of Domaine La Gardelle, an organic vineyard, in the Gaillac appellation, located on the Cordais plateau.

To book your visit, you must call 05.63.53.04.61 or send an email: contact@distillerie-castan.com

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Cordes sur Ciel - The most beautiful Bastide in the South West

For the 2nd stage of my circuit (only 10 km from the distillery), I take you to visit one of the most beautiful sites in the Occitanie region : Cordes sur Ciel!

It is one of the oldest Cathar country houses of the South West (founded in 1 by the Count of Toulouse). Its narrow streets, stone houses and sculpted facades make this village a essential for tourism in Occitania.

Rolled up on the top of Puech de Morgagne, Cordes offers from the top of its ramparts breathtaking views over the Cérou Valley.

Saint Antonin Noble Val - Medieval city

For the 3rd stage of my Bastides du Tarn circuit, you will drive 30 minutes to reach a pretty medieval town in Tarn et Garonne.

Located in the heart of Gorges of the Aveyron, dominated by the cliffs of Roc d'Anglars, Saint Antonin Noble Val attracts for the charm of its medieval streets, for its Roman House, for its House of Love and for its old tanneries.

Penne - Fortress on the Gorges de l'Aveyron

15 km from Saint Antonin Noble Val, there is a small village which is definitely my favorite: PENNE !

First of all, Penne is discovered by its pretty little medieval village where time has stood still ... Then you have to climb through the small winding streets to access the imposing medieval fortress. In the course of renovation, the entry is paying and intended to finance the work.

From the top of the fortress, the view is magnificent on the wild nature of the forest of Grésigne and on the Aveyron river which flows below.

Bruniquel - Most beautiful village in France

The next stage is located 15 km from Penne, in Bruniquel in the Tarn et Garonne.

Ranked among the most beautiful villages in France, Bruniquel is located in a magnificent landscape: on the border of Quercy and Rouergue, at the end of the Gorges de l'Aveyron.

This village is very touristy and of authentic beauty. It was not for nothing that it was chosen as the location for the filming of the Old Gun in 1975!

Castelnau de Montmiral - Cathar Bastide

Last bastide and last visit of my weekend in Occitania, Castelnau de Montmiral is a Cathar city from 1222. Half-timbered houses, medieval streets, splendid place with arcades… It would be a shame not to make a small tourist stopover!

Where to stay to do this tour around Toulouse?

As the Bastides du Tarn circuit leaves from Toulouse and returns to Toulouse, the ideal is to choose a hotel in the pink city (2 minutes walk from the Capitol).

To avoid choosing it in a neighborhood to avoid in Toulouse, here is a beautiful hotel well located in the city center: The large balcony

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Want to discover other sites in my beautiful region of Occitanie?

here is my circuit from Montpellier to Perpignan

mon road trip in the Gard

mon weekend around Carcassonne

or a short stay at Saint Guilhem the Desert

ou the route of the most beautiful villages of Lot and Aveyron