Deep in the southwest of France, between the cities of Toulouse and Montpellier, the Tarn occupies an enviable position with the Mediterranean to the east, the Atlantic to the west and the Pyrénées to the south.

Gloriously rural, but dotted with charming fortified villages, stone houses and sleepy towns, the Tarn is a little pocket of France from the past. It’s one of those places where you can quickly lose yourself. While the north of the department is mainly rolling countryside, dominated by the huge cut of the River Tarn valley, head southeast and you’ll see the hills rise, the valleys deepen and the forests thicken. 

In the area between Albi and the Lacaune hills you will see old stone farmhouses with a courtyard which can be open or closed. These farmhouses are constituted by a main home with one or more outbuildings. Other properties in Tarn are maisons de maître and chateaux.

There are four international airports within easy driving distance – Toulouse-Blagnac, Béziers, Carcassonne and Rodez – plus an autoroute that links the Tarn’s prefecture town Albi to both Toulouse and Rodez.