Labeled Grands Sites Occitanie and Pays d'Art et d'Histoire, Auch, capital of Gascony, benefits from a privileged location in the heart of the Great South-West. After Auch, you will continue to discover the region, passing successively from bastides to castelnaux and from flowery villages to picturesque villages. Fans of slow tourism and long rides in electric cars can rest assured, charging stations are there to punctuate your journey : in Auch, Preignan and Pavie. You will thus be able to continue to discover our dear department with complete peace of mind.
Auch, former capital of Gascony, prefecture of Gers, is one of the 40 Grand Sites Occitanie Sud de France. Centuries of history have marked the city and its heritage... The Sainte-Marie Cathedral from the 1500th - 30th centuries, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Routes of Saint-Jacques de Compostela, conceals some gems ! Its stained glass windows by Arnaud de Moles; its choir which houses more than XNUMX characters meticulously carved in oak wood; its large Jean de Joyeuse Organ, renovated thanks to enthusiasts in the XNUMXs, are remarkable and worth the visit! Thanks to the Country of Art and History stamp for Auch and its surroundings, guide-lecturers lead very varied discovery tours all year round.
You can also visit the city by requesting a document to help the visit at the tourist office or with the free Explore Auch application (the tourist office ready with tablets, if you do not want to download the application) .
We could not suggest a stop in Auch without having walked its emblematic monumental staircase which joins the upper town and the lower town and without having made a salute to the statue of d'Artagnan, a Gascon hero born 30 km away. Do you like old stones and old quarters? Head towards the pousterles, these very narrow streets, in staircases, always… In the Town Hall of the XVIIIth century., An Italian theater is installed. If the town hall is open during your visit and nothing is planned in the place, you have a chance to see it!
And if we must continue on the must-see sites of the city: do not miss the Museum of the Americas – Auch with its prestigious collection of pre-Columbian art (the second in France after that of the Quai Branly museum). Do you pass by Auch on a Saturday? It is market day in the upper town, around the cathedral square and the Betclar market. Are you here on Thursday? Direction then the lower town and the other bank of the Gers for the market as well.
Along the banks of the river, take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the sweetness of life in our town in the countryside ...
Auch and its agglomeration benefit from all the equipment and assets for welcoming families with children: the Famille Plus label has been awarded to it since 2017.
The circuit takes you to Duran, a small village located at the gates of Auch crossed by the Arçon, a tributary of the Gers. Its church remodeled in the 3th century. contains some interesting pieces. Then, Castin, this small village high up, proud of its 2007 flowers in the Villes et Villages Fleuris competition, is a beautiful “nature” stopover or for a picnic. Its old foundation church, remodeled several times, consists of a single nave dating from the Middle Ages. It may surprise you: we are talking about the viaduct, a vestige of the Auch-Bazas railway line. You then pass through Roquelaure, cradle of the Roquelaure family, descendants of the Counts of Armagnac. The parish church, in Gothic style, contains a XNUMXth century altarpiece. as well as a XNUMXth century burial. The Sioutat oppidum is one of the most important in ancient Aquitaine. The numerous excavations carried out since XNUMX have revealed exceptional furniture and the singularity of an Aquitaine people: the Ausci. Certain wall paintings, of exceptional quality (close to those of Pompeii), are preserved at the Museum of the Americas–Auch.
Preignan is on a ridge line. The remains of the old fortified castle dominating the Gers valley remain: tower, old wall and ditches dug into the rock. The Romanesque church, dedicated to Saint-Étienne, contains a gilded wood altarpiece from the 17th century.
In Montaut-les-Créneaux, park near the moat and enter through the gate tower, into this ancient fortified village which dominates the Gers and Arçon valley. The village retains numerous testimonies of its past: old ramparts; Saint-Michel Church from the 12th and 13th centuries. ; bell tower from the 14th century. ;half-timbered houses and small market. Treat yourself to a bucolic moment in the hidden garden, accessible via the walkway.
The small village of Lahitte is dominated by a defensive tower which has become the bell tower of the 18th century church. In Pessan, a 13th century bastide town, admire the many vestiges of the past: the unmissable fortified gate tower, beautiful half-timbered houses as well as the church, a former abbey dating from the 12th and 13th centuries with Romanesque transept, Gothic choir, square bell tower , capitals and Romanesque frieze… Push the gate to the right of its entrance…
You are approaching Castelnau-Barbarens. If you decide to park at the bottom of the village, it climbs to reach this charming and flowery perched village (2 flowers). This old castle from the XNUMXth century. is located on a promontory dominated by a XNUMXth century tower which served as its bell tower. The church is built on the ruins of the castle of which only the ramparts on which the houses rest remain. The streets form concentric terraces connected by pousterles (small narrow streets). The panorama of the Pyrenees mountain range that you will see as you take the path around the church is exceptional. In summer, enjoy the shade under the trees…
In motorhomes? Spend the night in the parking lot of the multipurpose hall, you can empty the sewage and take water.
The pleasant little village of Auterrive located in one of the meanders of the Gers, almost invites you to take a nap... On the side of Pavie, an ancient bastide, the most remarkable testimony to the past remains the small 13th century bridge. which spans the Gers river. The Notre-Dame du Cédon church, rebuilt in the 19th century. located at the exit of the village, was a once frequented pilgrimage center. It houses a very old statue of the Virgin. The Gers Memorial to AFN veterans and civilian victims is worth seeing.
Here you are at Brouilh-Monbert... Le Brouilh: old fortified castle located on the left bank of the Baïse river, of which traces of the old ditches remain as well as a large square medieval tower which is said to be the keep of the old castle . Monbert: ancient castelnau located on a steep promontory on the right bank of the Baïse river, once abandoned by its inhabitants, patiently restored by a local association. Biran is a picturesque, fortified village, built on a ridge. Former Castelnau, you enter through the tower gate which has served as a bell tower since 1666, along a single street. A very beautiful carved portal in classical style adorns the entrance to the church which contains a magnificent stone altarpiece. The history of Biran extends from the 1st to the 4th century. Its Gallo-Roman pile of Turraque, a trace of the Gallo-Roman occupation, emerges from the landscape in the middle of the country road! It is in Biran that you can visit the French Favorite Farm, the Ferme du Hitton which produces organic cosmetics based on the milk of Pyrenees donkeys raised on site and cultivated aromatic plants. On your route comes the village of Ordan-Larroque, on the site of an old castle from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. XNUMX flowers with the Villes & Villages fleurs label for this one! The numerous excavations organized on site and the entire historical heritage are presented at the “conservatory of archeology and history” at the foot of the parish church (museum open in summer a few days a week).
Back in Auch and did you like this route? Visit the tourist office for other tour ideas! If you are driving a motorhome, discover the list of motorhome areas where you can stop: click here
Ranking & labels
Route
In detail
- Distance: 119 km
- Roaming duration: 1 hour (s)
- Type of route: Road
- Route type: Motorcycle
- Type of route: Motorhome
- Route type: Electric car