In this article, I am talking about Aveyron once again, but this time we came to discover another part of the department in June 2022 with my favorite photographer: the territory of the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron, which is located in the western part of the Aveyron department in Occitanie.
On the program for this trip: fortresses, castles, characterful villages, baroque art, gourmet and colorful markets, quality gastronomy, and, of course, bastides! But what does that actually mean? Well, they are medieval towns dedicated to trade with streets laid out in a grid pattern from a central square. Initially, a bastide was not a fortified town; it was an open town with a characteristic urban structure: a large square and a grid of four main streets. I have actually already told you about this in my article on the Tarn, between bastides and cocagne!
Culinary specialties to taste: tripoux (sheep stomach and veal tripe); fouace (orange blossom brioche in the shape of a crown); gâteau à la broche (spit cake); aligot; Aveyron lamb; Aveyron and Ségala veal; plenty of artisanal and local charcuterie; farçou (chard patty); goat cheeses (cabécous, ash-coated logs, cabrinou, etc.); pompe à l’huile and marzipan (sweet specialties).
Table of Contents
Practical Information for visiting the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron area
Practical info for getting there:
- Flights from Paris (Paris Orly airport) to Rodez Marcillac airport or Toulouse Blagnac airport (approx. 1h flight)
- By train with an SNCF line from Toulouse-Aurillac
The sightseeing deal:
- The Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron Multisite Pass, for 1 full-price admission to one of the main sites (Chartreuse Saint-Sauveur; Foissac Prehistoric Cave; Royal Fortress of Najac) offers a preferential rate at other sites (Maison de la Photo in Villeneuve d’Aveyron; Tour Soubirane in Villeneuve d’Aveyron; Chapel of the Black Penitents; Loc-Dieu Abbey; Governor’s House in Najac) / offer valid for 7 days from the date of first purchase
Discovering Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Villefranche-de-Rouergue is a town similar in size to Millau, which I mentioned in another article and which is also located in Aveyron. Historically, even though an oppidum existed in the Gallo-Roman era, the city was truly founded as a “Royal Bastide” in 1252 by the brother of Saint-Louis, Alphonse of Poitiers, Count of Toulouse, who owned these lands. At the end of the crusade against the Cathars, the Count of Toulouse gave part of his lands to the King of France, who built a city from scratch to establish his power. The city grew very quickly and became a large commercial hub where many craftsmen could be found and annual fairs were held. The city became a fortified town during the Hundred Years’ War, but unfortunately, nothing remains of the fortifications from that era today.
The settlement of people in Villefranche-de-Rouergue is mainly explained by its position at the crossroads between the Causse and the Ségala (a word that probably comes from the word rye, designating the territory located on the left bank of the river) to benefit from the wealth and diversity of the land’s resources, along the Villefranche fault. Villefranche-de-Rouergue is also a former wine-growing city, and this production unfortunately completely disappeared after the Phylloxera crisis in the 19th century.
Villefranche-de-Rouergue is also a beautiful Occitan city that sometimes takes on an Italian air at the turn of a shaded alley or a sunny square with its many tiled roofs. I highly recommend that you stop there for a day or two during your stay in the region, because as you will see below, there are many things to do!
Not to be missed:
- The Maison Dardenne, a former 16th-century Renaissance residence of a wealthy merchant with a characteristic facade of that period and a very beautiful small inner courtyard with Italian-style loggias.
- The facade of the Maison Gaubert with its architectural vocabulary from the late Middle Ages.
- The Thursday morning market on the Notre-Dame square but also in many streets of the city, one of the most beautiful markets I have ever had the opportunity to see, multicolored, full of flavors and smells. It’s an opportunity to find the best local Aveyron products in one place and do some shopping (local shopping idea: Sabao artisanal soap factory; goat cheeses from the Falgayroles farm). There is another market on Saturday morning, but it is smaller than the Thursday one.
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Take an ULM flight over Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Les Choses de l’air offers 10-minute flights to discover the region and the city seen from the sky in an ULM (pendular microlight), derived from the hang glider for a flight full of freedom. It is a beautiful experience with good sensations, and once the apprehension is gone, you have a unique moment. However, you should know that the flights obviously depend on the weather and can be canceled if the weather is not good.
For me, it was an opportunity to see the city from above and realize its grid plan, typical of the Bastides, as I told you earlier in the article. It is also ideal for gaining height and contemplating the geography of the territory with the cliffs of Saut de la Mounine or the wild meanders of the Gorges of Aveyron in Najac.
