Najac visit

Isla - Receptionnist 2015

I spent a rather scorching hot but beautiful day visiting the medieval town of Villefranche de Rouergue and nearby village and fortress of Najac with my fellow receptionnist Judith.

We first visited Villefranche, a lovely medieval town on the Aveyron river and about an hour and fifteen minutes drive from the Caussanel. We spent the morning pottering around, looking in the town's many shops and sitting in the shade before visiting the church and finally eating lunch Chez Lucien, a lovely restaurant overlooking the town square that has very tasty and good value plats du jour. We ate main course and dessert for €9 each! It can be quite popular though as it is right in the centre so it is best to reserve a table when you arrive in the town.

We then continued our day by driving to the medieval village of Najac, an amazing example of a fortress village perched entirely on a mountain ridge, with the impressive fortress overlooking it all from the highest point. A quick warning at this point; if the weather is extremely hot like it was the day we went, it is advisable to leave Najac until later in the afternoon when it cools down, and remember to bring lots of water and a hat as there is a fair amount of climbing to reach the fortress.

After following the self-duided tour of the village given to us by the tourist office (there is a guided tour Tuesday mornings), which includes many of the town's artisans and boutiques, we walked up to the fortress. Here, after paying the €5 entrance fee, we just caught the beginning of a very interesting guided tour of the fortress, which included climbing to the top of the tower for a fantastic view over the village. The guides are very knowledgeable and provide some interesting information about the fortress and about the medieval way of life, so I would wholeheartedly recommend the guided tour if you have time. They take place about every ten minutes so there is no need to reserve.

After visiting the castle we visited the nearby church and then stopped off for a much needed drink and snack on the walk back to the car. It had been a lovely day, if a bit hot, and I have no hesitations to recommend the day to any fans of beautiful towns and medieval history, though it is perhaps not advisable for families with very young children.