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| Page & Moy — Ultimate Holiday Collection |
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 | Albi, Carcassonne & the Dordogne |
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Page Text Content
ATLANTIC TO THE MEDITERRANEAN
Albi, Carcassonne & the Dordogne
8 days from £599
La Roque Gageac
Albi
St Cirq-Lapopie
" Travel by air or rail " Superb value two-centre holiday " Good choice of included and optional excursions " A classic Page & Moy tour
Step back into the days of the Albigensian crusades and discover fortified villages and hilltop castles and wonder at the sheer scale of Albis magnificent cathedral. Capture the romance of mediaeval France in the picture-book city of Carcassonne and stroll through the sleepy honey-coloured stone villages of the Dordogne& this is France at its most appealing.
ITINERARY DAY 1 UK/Albi By air: We fly to Toulouse, meet our Tour Guide and transfer to Albi and our hotel. By rail: We meet our Tour Guide this morning and join the Eurostar service to Lille from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet. We then connect with the TGV train to Montauban and transfer to Albi for five nights. DAYS 2 5 Albi Standing proudly on the banks of the River Tarn, Albi is a delightful red-brick town steeped in the history of the religious wars between the Cathars and the Crusaders. We take a guided walking tour through the mediaeval streets of the old quarter to see the enormous 13th-century Cathedral of Ste Cecile, one of the most remarkable Gothic cathedrals in the world. Visible from miles around, it dwarfs the town and the sumptuous inner decoration comes as something of a surprise after the austere outer defensive architecture. Albi is also famous as the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec. Dont miss the 13th-century palace containing the most comprehensive collection of his work and offering stunning views from the beautiful gardens. We offer a programme of included and optional excursions to explore the surrounding area. Included excursion: Carcassonne & Castres (full day) We have a wonderful day in store as we travel to Carcassonne, one of the most dramatic towns of the Languedoc region. The view as we approach the double walled, turreted fortress that crowns the hill above the River Aude will take your breath away. This is the largest fortress in Europe and certainly the most impressive. Wander through the narrow streets, take in the panoramic views over the countryside from the battlemented walls and dont miss the beautiful Church of St Nazaire with its exquisite stained glass and intricate stone carvings. En route to Carcassonne we stop at the pretty town of Castres for a stroll through the charming riverside quarter, where old tanners and weavers houses overhang the River Agout. Optional excursions: Ville-Bastides (full day) We step back in time to the 13th and 14th centuries, when England and France fought for control of south-western France in the Hundred Years War. Many fortified towns or villebastides were built around the River Dordogne and we visit two wonderful examples today. Najac is our first stop, with its photogenic castle on the peak of the hill and lovely half-timbered and stone-tiled houses that seem to tumble down the back of the hill to the valley
PAYRAC
Rocamadour
Cahors
FRANCE
Najac ALBI Toulouse Castres
Montauban
Carcassonne
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