Castres is close to the Black Mountain (la Montagne Noire) and the Sidobre, gateway to the Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park, and the main crossroads in the south of the Tarn department.
It was as one of the staging points on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route that the town developed in the 9th century, but it was in the Renaissance period that it really took off. Dyers, tanners and finishers made the town’s fortune. They lived in houses along the river Agout and these were to become one of the most striking glories of the town. Magnificent houses were built, such as the Hotel de Viviès or the Hotel de Nayrac as well as the Bishops’ Palace which today houses the town hall and the Goya Museum.
You cannot visit Castres without taking an interest in one of its most famous sons: Jean Jaurès, founder of the French Socialist party. Indeed he has a whole museum devoted to him.
Not to be missed!
- Houses on the Agout and trip down the Agout on board the horse-drawn barge - www.tourisme-castres.fr
These houses – pink, yellow, blue or red, leaning out over the Agout - are the real symbols of the town of Castres. They were the homes of the first industrialists of Castres: the weavers.
- Town houses, Bishops’ Palace and Goya Museum - www.tourisme-castres.fr
Castres contains many 17th-century town houses, including the Bishop’s Palace, which houses a museum dedicated to Spanish painters, especially Goya.
- The gardens of the Bishops’ Palace - www.tourisme-castres.fr
These gardens were laid out by the celebrated royal gardener, Le Notre. They lie opposite the Bishop’s Palace and are one of the favourite leisure spots for the people of Castres.
- National Centre and Jean Jaurès Museum - www.tourisme-castres.fr
This institution stands at the heart of the town and its aim is to present the life and works of Castres’s most famous son, Jean Jaurès.
Castres on the map
Our holiday offers in Castres
 Contact: Castres Tourist Office Tel: +33 (0)563626362 e-mail: otcastres@ wanadoo.fr |
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