There are lots of things to do in the area:
 Places to visit on a day trip
Places to visit nearby
Things to do
Local market days
The Saint-Jacques - de-Compostelle footpaths
| Places to visit nearby (see our slide show on the home page) |
- Castera Verduzan - Our nearest village ( 8km cycle or drive) with a small supermarket, restaurants, bakery, butcher, tabac, post office, gift shop, tourist office and pharmacy. There is a small morning market every Sunday. The thermal baths (www.thermes-gers.com) are very popular and there is also a Casino (with ATM), Horse Racing and an inland lake with sandy beach.
- Domaine les Acacias - Taste the wine made from grapes grown in the vineyard at the end our drive. We offer to take all our guests wine tasting and we drive !
- Auch - The two main things to see in Auch are the Cathedral of Saint Marie (with beautiful carved choir stalls) and the staircase to the river with the statue of d'Artagnan half way down. South of the cathedral is the old quartier, a jumble of tiny streets and interconnecting stairways, where Nostradamus lived for some time. There is a good market by the river on a Wednesday. Also Museums, Art Galleries, Shops and an 18 hole golf course just outside the town with a fabulous panoramic restaurant.
- Condom - The capital of the Tenareze district, Condom is a favourite town of ours with great shops and a market on Wednesday. It's name is of Roman origin from condate = confluence and dum = hill. The Cathedral is beautiful inside and the Armagnac museum is well worth a visit. Salon de The offers superb homemade food. Condom is a port on the river Baise and boat trips are available daily in the season.
- La Romieu - An ancient ecclesiastical town with an imposing 14th century collegiale church. The main street has many hidden stone cats! Nearby, there is a famous arboretum.
- Vic Fezensac - The main village nearby (15 min) with plenty of shops, two supermarkets, several banks and lots of restaurants and cafes. The Tourist Office, just off the main square, is excellent. two famous festivals running for 3 days - the corrida over Pentecost and Tempo Latino in late July, with concerts in the bullring, stalls and the rhythm of salsa. Market day is Friday and there are night markets in July and August
- Lavardens - Beautiful chateau set high on a hill, which has guided visits and frequent art exhibitions. There are night markets on Wednesdays during July and August. Superb restaurant open in high season.
- Larressingle - a 13th century fortified village, the smallest in France (the so-called Carcassonne of the Gers). The museum shows reconstructions of life in the Middle Ages and the Park Museum house medieval machines of war. A medieval festival is also staged on the third weekend of July.
- Lectoure - Gallo-Roman city, famous for its melons, with many interesting buildings to see and several museums. On the St-Jacques-de-Compostelle footpath. Thermal fitness centre. There's a nice little pavement café in the high street, just past the Tourist Office, called Le Meur (great pain au raisins!) If you fancy a super meal, then try out either the Auberge des Bouviers or, for a real gourmet experience, however, go to lunch at the quaintly named Restaurant de Bastard ! Huge outdoor feast in August and an antiques fair on the first weekend of Sept.
- Fources - meaning "planted with trees" is the only circular walled bastide town in the Gers with a lovely castle nearby. A huge flower festival is hosted at the end of April. L'Auberge restaurant in the centre offers fantastic charcuterie at a reasonable price.
- Mouchan - Lying between Condom and Eauze, this small village is said to have the most beautiful Romanesque church in the Gers. It is also on the St. Jacques de Compostelle route, so look out for the familiar shells on the outside of the church.
- Valence-sur-Baise - A 12th century bastide village and river port. Nearby is the Abbaye de Flaran, a magnificent 12th century Cistercian abbey. There are three beautiful chateaux quite nearby; Busca-Maniban, Cassaigne and Montluc, the last of which in St. Puy is famous as the home of the lethal local aperitif known as Pousse Rapiere. Another favourite restaurant of ours is Restaurant Lucy which offers 5 course lunch with wine and coffee for 12 euros.
- Marciac - a 13th century Gascon bastide town, famous for its terrific International Jazz festival held here every August. Nearby are the fortified villages of Tillac and Monlezun. Plenty of restaurants, so a good place to stop for lunch.
- Bassoues - another pretty bastide village, with a 43metre high keep, a masterpiece of Gascon military art.
- Montesequiou - a fortified village on the Route de Bastides through the Gers.
- Mirande - a lovely square in this bastide town, which has a Country and Western festival each July. The cathedral is considered to be a Gothic masterpiece. There is also a museum of fine arts and decorative arts.
- Montreal & Seviac- A 13th century gascon bastide village. There is a Gallo-Roman museum with guided visits. Nearby is Seviac, a 4th century Gallo-Roman villa, which has been extensively excavated during recent years.
- Saint Clar - unique bastide town with two 13th century squares with arches. Famous garlic market selling white garlic from Lomagne every Thursday from mid-July, with an annual festival to select the Garlic Queen!
- Fleurance- visit its wonderful ornate covered market on Tuesday. Festival Sky and Space is held in the first 2 weeks of August.
- Eauze - Armagnac and antiques fair in mid-may and corridas (Spanish bull fights) at its bullring first weekend of July. Superb Thursday morning market, the largest in the area
| Places to visit on a day trip (see our slide show on the home page) |
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Toulouse - Capital of the Midi-Pyrenees with Cathedrals, Shops, Museums - an exciting, cosmopolitan city
- Bordeaux - If you love wine, make at least one trip to this area whilst you're here ! Huge Fete du Vin in June
- Pau - A lovely city in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Nice chateau and beautiful gardens.
- Albi - The birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec with a fascinating museum.
