Samatan: Monday Market, Lake and Architectural Heritage

Samatan combines a large Monday market with a lakeside leisure area and historic buildings. This offers different ways to plan your trip: regional produce, outdoor activities and architecture. The leisure area covers about 16 hectares and includes a 9-hectare lake. The market takes place on Monday mornings; the Fontaine de Samatan and the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste each add their own historic character.

Markets and Regional Produce

Samatan’s market takes place every Monday morning. More than 200 travelling vendors and 80 local craftspeople and producers come to the market. The Marché au gras has a clear speciality: whole fresh goose and duck foie gras is sold directly by the producers. Around the poultry hall, the Marché des Petits Producteurs offers a different focus. There, 20 to 40 vendors sell fruit, vegetables and garden produce directly. Live poultry is also on offer; a market for it has been held in Samatan every Monday since 1964.

The general Monday market can be distinguished from the specialised markets: it brings together numerous vendors, craftspeople and producers, while the other markets focus on particular products. If you are specifically looking for foie gras, garden produce or live poultry, this distinction shows the variety of markets in Samatan.

Leisure Area: Lake, Sport and Activities

The leisure area has a fitness trail, a pump track, a mini-golf course, a fishing trail and several picnic tables. Other activities include hiking, Nordic walking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and electric-assisted cycling. The range therefore includes various activities on land and on the water. The picnic tables complement the trails and sports facilities with places to take a break.

The activities also offer different options: hiking and Nordic walking are ways to get around on foot, while canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding take place on the water. Electric-assisted cycling adds another way to get around. Together with the fishing trail and the sports and play facilities, they make for a wide-ranging leisure offering, from exercise to more relaxing pastimes.

Neoclassical Fountain and Neo-Gothic Church

The Fontaine de Samatan was built in 1843 as a horse trough. The neoclassical fountain has been listed as a historic monument since 1998. The Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste dates from 1890, is neo-Gothic and is decorated with 28 statues of saints.

The two buildings offer distinct architectural features. At the fountain, neoclassical design meets its former everyday function as a horse trough. The church’s neo-Gothic form and figures of saints shape its appearance. Anyone interested in architectural history can compare a fountain with a practical former use and a religious building adorned with figurative decoration.

Lombez–Samatan Cycle Path

The Lombez–Samatan cycle path provides access to the sports facilities and the leisure area at Lac de Samatan. It also allows residents of Lombez and Samatan to reach Samatan’s large Monday market without a car. The section in Samatan includes a 1,000-metre-long, compacted gravel path alongside the leisure area, where street lighting is provided.

This provides information not only about activities within the leisure area but also about the cycle path itself: it connects to the sports facilities and leisure area, and the section alongside the site has its own stated length and lighting. The market connection is described for residents of Lombez and Samatan, while the leisure area is a separate point of interest along the cycle path.

Discover more destinations: Courrensan, Laujuzan, Sarcos, Armous-Et-Cau, Sauveterre, Lamaguère, Saint-Lary, Mauroux.

See the regional travel guide: Gers.