Discover Gaillac-Toulza

Gaillac-Toulza offers several distinct starting points for a trip: the history of the bastide, church art, the annual Fêtes d’Escayre and routes through the countryside. Which of these you focus on depends on whether culture, the festival programme or the landscape matters most to you.

The Bastide and Church Art

The bastide of Gaillac-Toulza was founded in 1270 through a religious and political alliance between the Crown and Calers Abbey. The foundations of the Église Saint-Étienne date from the 13th century. The wall and ceiling paintings by the Pedoya brothers are also associated with this building phase. The church houses a 17th-century gilded wooden statue of the Virgin and Child. In the gallery stands a wooden organ made by Frédéric Jungk in the 19th century. The dates therefore range from the 13th to the 19th century, with the statue falling between the foundations and the organ. The church thus offers a tangible way to explore different periods of local architectural and artistic history.

Fêtes d’Escayre

The Fêtes d’Escayre take place every year on the last weekend of July. The programme includes a day featuring horses and horse-drawn carriages, as well as a route through the hills for riders and carriage drivers. A small market of local producers adds to the festival; individual vendors may vary from year to year. The Fêtes usually begin with a local cassoulet made with “cocos de Pamiers” and cooked over a wood fire. Horses and carriages, the market and the food give the festival a variety of attractions. If you would like to plan your trip around the event, check the exact date and programme for that year’s edition in advance.

Landscape and Historic Sites

The Église Saint-Julien stands on a hilltop surrounded by fields in the commune of Gaillac-Toulza. The surviving buildings of the former Abbey of Calers, a Cistercian monastery, have a different relationship with the landscape: they lie in a small valley that opens onto the Auterive plain, opposite Cintegabelle and around 4.5 kilometres from the centre of Gaillac-Toulza. Check local access conditions before visiting.

Visits, Routes and Getting There

At the Ferme-Malterie-Brasserie La Bourdette farm, visitors can tour a small malt house and microbrewery. Tastings and sales are also available on site. If you plan a visit, check the visiting arrangements and current offerings before you arrive.

A local report from 2014 describes several walking routes through Gaillac-Toulza, connected to routes in neighbouring communes, particularly in Ariège. As route conditions can change, check the latest information before setting out. For bus travel, the Gaillac-Toulza–Mairie stop is a useful reference point: it is served by the Daujas–Gaillac-Toulza–Auterive and Saverdun–Miremont–Toulouse routes. Check the timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Vieille-Toulouse, Aurin, Lapeyrouse-Fossat, Coueilles, Avignonet-Lauragais, Loubens-Lauragais, Bérat, Saint-Michel.

For the broader travel overview: Haute-Garonne.