A turnkey trip for groups of 20 people or more
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Full board
- Flexible trip
- Senior groups
- Associations and clubs
- Companies and seminars
Itinerary map
Trip description
The Occitanie region is renowned for the excellence of its local produce. Setting out from Castres, this gourmet group trip gives you a taste of the Tarn: Gaillac wines, Lacaune cured meats and the sugar museum in Cordes-sur-Ciel, with a visit to Albi and its Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Themed days of the tour
Trip can be tailored to your wishes and budget
Arrival at the hotel.
Welcome drink followed by dinner and accommodation at the Hotel Mercure Castres L’Occitan.
Departure for Albi, recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: guided tour of old Albi and its winding lanes, passing beautiful mansions and typical Albigensian-style houses.
Visit of Sainte-Cécile cathedral, an imposing fortress built by the Church in the 13th century and considered the largest painted cathedral in Europe.
Lunch in Albi.
Afternoon: departure for Cordes-sur-Ciel (ascent and descent by little train): a medieval town at the top of an isolated hill where you can admire local crafts and the 14th-century houses that give it its charm.
Discovery of local crafts and a feast for the eyes with a visit of Yves Thuriès’s Musée du Sucre (sugar art museum).
Stop at a private wine estate and tasting of Gaillac wines.
Dinner and accommodation at the Hotel Mercure Castres L’Occitan.
Departure for Sorèze.
Guided tour of the Abbey School: founded in the 8th century, its transformation into a seminary by the Benedictines in the 17th century was the starting point of its vocation as a center of learning. A royal military school under Louis XVI, re-founded by Lacordaire under the Second Empire, then a secondary school, it earned Sorèze an international reputation through the quality of its teaching.
Lunch at L’Occitan.
Afternoon: departure for Lacaune: famous for its cured meats, this town lies at an altitude of 800 m in the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc.
Visit of the Oberti cured meat company (except Sundays): visit of a “museum” area with old machines in working order in a period setting.
A video will then introduce you to the company’s various activities, the drying rooms for saucisson and dry sausage… as well as a demonstration of how to carve a bone-in ham. You will taste a selection of three products: Lacaune ham, saucisson and dry sausage.
Dinner and accommodation at the Hotel Mercure Castres L’Occitan.
Departure for Lautrec, classified and labeled one of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages of France): historical presentation of the town. Tour of the village, which grew up in 940 around a fortress at its highest point, just above the Moulin de la Salette.
Foie gras tasting with Occitan farmers (agricultural cooperative, closed on Sundays).
Lunch at L’Occitan.
Afternoon: historic and cultural Castres: historical presentation of the town: tour of old Castres, facing the Jardin de l’Évêché designed by Le Nôtre in 1676, passing the Hôtel de Nayrac, the Hôtel de Poncet and the Baroque Saint-Benoît cathedral, with a view of the old tanners’ houses lining the Agout (built on stone cellars, they open directly onto the river. Their bright colors are reflected in the water, forming a harmonious whole).
Visit of the Musée Goya: a panorama of Hispanic art unique in France: paintings by great Spanish masters from the 14th century to the present day, including several major works by Goya.
Dinner and accommodation at the Hotel Mercure Castres L’Occitan.
Departure after breakfast.
Included services
- Welcome drink
- Full board
- Accommodation based on a double room
- Tours and excursions
- Guide
- 1 free place for 20 paying people (driver or guide)
Accommodation: HÔTEL MERCURE CASTRES L’OCCITAN
< A family-run hotel for 30 years, the Occitan has been given a fresh new look to offer its guests greater comfort and a wider range of services, as well as a warm, contemporary décor. Set in a shaded park near the historic centre of Castres, in the heart of the Albi–Toulouse–Carcassonne ‘Golden Triangle’, the Mercure Castres l’Occitan hotel offers comfortable, air-conditioned, quiet and spacious rooms, as well as traditional…
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FAQ
This all-inclusive stay can be booked for 2 to 5 days. The detailed programme offers 5 days: you choose the ones that interest you, depending on the length of your stay.
The group stays at the establishment offering this tour, in Castres, in double rooms on a full-board basis. It has 62 rooms.
Yes, the establishment’s car park can accommodate 2 coaches.
The price depends on the season, the length chosen and the number of participants. Request a free quote from the hotel using the form on this page: it will reply within 48 hours, with no intermediary or commission. One free place is offered for every 20 paying people (driver or guide).
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