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15 Best Things to Do in Auch (France)
In southwestern France’s Gers department, Auch is a city that will steal your heart the moment you see the old Episcopal quarter, raised impossibly high above the Gers River.
The Haute-Ville as it’s called, is so steep that in medieval times special stairways were built to help its citizens get down to the river safely.
These are called “Pousterles” and are unique to Auch, with five remaining for you to trundle up.
Auch’s cathedral is absolutely indispensable, and replete with Renaissance masterpieces.
After that there are museums and medieval sights to mill around, and Amragnac distilleries, bastide towns to tempt you close by.
Lets explore the best things to do in Auch :
1. Auch Cathedral
With UNESCO status as a stop on the road to the pilgrimage site in Compostela, Auch’s glorious Cathedral is a beacon for miles around.
It’s a fusion of Gothic and Renaissance, having been constructed at the transition of these eras in the 15th and 16th centuries, and there’s a wealth of ornamentation to dazzle you.
The 113 stalls in the choir were carved from hard oak with bewildering complexity in the 16th century.
You need to take as long as possible to do this work justice, and to be able to identify more than 1,500 motifs in the canopy.
The windows in the choir are also phenomenal, and encapsulate that blend of Gothic and Renaissance.
They’re often declared the most beautiful from this period in France.
2. Tour d’Armagnac
This 40-metre tower is an unmistakable fixture in the townscape.
The Tour d’Armagnac was constructed in the 1300s and attached to the Episcopal Palace next to the cathedral.
The tower was meant to be a prison and a symbol of the might of the Bishop of Auch, but because of a lack of offenders it was turned into a warehouse for religious archives.
That was until the Reign of Terror in the Revolution, when the tower became a prison once more and remained so up to 1860. These cells have been preserved inside, and there’s a monumental spiral stairway winding up the interior.
3. Musée du Trésor de la Cathédrale
The ground floor of the Tour d’Armagnac has recently been converted into the treasury museum for the neighbouring cathedral.
There are over 200 paintings, polychrome sculptures, carved stones and items of gold, which are much more than just devotional objects and possess universal artistic value.
The museum is also an interpretation centre for the cathedral and Episcopal Palace, set up with videos and interactive displays with facts about the history of the complex and its restoration.
4. Monumental Staircase
A very noble way of entering the Haute-Ville, Auch’s Escalier Monumental was a 19th-century project to connect the two parts of the city in a more dignified manner than the old tunnel-like stairways that were here before.
This was no small job and took several years up to 1863: There are three terraces with gardens and fountains, linked by 374 steps, delivering you from the riverbank right up to the Tour d’Armagnac.
The stairway has a neo-Renaissance style, with balustrades edging the terraces, and a statue of Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan, a real 17th-century musketeer who inspired Alexandre Dumas’ novels and lived in Auch.
5. Musée des Jacobins
Hidden in the warren of old town streets is a brilliant museum that has the second-largest hoard of pre-Columbian art in all of France.
There’s gold, textiles and ceramics from Peru and Mexico before the Spanish arrived.
But the pinnacle is a little more recent: The Mass of St Gregory is a mosaic made from feathers in Mexico City in 1539, and so the oldest piece of Christian art composed in the Americas.
Away from Latin America there’s art and artefacts including a 1st-century bust of Trajan, polychrome medieval sculptures of the Virgin and Child, and applied art like faïence and musical instruments.
6. Pousterles
In medieval times Auch’s challenging topography gave rise to long, straight stairways leading up to the Haute-Ville.
These are known as “Pousterles” and there are five in all.
They allowed people living atop the hill get down to the river quickly, and today all except the Vieille Pousterle have kept their original stairway.
None of them are light walks, but you have to see them for their noble stone houses that press in from the sides, and to sense what a medieval resident of Auch had to go through each day just to get water!
7. Promenade Claude-Desbons
The right bank of the Gers is quieter than the left, and a four-kilometre band of parkland hugs the riverfront for the entire length of the city.
There are trees and lawns, and lots of places to sit and contemplate the cathedral and Tour d’Armagnac, which bank up dramatically on the opposite side.
