Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By Car:
Follow
Centre-Ville
and
Cathédrale
signs (if you lose your way, follow the
tall church tower). For the lot closest to the old city, follow signs for
Cathédrale
park-
ing along Boulevard Général Sibille (€1/hour); an underground parking lot under Place
Lapérouse is also expected to open in 2014. If you find a spot on the street, remember
parking meters are free 12:00-14:00 & 19:00-8:00, and all day Sunday; otherwise pay by
the hour with coins.
Helpful Hints
Market Days:
The Art Nouveau market hall, a block past the cathedral square, hosts a
market daily except Monday (8:00-14:00). A farmers' market is held Saturdays out-
side the market hall.
Groceries:
Thestore
8 à Huit
isacrossfromtherecommendedHôtelLapérouse(Mon-Sat
8:00-20:00, Sun 9:00-13:00, 14 Place Lapérouse).
Internet Access:
The TI has a list of Wi-Fi hotspots.
Laundry:
Do your washing at
Lavomatique,
above the river at 10 Rue Emile Grand
(daily 7:00-21:00).
Taxi:
Call
Albi Taxi Radio
at 06 12 99 42 46.
Tourist Train: Le Petit Train
leaves from Place Ste. Cécile in front of the cathedral and
makes a 45-minute scenic loop around Albi (€6, 6/day).
Everything of sightseeing interest is within a few blocks of the towering cathedral. (I've
included walking directions to connect some of the key sights.) Get oriented in the main
square(seemapon
here
;rememberthatyoucandownloadafreeaudioguidefromtheTI's
website).
Place Ste. Cécile
Grab a bench on the far side of Place Ste. Cécile and face the church. With the church dir-
ectly in front of you, the bishop's palace (along with the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, river
view, and TI) is a bit to the right. The market is a block behind you on your right. And the
sleepy St. Salvy cloister is a block behind on your left.
Whythebigchurch?Atitspeak,Albiwastheadministrativecenterfor465churches.
Backwhentitheswereessentiallylegallyrequiredtaxes,everyonegavetheir10percent,or
“
dime
” (pron. “deem”), to the church. The local bishop was filthy rich, and with all those
dimes,
he had money to build a dandy church. In medieval times, there was no interest in