ULM flight with Les Choses de l’air
Villefranche Aerodrome
Rates: from €49 per person for a 10-minute flight (rate varies according to the duration of the flight)ULM pendular or small plane flights on 3 different platforms + hot air balloon flights (early morning or late evening) + parachute jump
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Visit the Collegiate Church of Villefranche-de-Rouergue
This Gothic Collegiate Church has been watching over the city for five centuries and overlooks the Place Notre-Dame at 58 meters high. It took several centuries of construction between the 13th century and the second half of the 15th century (flamboyant Gothic) for it to be completed. Inside, you can also admire very beautiful 15th-century stalls.
During the summer months, you can climb to the very top of the building (beware, you will have to climb 163 steps!) into its bell tower. At the top, you also discover a carillon of 48 bells and a 360° view over the roofs of the Bastide of Villefranche.
Collegiate Church of Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Rue Notre Dame, 12200 Villefranche-de-Rouergue
free admission to the Collegiate Church
Rates for climbing to the top of the Collegiate Church: €3 for adults / €1 for children
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Visit the Chapel of the Black Penitents
This chapel, featuring a discreet classic-style facade and a lauze roof, is home to a treasure of baroque art, built against Protestantism in the aftermath of the wars of religion. Its interior decor, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, is exceptionally rich. You can admire its brightly painted wooden ceiling, its gold-leaf altarpiece, and its large paintings.
At the very beginning of the 17th century, this confraternity of black penitents (laypeople, men and women who gave their time to those in need) paraded in long black hoods (hence their name). Since 1920, this magnificent chapel has been listed as a historical monument and is open for guided or independent tours and also offers a game trail for children.
The Chapel of the Black Penitents
Boulevard Haute Guyenne, 12200 Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Independent tour rates: €4.50 / €3.50 reduced / free – 7 years old
Guided tour rates: €6.50 / €5 reduced / free – 7 years old
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Go for a night tour in the Chartreuse Saint-Sauveur
The Chartreuse Saint-Sauveur was built in the second half of the 15th century in the flamboyant Gothic style, on the left bank of the Aveyron thanks to a bequest from a wealthy cloth merchant of Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Occupied until the French Revolution, it housed a community of about twenty monks, the Carthusians, who observed a very strict and rigorous rule of life based on solitude, prayer, and silence. Today, you can admire two cloisters (a large and a small one, as is usual for the Carthusian monastic order), 15th-century stalls (by the same workshop as the Collegiate Church), and the conventual chapel.
The tourist office also offers very original candlelit tours in the summer at nightfall, and that is how we discovered the place. I loved this tour because it completely immerses us in the atmosphere and mystery of the monastery in the dancing light of the candles, and I highly recommend it if you are in Villefranche-de-Rouergue during high season.
The Chartreuse Saint-Sauveur
Avenue Vezian Valette, 12200 Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Independent tour rates: €7 / €5.50 reduced / €4.50 children 7 to 16 years old / free – 7 years old
Night tour rates (at 9 PM in high season): €9.50 / €5 reduced
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Where to have a drink and an aperitif in Villefranche-de-Rouergue? At Jules et Jeanne
This establishment, located at the gates of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, offers a very nice selection of over 50 specialty beers (which is explained by the Belgian origins of the owners). You will also find a selection of wines, plates of local cheeses and charcuterie, and finally, Belgian-style fries on weekends. This beer cellar and tasting bar also offers a beautiful sunny terrace for the summer.
Chez Jules et Jeanne
170 chemin de la Bories des Pères 12200 Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Rates: products à la carte between €2.50 and €10 / beers between €2.60 and €7.80
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Where to eat in Villefranche-de-Rouergue? Jacques a dit
This restaurant, open for about 5 years, offers classic cuisine with a fresh take, deeply rooted in Aveyron, using local and chosen products. Behind the stove is chef Quentin, a former Top Chef contestant, who named his restaurant in homage to his grandfather. The chef offers a short and seasonal menu with inventive and tasty dishes. It is clearly our gastronomic favorite of this stay! The restaurant offers a vaulted room that could have served as a cellar, thus providing more freshness in summer, for example.
We tasted: as a starter, pressed Gascon black pork with mustard, pickled beetroot, and walnut oil (€8); pointed cabbage salad with sesame oil, hard-boiled egg, and red pepper (€6); our favorite, the Aveyron and Ségala veal steak slowly roasted with barely minty peas and sausage jus (€16); for dessert, Aveyron apricots, fromage blanc with St Igest honey, and peanuts (€6) or strawberries and rhubarb poached in a tangy syrup with Aubrac tea, whipped cream, crumbled shortbread, and vine shoot-smoked meringue (€9).
Restaurant Jacques a dit
54 Rue de la République, 12200 Villefranche-de-Rouergue
The deal: glass of wine paired with the food for €5
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Where to stay in Villefranche-de-Rouergue? Hôtel Les Fleurines
This 3-star hotel located in the heart of Villefranche-de-Rouergue takes place in 3 old buildings of the city, and an expansion is also planned in the building located next to the Saint-Jacques chapel. The establishment offers dormitories, rooms, aparthotels, and suites with design and contemporary decor.