If you don’t want to skip your morning jog, this is the place to take it, and yuo should carry on north you get to Parc du Couloumé.
This is five hectares of English-style park, abounding with trees and aligned to give you more inspiring views of the Haute-Ville.
8. Maison à Colombages
Facing the cathedral on Place de la République is one of the most striking buildings in the city.
It’s a four-storey half-timbered house, with a corbelled stone base supporting the rickety levels above.
When you get closer you’ll see that the wooden sections are filled in with red bricks, and the timbers have an odd variety of patterns.
The building has stood here since the 1400s and now hosts Auch’s Tourist Office, so you’ll have every reason to go inside.
9. Marché Traditionelle
The Gers region has a reputation for gourmet cuisine, and is particularly known for foie gras, which is in season from around November to March.
Every Thursday and Saturday morning in Auch, there’s a typical market at the foot of the cathedral.
Almost everything sold here is local, so there’s no better way to get to know what is produced in this region that is at a transition between the Mediterranean climate and the cooler Oceanic influences of the west coast.
There’s wine, preserves, cheese, charcuterie, pastries and fruits and vegetables, all sold in a cheerful atmosphere.
10. Château de Lavardens
This resplendent house above its namesake village was a fief of the Counts of Armagnac when it was built in the 1100s.
But over the years it fell into ruin, before a rebuild was conducted in the 17th century.
A lot of what you see is from that time, except an outbreak of plague in the village forced the builders to flee in 1653 and the upper sections were never finished.
There’s still a lot to see inside, like a “whispering room” where the acoustics allow whispers to be heard from corner to corner.
The château has been put to use as an exhibition hall, with a sweet little cafe in one of its outbuildings next door.
11. Fleurance
Touring the small towns and villages near Auch you’ll notice that most have a grid layout in the centre.
This is telltale sign of a bastide town, built in a rush for strategic purposes when England and France were fighting for control of Gascony in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Fleurance is one such place and is arranged around an arcaded central square with statues on each corner representing a different season.
Make time to see the Church of Saint-Laurent, which has 15th-century stained glass by Arnaud de Moles, the same master glassmaker who composed with windows in Auch Cathedral.
12. Outdoor Escapades
The Gers Department is a quiet corner of southwestern France with sunflower fields, clumps of woodland and sleepy bastides.
The country lanes and low traffic make the countryside great for exploring on two wheels, while the tourist office can give you maps for a host of local walks.
There’s a whole catalogue to choose from and curious sights to discover like ruined castles in Roquefort and a 13th-century bridge in Pavie.
Also in Pavie, a kilometre or two down the road, is Accrobranche, the sort of outdoor adventure park that is a trademark of rural French destinations.
On ten different courses there are rope swings, monkey bridges and a 200-metre zip-line.
13. Abbaye de Flaran
The cream of the local daytrips is only half an hour northwest of Auch on the road to Condom.
It’s a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1151 and is counted among the most intact medieval monasteries in the southwest of France.
A dizzying array of buildings have been preserved, like the Romanesque church, cloister, chapter house, kitchen, sacristy, calefactory (where they would come to warm up) and refectory.
Even the kitchen garden survives, and has been planted with aromatic herbs and medicinal plants.
If you need more persuading to come, there’s also a revolving art exhibition of works loaned by the Simonow Collection, and has pieces by Renoir, Rodin and Gainsborough.
14. Wine Tourism
Armagnac brandy is distilled in the Gers Department, starting just a couple of kilometres north and northwest of the city.
As opposed to Cognac, which is dominated by big brands, Armagnac is made mostly by small family operations.
And you have a few where you can behind the scenes, at Domaine de Laubnesse, Armagnac Samalens and Domaine de Charron for example.
And if you’re up for a local wine-tasting experience the Domaine de Herrebouc is just west of Auch, producing Côtes de Gascogne wines organically at a gorgeous Gascon château.
15. Cuisine
If you want something authentic to take home, you can get cans and jars of terrine de canard, rillettes au foie de canard and canard aux pruneaux (prunes), all made near Auch.
On a different tack, many desserts in the region are flavoured with Floc de Gascogne, a fortified sweet wine made with Armagnac and wine juice.
