Bed and breakfast accommodation in Albi Monasteries

Albi, also called the Red Town, attracts many tourists each year, because of its history and the surprising architecture of red bricks. The facades will change colour depending on the light or time of day.

The central headquarter of Albi is divided into six distinct neighbourhoods, with different personalities. Castelnau used to be where the most affluent medieval citizens resided, or Saint-Salvi the district of commerce and some rich townhouses for rich merchants. It is like walking back in time, which is now a distant memory of the Cathars. 

The episcopal Palace is housing the art museum called Toulouse-Lautrec, which exposes over a thousand works by Toulouse-Lautrec, the largest collection in the world.

While on tour, you can stop at the Fashion museum which displays a thousand opulent dresses and accessories from the 1700s up to the 1970s.  

How to get around? 

You can explore the city on foot; so it is rather small. The walk from the train station is about 1.5 miles to the cathedral.

Please note that you won't find many cabs on the street or even at the train station. You may need to book one in advance.

To Albi on SNCF regional trains from Toulouse Matabiau takes about 1h10 to arrive. There are also trains to Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Paris. The station is called Gare Albi-ville.

Tarnbus is the local public bus service that can take you to other cities and villages in the Tarn department.

Albi is a town on the Tarn river in the south of France, northeast of Toulouse. 

Albi was built during the middle ages around the original cathedral and episcopal group of buildings. This historic area was built in the middle ages, red bricks and tiles are the main feature of most of the edifices. All of these sites have been classified as a World Heritage Site since 2010.

The first site to be built was the fortified bridge in 1040, to crossroad the routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Pont Vieux (Old bridge in English) is still in use after almost a millennium and is a patrimonial element of Albi, within the UNESCO classification of the Episcopal City and classified as a historical monument since 1961.

The second important site to be built was the collegiate church of Saint Salvi, the monument is one of the oldest and largest Romanesque churches in Albi. The construction started during the 11th century, around Saint Salvi’s shrine. You can wander around the cloister just like monks used to do, back in the middle ages. 

The next site to be built was by the Bishop who completed by the end of the 13th century the Berbie Palace. It is today the oldest and best-preserved castles in France. Its military architecture affirmed the power of the bishops against the consuls of the city. Over the centuries, the bishops transformed it into a leisure residence. The beautiful palace gardens are also a favorite for all visitors. 

But the main attraction is the cathedral, made of red bricks, it is now the largest brick cathedral in the world. The cathedral is extravagant with a very different atmosphere to others, it is also the largest painted cathedral in Europe. You will be able to witness the oldest representation of the Last Judgement from the 15th century which includes the Earth, Heaven and Hell in a fabulous mural piece. And as well as the Mappa Mundi, which has been conserved for 1300 years.