We were housed with the favorite photographer in room #52 (an aparthotel with an equipped kitchen, dining table, storage), which has a very beautiful view of the hotel terrace, and the bedding was truly of high quality. This type of aparthotel is available for rent by the night or for long-term stays. As for breakfast, the establishment works in short circuits and offers a buffet with local and organic products. It is also committed to the CSR (corporate social responsibility) circuit. For sunny days, you can have your breakfast on a very pretty shaded terrace between the 2 main buildings.
The hotel’s extras: a barrel-shaped sauna on the hotel’s rooftop terrace; a fitness room; bicycles made available for hotel guests; a library.
Hôtel Les Fleurines ☆☆☆
17 boulevard Haute Guyenne 12200 Villefranche-de-RouergueRates: from €79 per night for rooms and €169 for apartments
To see / to do in the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron
As usual, in this part you will find ideas of things to see and do (tested and approved by our small group during our stay) if you come to the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron. To discover this territory, I advise you to have a vehicle, because that will be the easiest way to get around.
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Visit the village of Najac
Najac is located in the south of the territory, at the bend of a meander of the Aveyron river, and the village stretches out with a single main street between the city center and the fortress that sits on its rocky ridge. The municipality, which has the “most beautiful villages of France” label, now has about 700 inhabitants and over 2000 in the summer period. Within its walls, the city, which was built around the fortress and the church, first as a castle town then as a royal bastide, preserves part of the charm of medieval cities.
To see during your walk in Najac: the Place du Faubourg; the monolithic fountain of the Consuls; the former Chapel Saint-Barthélemy; the Governor’s House (see below); the Seneschal’s House; the Royal Fortress (see below); the Pique Gate; the Church of Saint-Jean l’Evangéliste…
Practical info for coming to Najac by train: there is an SNCF station in Najac with about 6 trains per day.
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Visit the Royal Fortress of Najac
This royal fortress from the 12th and 13th centuries, which belonged to the counts of Toulouse and is a listed Historical Monument, is a beautiful example of medieval military architecture. It was probably a wooden castle before the year 1000, and it was in the 11th century, at the time of its attachment to the Count of Toulouse, that a new castle was built. In the 12th century, after the crusade against the Cathars, the King of France reaffirmed his military power here once again and rebuilt the fortress with a succession of round towers.
Today, the fortress is a private monument, open for visits, and the ticket office and shop help maintain the building. To get to the fortress, you will have to make a little physical effort if you start from the center of Najac, because the small alleys that lead to it are as charming as they are steep… However, it is also from the main street that the fortress reveals itself (and so you can photograph it) in a very photogenic perspective.
Royal Fortress of Najac
Rue du Château, 12270 Najac
Rates: €6 / €4.50 reduced
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Visit the Governor’s House
This house, located in the center of the village, dating from the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, now houses the Interpretation Center for Architecture and Heritage (CIAP) of the Pays d’Art et d’Histoire des Bastides du Rouergue. It was inhabited until the beginning of the 20th century, then abandoned, and was in ruins before being managed by the municipality, which made it a showcase for the Pays d’Art et d’Histoire.
There is a permanent exhibition with a modern and playful scenography (films, sound path, etc.) that takes us to discover the heritage wealth of the region. The place also regularly offers temporary exhibitions and educational workshops for children.
Governor’s House
1 Rue du Château, 12270 Najac
open from April to October
Rates : €4 / €2.50 reduced / free for children under 12 and residents of Najac
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Where to have lunch in Najac? At Tartines et Compagnie
Emilie offers in her establishment composed salads, savory toasts, homemade burgers, and gourmet plates made of regional products or products from the family farm (Testas farm) which is labeled HVE (High Environmental Value). The latter is also a meat producer, and they even make Wagyu beef. If you have lunch here, I recommend you try a dish with meat.
The house burgers are also made with ground steaks made from meat from young cattle (between 11 and 13 months old) raised on the farm. They eat grain, alfalfa, and hay produced on the farm. The meat is aged and has a red/pink color, close to that of beef.
Tartines et Compagnie
31 Rue du Bourguet, 12270 Najac
Price: grilled dishes from €14.50 / wagyu steak from €22 / burgers from €13.50 / plate of homemade fries €4 / toasts €13.50 / child menu €7.50 / glass of wine €3
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Aagac, full-nature base of Najac
We unfortunately did not have time to test this leisure base installed at the foot of the medieval village of Najac, but we passed by it quickly, and it offers many activities: water (paddle and canoe with the little tour of Najac); tree climbing park (10 courses) and via ferrata; bike rentals; paintball; lasergame; caving.
