It is while walking along the river that one takes the measure of the ramparts of the Palais de la Berbie, the massiveness of the piles of the Pont-vieux and the sometimes very tumultuous character of the Tarn. You will appreciate the panorama of the old mills which used the power of water to make pasta, hats... the Mercure hotel, located next to the Pont-neuf, occupies for example a former vermicelli factory.
Albi, a city on two shores
Have you noticed… a few steps from Place Sainte-Cécile, that a still wild river, with protected flora and fauna, criss-crosses the city? THE Tarn is spanned by one of the oldest bridges in France dating from the Middle Ages and still in use. The Tarn river flows at the foot of the Episcopal city of Albi. She takes her source at Mont Lozère, sneaks between the famous Tarn Gorges, follow the Tarn Valley and its meanders, marks the landscape as it crosses Albi and continues on its way to Montauban where it flows into the Garonne.
The banks of the Tarn
- via Quai Choiseul, walk along the Berbie Palace, former episcopal residence sheltering le Toulouse-Lautrec museum, then in the bend, take the stairs under the fig tree or continue to the Old Bridge and go down to the Moulin du Chapitre
- via rue de la Temporalité, a small street between cathedral and palace, reach place de la Trébaille, in the shadow of the bell tower of la Sainte-Cécile cathedral and borrow the green flow which leads to the banks.
Sport and entertainment on the banks in summer
In July and August, children are kings on the banks. Sports on the banks sets up with “its holiday sports village” and its free summer sports activities: aerial trampoline, table football, table tennis, mini golf, paddle boating, tree climbing, circus arts….
A nice slice of pleasure, relaxation after a family visit to the historic center!
catfish ballet
A nod to these impressive fish, catfish are the subject of sport fishing in the Tarn. It is not uncommon to see the performance of a good catch on the front page of the local press.
The catfish can be observed at the level of the piles of the Old Bridge lazing or waiting to capture the pigeons coming to drink.
