Tarn-Et-Garonne: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Tarn-et-Garonne combines gorges, plains and hills as its main landscape types, creating a diverse natural and cultural landscape. The département’s Espaces Naturels Sensibles represent different landscapes and environmental areas, while four Grands Sites Occitanie can be explored on foot, by bicycle, by train or on a round trip. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment will find a region shaped by waterways, historic sites, nature observation and agricultural traditions here.

Nature

Most of the Espaces Naturels Sensibles in Tarn-et-Garonne are freely accessible. There are discovery trails and information signs, and educational activities are also held occasionally. At the confluence of the Tarn and Garonne rivers lies an ornithological observatory that serves as a place for migratory birds to overwinter, breed and stop during migration.

Near Tarn-et-Garonne, the confluence at Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave forms islands and extensive natural areas where birds gather. Canoeing from the Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave leisure centre is described as a way to explore the confluence while respecting the local fauna and flora.

Waterways and routes

The Canal latéral à la Garonne is 193 kilometres long and has 53 locks. Today, it is used for pleasure boating and river tourism, including access to the Tarn at Moissac. As part of the Canal des Deux Mers, the canal is also navigable for almost 200 kilometres and accommodates pleasure boats and Freycinet-sized barges for most of the year.

The Canal de Montech connects Montauban with the town of the same name via ten locks and is situated in a peaceful natural setting. The Pont-canal de Cacor near Moissac is a 356-metre-long aqueduct with 13 arches, built between 1842 and 1846.

Valence d'Agen has an SNCF railway station on the Bordeaux–Toulouse line as well as regional liO bus services. Moissac is a station on the Occitanie Rail Tour route along the Canal des Deux Mers.

Culture and history

Moissac, Lauzerte and Auvillar are highlighted in Tarn-et-Garonne as heritage destinations. They include a UNESCO-listed abbey and two villages classified among the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Lauzerte combines the designations Plus Beaux Villages de France, Compostelle, Site Patrimonial Remarquable, Ville et Métiers d’Art and Grand Site d’Occitanie.

Moissac’s compact town centre can be explored on foot. The town’s Uvarium opened in 1933; in 1936, the French state recognised Moissac as the first officially recognised therapeutic Uval station.

Food and wine

Wine tourism in Tarn-et-Garonne includes cellar and winery visits, meetings with winegrowers and tastings. The farm of Gilbert, Ghislaine and Loïc Lavilledieu on the slopes of Boudou and Moissac takes visitors through vineyards, some of which are centuries old. The farm offers seasonal tastings of apricots and Chasselas grapes.

Each bunch of Chasselas grapes undergoes manual ciselage for AOP certification, a craft often practised by women known as chasselatières.

Further places: Lauzerte, Monclar-De-Quercy, Saint-Arroumex, L'honor-De-Cos, Goudourville, Montagudet, Belvèze, Saint-Paul-Dʼespis, Saint-Beauzeil, Montauban, Moissac, Montgaillard, Vaïssac, Cazals, Molières, Valence, Septfonds, Dunes, Touffailles, Beaumont-De-Lomagne, Castelsarrasin, Laguépie, Comberouger, Bressols, Grisolles, Mirabel, Caussade, Lamagistère, Montalzat, Caylus, Lafrançaise, Durfort-Lacapelette, Nègrepelisse, Cazes-Mondenard, Vazerac, Malause, Meauzac, Maubec, Lamothe-Capdeville, Valeilles, Boudou, Garganvillar, Montaigu-De-Quercy, Féneyrols, Labarthe, Lavit, Bruniquel, Réalville, Puycornet, Monbéqui, Corbarieu, Campsas, Canals, Saint-Nicolas-De-La-Grave, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Roquecor, Saint-Cirq, Labastide-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Urcisse, Auvillar, Laparrouquial, Lacapelle-Ségalar, Penne, Milhars, Montjoi, Piquecos, Tréjouls, Montfermier, Fajolles, Saint-Projet, Puylaroque, Gimat, Saint-Amans-Du-Pech, Montech, Bourg-de-Visa, Saint-Marcel-Campes, Albefeuille-Lagarde, Saint-Vincent-Lespinasse, Escazeaux, Merles, Génébrières, Castelsagrat, Caumont, Barry-d'Islemade, Montricoux, Montesquieu, Gramont, Monteils, Fabas, Golfech, Bouillac, Puygaillard-de-Quercy, Varen, Lavaurette, Lacapelle-Livron, Sérignac, Varennes, Loze, Albias, Bourret, Montpezat-de-Quercy, Orgueil, Mansonville, Cayriech.

To the higher-level travel overview: Midi Pyrenees.