Taxi Bordeaux → Auch

Auch, capital of the Gers department and historic capital of Gascony, is a city of art and history perched on a promontory overlooking the Gers valley. This town of 23,000 inhabitants harbours unsuspected treasures. The Cathedral of Sainte-Marie d'Auch, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela, is a masterpiece of Flamboyant Gothic art completed in the 17th century. Its 18 Renaissance stained-glass windows by Arnaut de Moles (1507-1513) are considered the finest ensemble of Renaissance stained glass in southern France, rivalling those of Chartres in quality and preservation. The 113 carved oak choir stalls (1520-1554), featuring over 1,500 biblical and mythological figures, are among the most remarkable in France. The monumental staircase of 370 steps, built between 1863 and 1869, connects the upper town (cathedral quarter) to the lower town (banks of the Gers) and offers a striking panorama of the Pyrenees on clear days. At the top, the statue of d'Artagnan recalls that Charles de Batz-Castelmore, the real d'Artagnan who inspired Alexandre Dumas, was Gascon, born a few kilometres from Auch. The Tour d'Armagnac, a 14th-century 40-metre keep and former archbishop's prison, dominates the old town with its lanes featuring 'pousterles' (covered passages typical of Gascony).