This lends a local twist to classics like crème brûlée.
15 Best Things to Do in Auch (France):
- Auch Cathedral
- Tour d'Armagnac
- Musée du Trésor de la Cathédrale
- Monumental Staircase
- Musée des Jacobins
- Promenade Claude-Desbons
- Maison à Colombages
- Marché Traditionelle
- Château de Lavardens
- Outdoor Escapades
- Abbaye de Flaran
- Wine Tourism
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Auch travel guide
Visit Auch (Occitanie, France)
Auch is the capital of Gers (previously called Gascony) in the Midi-Pyrenees region and about 80 kilometres to the west of Toulouse .
Exploring Auch
Auch has an attractive medieval centre and it is the main square, the Place de la Republique, which is at the heart of the old town and the best place to start your visit.
Cathedrale Saint-Marie
The cathedral in Auch, called the Cathedral Saint-Marie, is on this square and has recently been nominated a UNESCO site as part of the ‘Worldwide Cultural Heritage on the roads to Compostella’. It is an attractive cathedral which was begun in 1489 and completed two centuries later.
It has a classical façade with two 16/17 th century towers in Renaissance style. Inside the cathedral you can see the hand-carved oak stalls and stained glass windows by Arnaud de Moles.
On one corner of the same square Auch Tourist Information Office is in one of the nicest buildings of the town, a half-timbered building resting on stone arcades that was built in the the 15 th century.
Pick up the tourist guide for Auch from this tourist office: there are two walks you can do in order to see the main sites. The ‘red route’ is a 45 minute walk in the medieval centre and the green guide is a 45 minute walk encompassing other sites in the town. The guides are available in English.
Tour d’Armagnac
After looking at the cathedral in the centre of Auch wander round to the Place Salinis and see the Tour d’Armagnac.
This tower is 40 metres high and was used as a prison in the 14 th century. Each of the seven upper floors in the tower was a prison cell.
Escalier Monumental
From here the Escalier monumental (Great Staircase) leads down to the lower part of Auch. The Staircase is 35 metres high and has 234 steps.
From the top there is a good view over the Gers valley with the Pyrenees in the distance and at the bottom of the staircase there is a bronze statue of d’Artagnan, one of the king’s musketeers, who was born 30 kilometres from Auch.
Other sights to see in Auch
There are several other sights of interest in the town, including a lovely stone and wood staircase in the inner courtyard of the Maison Henri IV where Henry allegedly stayed with Catherine de Medicis, and Auch Town Hall, built by Bursar d’Etigny, which houses a lovely Italian-style theatre.
The Musee des Jacobins is housed in a former Dominican Convent built in 1386. Inside is a collection of pre-Columbian art (one of the best in France) and artefacts from the Gascon culture.
The Jardin Ortholan and the Coulome Park also offer a chance to relax or take a picnic.
After visiting the historic centre of Auch, called the Pousterles Quartier, continue to the river where you can follow a four kilometre ‘discovery trail’, or you can enjoy the planted banks and relax.
Attractions nearby
This region of Gascony is visited by those wanting a chance to appreciate the quiet roads and the unspoiled countryside, and it is an excellent region for cycling...and relaxing away from the tourist crowds.
There are numerous small villages and hamlets nearby, many with ancient origins, that will typically only take an hour to explore but together make a pleasant excursion, such as Castelnau-Barbarens, Montégut with the Fairy Tower (Tour des Fées), Jegun to see the ancient centre of Biran and Pavie with its picturesque bridge.
Among the villages you will enjoy visiting in the region further afield are Lavardens and Sarrant .
You can find more travel ideas in the Gers guide and the Midi-Pyrenees guide .
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The castle and the church are among the places of interest in the small village of Lavardens
The central square with its arcades and traditional market hall are the highlight of a visit to Fleurance
Vic Fezensac
Vic Fezensac is enjoyable to explore at any time, but best known for the music festivals held here each summer
Valence-sur-Baise
Explore the historic centre of the bastide town of Valence-sur-Baise, then visit the Abbaye de Flaran
The ancient gateway and half-timbered houses bring a medieval feel to the village of Sarrant
Lectoure is a pleasant town to explore as part of your stay in the Gascony countryside
... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Gers
Address: Auch, Midi-Pyrenees, 32000, France || GPS coordinates: latitude 43.646, longitude 0.5855
Plan your visit to Auch, Gers
Sightseeing & tourist attractions to visit nearby.