- The Pyrenees - Why not try a day's walking amongst breathtaking scenery at either Gavarnie or Pont' d'Espagne, or take the cable car to the Pic du Midi. Each area is about 2 ½ hrs by car.
- Bagneres-de-Bigorre - a lovely spa town
- St Emilion - surrounded by vineyards and produces some of the finest reds in the world!
One of our favourite trips (and one of the closest!) is the Col d'Aspin . There are walks around or you can drive to the top where you have wonderful views of the surrounding peaks.
- Agen and the Southern Lot - Nerac is less than an hour's drive. The old town is well worth a visit.
- Carcassonne and Mirepoix - Two fabulous bastide towns in the Aude and Ariege regions
- Atlantic Coast - if you fancy a day by the sea with long, sandy beaches, Mimizan Plage is the nearest, then the infamous Biarritz and Hossegor offer worldclass surf breaks.
- EATING & DRINKING: There is a wealth of restaurants and bars in the area catering for all tastes, occasions and budgets. See above town and village descriptions for some of our favourites.
- GOLF: There is a beautiful, wooded 18 hole Golf de Guinlet at Eauze, which is the best in the area. There is also a lovely 9 hole challengingcourse at Fleurance and another (hilly) 18 hole course at Auch (superb restaurant), Masseube is another 9 hole course, 15 minutes from Auch. Further afield (about 1 hrs drive) is Mont de Marsan - a fabulous course and not expensive during the week and Golf de Pallanne - a 18 hole course in rolling countryside with the Pyrenees as a backdrop.
- TENNIS: Courts are available at Bezolles, Gondrin, Eauze, Condom, Valence and Castera Verduzan.
- LEISURE LAKES: Various inland lakes with many leisure facilities, the nearest is at Castera Verduzan, a 7 hectare lake, in rolling countryside with a sandy beach, canoe-kayak, windsurfing, sailing, supervised swimming, water toboggan, pedalos, dinghies, tennis, surf-bike, archery and volleyball.
- CYCLING: The Gers is ideal cycling country with many of the places listed being easily accessible by bicycle. Bike hire available to hire from us.
- WALKING: More than 600 kms of signposted routes for hikers to discover
- FISHING: Over 40 rivers to discover, the majority being category 2 fishing - carnivorous including pike, pavie and perch and a couple of category 1rivers which include the Salmon Family.
- HORSE RIDING: Les Écuries D'Armangac near Valance-sur-Baïse offer riding lessons or hacks with an English guide, trips into the mountains, gastronomic excursions and much more.
- SKIING: Resorts in the Pyrenees are within 2 hours drive.
- SURFING: World class surf breaks within 2 hours drive at Biarritz and Hossegor.
- CANOEING & KAYAKING: At Beaucaire on the river Baïse you can take an escorted trip down to Valance and be returned by minibus. There are canoe/kayak clubs situated in Condom and Mirande
- BOAT TRIPS: From Condom, you can travel to Valence each afternoon, with a special lunch excursion on Sundays in the season.
- WINE TASTING: Many of the local producers welcome visitors and will both show you around and provide you with tastings of their products. Some recommended domaines nearby are Les Acacias (Bezolles), D'Entras (nr Castera Verduzan), Millet (Eauze), De Bile (Bassoues), D'Embouderiere (Rejaumont) and Plaimont (Plaisance). Sample great wines from some of the best known local wine-growing areas (Tariquet, Buzet, Madiran, St. Mont and Monluc)
- CATHEDRAL, MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES: Auch and Condom provide the setting for most of the sites within the immediate area. Further afield are Toulouse, Agen and Lourdes.
- ABBAYE DE FLARAN: Flaran is famous within France for its architecture. Art Exhibitions are often held there.
- JAZZ AT MARCIAC: During August the Jazz festival takes place, one of the best of its kind in the world with many internationally acclaimed artists (eg: Oscar Peterson, Winton Marsalis) appearing regularly.
- MOTOR RACING AT NOGARO: There are several meetings at the circuit every season. The Formula 3 events at Easter and in September are the highlights.
- WATER PARK: Walibi Aquitaine for a full days entertainment for all ages. Special events and shows in the summer.
- ANTIQUES BROCANTE: Selection of shops in main towns from quality antiques to bric-a-brac. Fleamarkets in fleurance
- CAR BIKE RACING: Circuit Paul Armagnac at Nogaro, monthly events from Feb, Formula 3 events at Easter and Sept
- HORSE RACING: Closest in Castera-Veduzan, also Auch and Fleurance in March, August and September. Great day out!
- Castera-Verduzan - Sunday morning
- Condom - Wednesday
- Eauze - Thursday (one of the best around)
- Fleurance - Tuesday
- Valence-sur-Baise - Wednesday morning (quite small
- Vic-Fezensac - Friday morning
In July and August, you will find night-time markets in several areas, the closest one is in Vic-Fezensac
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| The Saint-Jacques - de-Compostelle footpaths |
There are two long distance footpaths crossing the Gers which form part of this famous pilgrimage route. They are marked on maps of France with yellow shells and stretch right across the country. The classic route of almost 1,500 Kms starts at Le Puy in the Massif Central and travels East to West before turning South to cross the Pyrenees into Spain and finally ending on the North West coast in the town of Santiago in Galicia.
The Northern route
Le Chemin du Puy (GR65) - 153 km long, passing through Lectoure, Condom, Eauze and Nogaro
The Southern route
Le Chemin d'Arles (GR653) - 140 Km long, passing through L'isle Jourdain, Gimont, Auch, Montesequiou and Marciac
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