Full-nature base of Najac
Le Païsserou, 12270 Najac
Rates: from €5 to €60 depending on the activities
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Take a horseback ride at the Daoudou Equestrian Farm
Located in the heart of nature, surrounded by woods and hills, this equestrian farm near Najac offers horseback rides in the heart of the Gorges of the Aveyron. We rode Fjord and Konik Polski horses, and the rides are accessible to all, although I find that you need a minimum level of horse riding (basically, it should not be your first time if you want to be autonomous) because the terrain is quite steep. If you are an experienced rider, the Daoudou Farm also offers day-long or multi-day horseback riding tours.
I also really liked that at this farm, they really take the time to prepare for the ride. We were the ones who harnessed our horse and brushed it before the ride began, which allows us to create a first contact with our companion for the rest of the journey.
Daoudou Equestrian Farm
Daoudou Equestrian Farm, 12270 Najac
open all year
Rates : €25 per person from 5 people minimum for at least 1 hour of riding
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A charming accommodation for groups? Château de Longcol
This unique and authentic place was one of my favorites of this stay. The Château de Longcol is located on a 21-hectare plot in the heart of the Aveyron valley. On site you will find: a kitchen and a bar (with the possibility of cooking on site if you want or taking the address’s catering service with a table d’hôtes dinner service as well), a panoramic terrace, an infinity pool with an incredible view, a jacuzzi,…
As for accommodation, the Château de Longcol offers 11 rooms for families or friends with a total capacity of 28 beds. However, this dream place is only rented out upon complete privatization of the space. You must therefore come here for a family reunion, a wedding, or a birthday with all your family and/or friends. But it is a high-end exceptional place that will transport you elsewhere and an ideal place to recharge your batteries and disconnect from your daily life!
Château de Longcol
Lieu dit Longcol, 12270 La Fouillade
Privatization rates: from €11,235 per week
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Visit the village of Villeneuve d’Aveyron
This village, which today has a little over 2000 inhabitants, is located at the entrance to the Causse of Villeneuve, a region once covered by the sea. This sauveté-bastide, a major stop on the road to Compostelle, offers beautiful labyrinthine alleys that do not lack charm.
I recommend that you go see the Romanesque and Gothic church of the Holy Sepulcher which houses very beautiful 14th-century frescoes dedicated to the legend of the Hanged Hanged. The city also retains 2 medieval towers from the 12th century: the Cardalhac tower and the Soubirane Tower, which host exhibitions on local heritage in the summer. The city, which encompasses both a Benedictine sauveté and a comtal bastide, offers two distinct faces to the east and west, and also beautiful vestiges of medieval architecture.
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Visit the Jean-Marie Périer Photo House
The Photo House, Jean-Marie Périer, star photographer of “Salut les Copains”, exhibits nearly 200 cult original prints of yéyé idols: Johnny Hallyday, Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, or Sylvie Vartan. But there are also photos of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Claude François, and movie stars like Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon, or even Steeve McQueen, in 7 rooms spread over 3 levels.
It is also housed in a 14th-century medieval residence, and I invite you to discover the exhibition of cameras (from the 20s to the 80s) found in its vaulted cellar. Finally, there is also a projection room that shows a documentary about the photographer “Flashback” and a shop that sells books and illustrated works by Jean-Marie Périer.
Jean-Marie Périer Photo House
Place des Conques, 12260 Villeneuve D’Aveyron
Rates: €5 / free for under 12s
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Visit the showroom of Jean-Marie Périer
Photographer Jean-Marie Périer has been based in Villeneuve for about 30 years, and to complete your visit to the Photo House, if you wish to acquire a photo by the artist, you can also go to his showroom which is located at the exit of the village. There are original prints from the 1960s to the 1990s available for sale.
Art Encadrement / Showroom of Jean-Marie Périer
17 avenue du Rouergue, D 922, 12260 Villeneuve D’Aveyron
Free and independent admission
Link to the showroom website
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Where to eat in Villeneuve d’Aveyron? At the restaurant Art et Galets
The Art et Galet restaurant has been open for 10 years and is run by a couple with adorable names: Gaëlle and Nicolas (any resemblance to our couple of bloggers with the favorite photographer is totally coincidental). Conviviality and generosity are the key words of this place, whose specialty is low-temperature cooking or barbecue. Everything is homemade with market and seasonal products, and the menu changes every week.
Art & Galets restaurant smoke house/ BBQ
Place Odil Morlhon, 12260 Villeneuve
Link to the restaurant’s website
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Thanks to the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron Tourist Office and to Sylvie and Christine from the Sylvie Blin agency for this beautiful welcome. And thanks also to my travel friends for their good humor (don’t hesitate to take a look at their articles on the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron): Copines de Bons Plans and Happy City Blog.
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to visit the Bastides and Gorges of Aveyron, and if you also have your own great addresses and advice for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
