The town of Sorèze is in the Tarn South, the borders of three departments, Haute-Garonne, Tarn and Aude and the Regional Natural Park of Haut Languedoc. It sits cosily at the foot of the Black Mountains which sources the Canal du Midi. A once significant transport canal to the area but now more popular with tourists.
As I walked around Sorèze I discover it is more of a commune than a town at least in the centre. However, as populations have grown Soreze is a town with a population of just under 3000. The half-timbered houses and corbels (sixteenth and seventeenth century.), Its artisans and artists, the steeple Saint Martin (fifteenth century.),
The Saint-Martin tower (15th Century) is an imposing but elegant historical monument that stands proud despite only being a ruin. It is the only remains of the parish church of the fifteenth century.
Sorèze isn't exactly going to take you long to see should you venture there for the day. Other highlights include the glass museum and the museum of Dom Robert and tapestry of the twentieth century. However, what is of most significance in this pristine town is, of course, the old abbey school. The Abbey School dates back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Its history is linked to that of education in France, in Europe and in the world because of its international recruitment. She became one of twelve royal military schools in the reign of Louis XVI.
With only seven restaurants listed on Tripadvisor, you don't exactly have much choice in places to go. However, for a day trip, I recommend booking the Pub Saint Martin. Here I dined on the 13 euro lunch menu which included more than enough wine. It's also rated the number 1 restaurant on TripAdvisor so I and many others can't be too far off the mark in our recommendation.
You may wish to stay in Sorèze to take the surrounding area. As surrounding Sorèze you have the countryside to the east which includes lakes, caves and waterfalls and the Dominial Forest of the Montagne Noire (The Black Mountains). The most interesting villages nearby include Revel, Saissac, Montolieu (well known for its bookshops) and Durfort.
A little further afield, the town of Castelnaudary is well known for its cassoulet, and Carcassonne to the south-east is about 50 kilometres from Soréze but is one of the most impressive medieval towns in the world and well worth visiting.
To get to Sorèze if you are not from France I recommend flying into Carcassonne but it is also very reachable if you fly to Toulouse in the west, or Perpignan in the east. Many of Europes numerous Airlines fly into one of those 3 airports - depending on where you are flying from. You are of course more than likely to be able to pick up a good deal if planned ahead. Kayak, Google Flights and Skyscanner should be the go-to websites for searching for the best flight deals. In my personal experience, my favourite place to go for European flight deals is Skyscanner. For some reason, Skyscanner works best when searching for European Flights over any of its rivals.
If you are tempted to visit Sorèze and the Saint-Ferréol lake, you could stay in one of the hotels, Auberges or Airbnbs that are in and around the area. Over the years, I've had the fortune to stay in an array of hotels, apartments and various forms of accommodation while travelling. For the majority of travellers, I recommend Booking.com - yes there are hotel comparison websites such as Trivago and Kayak. However, from my years of travel experience, I've discovered both of these comparison websites do not have all the hotels, hostels and apartments listed. The reasons behind this could be some premises simply do not pay the comparison sights a fee or the reason could be something else. If you know of the reason do leave a comment below. However, I have discovered no matter what the location Booking.com will 9/10ths of the time have the most competitive deal and generally the most choice. However, if you are super keen to get the best deal- use Booking.com, Kayak, Trivago, Lastminute.com and Hotels.com in separate browser windows.
An alternative which I do recommend for your accommodation is Airbnb. The authorities still allow Airbnb in the town (it hasn't been banned just yet). I've booked a number of apartments via Airbnb. If you have not used them before (you have probably been living under a rock). But if you use this referral link you will get many Dollars, Pounds or Euros off your first booking and I'll get a very small referral kickback. I'm an Airbnb host as well as a frequent Airbnb traveller. I love Airbnb because not only does it make travelling more affordable but it also allows you to stay off the beaten track. Staying with a local or in your own cottage is far more unique than staying in a generic hotel you could find anywhere in the world. Use the map below to search for the perfect Airbnb stay within walking or driving distance of the centre of Soreze.
I hope you have a great time in Soreze France should you visit. I am not sponsored by the French Government or any Travel Group, I simply have written this post as I enjoy travelling. Please do check out this blog for more independent travel ideas and my YouTube Channel.
If any of this information has been useful to you and you fancy buying me a Coffee please do click the link below to buy me a Coffee via Ko-Fi.com.
As regular readers to this website will not be surprised to learn - I made a video of my brief excursion to Sorèze. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment on this website or on the YouTube Video.
Thanks very much! Stay safe & keep Progressing! The Wondering Englishman.
Comments