- Auch cathédrale St Just (monuments on French pilgrim routes) : heritage site
- Ordan-Larroque: ville fleurie 4* (11 km)
- Lectoure : recommended detour (32 km)
- Blaziert: ville fleurie 4* (33 km)
- Gramont Chateau: national monument (35 km)
- La Romieu Collegiale St Pierre (monuments on French pilgrim routes): heritage site (38 km)
- Jardin et arboretum de Coursiana: remarkable garden (38 km)
- Jardin de la poterie Hillen: remarkable garden (38 km)
- Beaumont sur l'Osee pont d'Artigues (monuments on French pilgrim routes): heritage site (39 km)
- Larressingle : most beautiful village (40 km)
- Palmeraie du Sarthou: remarkable garden (46 km)
- Montreal-du-Gers : most beautiful village (46 km)
Market days in Auch, France
Regular market(s) are held in Auch each Thursday & Saturday. (Markets are held in the morning unless stated.)
The French version of this page is at Auch (Francais)
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Auch A wonderful surprise in the South West
L'escalier monumental d'Auch
Boiseries cathédrale Ste Marie
Why visit Auch?
- Fantastic monuments and an iconic statue of D'Artagnan.
- A major stage of the Santiago de Compostela routes (Arles trail).
- A Top Occitania Site approved as a Pays d’Art et d’Histoire.
- The CIRCA Festival that makes Auch France's circus town.
- Amazing Pre-Columbian collections at the Jacobins Museum.
Carte Auch, F. Duvernoy/ CRT Occitanie
The great Auch staircase
Park on Boulevard Sadi Carnot by the Gers and go up the great staircase's 370 steps built in 1863. The leafy staircase adorned by the statue of the legendary D'Artagnan is a majestic link between the top and bottom of the town.
When you reach the top you can gaze out at the landmarks made up of the Tour d’Armagnac, Prefecture (former archbishop's palace) and Sainte-Marie Cathedral . Later on, make your way back down along "pousterlles", Auch old town's signature steep lanes.
Great ideas for Auch
Leave the crowds behind for the wide-open spaces of Auch #GrandSiteOccitanie and discover the capital of Gascony, steeped in medieval history. See the top tips for visitors by Audrey and Benoit Bourrust, Black Gascon Pig breeders, in Auch, in the Gers.
Did you know?
25 mins from Auch you can visit one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France", Lavardens and its château, fief to the Armagnac counts, as well as Auterrive, Lahitte and other small villages in Greater Auch.
Sainte-Marie cathedral
The unesco site is a sight for sore eyes.
The size and flamboyant Gothic style of the Auch cathedral (15th-17th century) will amaze you. It is listed as UNESCO world heritage as part of the Santiago de Compostela routes. Its choir with 116 stalls sculpted with 1500 characters is simply breath-taking. As are the colours and lights captured in the 18 stained glass windows by Arnaud de Moles, 16th century wonders.
Next door, the Tour d'Armagnac no longer houses prisoners but instead the cathedral's treasure museum: don't miss it!
Vitraux de la cathédrale Sainte Marie
Our favourite
With items from the Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Mayan and Aztec civilisations, the Jacobins Museum in Auch is home to the 2nd largest collection of Pre-Columbian art in France after the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. NB: The museum is currently under renovation.
Find out more
In Auch old town
Soak up the great gers atmosphere.
Continue your Auch experience on the buzzing Place de la Libération and the neighbouring medieval lanes. Cute boutiques, restaurants and café terraces line up and fill the air with aromas that will make you want to linger a little longer.
Try foies gras, confits, melons, croustade pies , signature Armagnac , Floc de Gascogne and of course Gers wine: Côtes de Gascogne, Saint-Mont, Madiran and Pacherenc.
An absolute must is the Thursday morning market in the lower part of town.
Auch, Lionel Lizet
Festival CIRCA
Unmissable events
Rub shoulders with artists.
Typical of Auch: an action-packed schedule all year. Circus arts with CIRCA, the international contemporary circus festival in October. Cinematic art with the Ciné 32 Indépendance(s) et Création Festival in October. Vocal arts with a much-respected festival, Eclats de Voix, held in June. The Soirs d’Eté in July and August host a show or concert in a heritage site every week.
Our suggestions
Hotel HÔTEL DE FRANCE AUCH Gers
Hotel HÔTEL LE DOMAINE DE BAULIEU AUCH Gers
Hotel LE CAMPANILE AUCH Gers
- + Accomodations in Auch
How to get there
- By car : 75 mins from Toulouse on the N124. 2.5 hrs from Bordeaux on the A62 (junction 7). 7 hrs from Paris on the A10 then the A20 (junction 66 after Montauban).
- By plane : the nearest airports are Agen la Garenne 70km away, Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées 80km (regular connections to Paris) and Toulouse-Blagnac 76km away.
- By train : there are several regional trains (TER) between Toulouse and Auch every day.
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What to see and do in Auch, Gers
- Guest writer
- Midi-Pyrénées
Located to the South West of Toulouse on the River Gers, Auch is the capital of the Gers department and the historical capital of Gascony.
One of the best way to explore towns and cities is just follow your nose and get lost. But, there was much to find out about Auch before doing that. So, I headed straight for the Tourist Office to book a tour of the town and lucky for me, Raphaelle Lequai the Communication Officer for the Gers region was willing to show off this lovely town.
Best things to do in Auch
Auch cathedral.
Start your visit at the cathedral, on the UNESCO listed route to Compostela. Building began in 1489 but it took nearly two centuries to complete. The oak stalls are a must see – over 1500 characters are represented and last time they were used, it was for the wedding of a member of the Dutch royal family. The stained glass windows by Arnaut de Moles are fabulous.
Towers and staircases
Adjacent to the tower is The Great Staircase. 234 steps connect the two levels of the upper city from the cathedral down to the river Gers. From the top on a clear day, to the right you can see the Pyrenees in the distance and the green countryside of the Gers to the left. It’s easier to go down than up! Alongside the Grand Staircase are several sets of medieval stepped alleyways called the Pousteries. They lead down the River Gers which once enabled the inhabitants of the upper town to collect water.
On the second level of the staircase is a magnificent bronze statue of d’Artagnan gazing across the Gascogne landscape. Many think that d’Artagnan was a figure of fiction created by Alexander Dumas but he really existed. The Capitan of the Musketeers was born at the beginning of the 17th century in nearby Castelmore.
Shop, wine and dine in Auch
The town is a warren of streets with many shops and art galleries that are just perfect for exploring. And, there are plenty of places to take a break including the highly recommended Hotel de France.
This classic French hotel has a homely brasserie and more formal Grande Salle. Chef Vincent Casassus is renowned for his dishes. And, while you’re there you must try a glass of Floc de Gascogne – a wine fortified with Armagnac. If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out, it is robust but mellow and is available in both white and red. The slow cooked beef red wine with vegetables from the chef’s garden made my heart sing, helped along by a glass or two of 2012 Les Hauts De Bergelle, an AOC Saint Mont wine.
Coffee was served with a glass of the hotel’s own 20-year-old Armagnac, for this is Armagnac County. I drank it too quickly to form an opinion so had to have another one. It was good, very good.
Auch has everything you’d want from an authentic French town. Great views, a famous hero, enough monuments and historic buildings to keep everyone happy, a major circus festival (October), terrific shops and cafés and truly great Gascogne food and drink…
Practical information
Tourist office: www.auch-tourisme.com
More info on the area at: www.tourisme-gers.com ; www.tourisme-occitanie.com
You can get to Auch from Paris by train via Toulouse.
Visit nearby Fourcès, a plus beaux village de France which looks like a medieval dream town and Larresingle, the smallest and prettiest fortified town in France…
Peter Jones is a photographer and freelance writer
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