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Rodez town

Place d'Armes, Rodez, Occitanie

Description

Rodez was settled by the Rutènes in the 5th century as a Gallic oppidum and experienced a deep enmity between the clergy (Bishops) and the aristocracy (the Counts of Rodez) during its medieval period. The most impressive buildings in town are the 13th-century cathedral with its sculpted 87m-high bell tower and the large 15th-century episcopal Palace. Other cultural and architectural highlights include the Soulages Museum (contemporary art), the baroque church of Saint-Amans (rebuilt in the 18th century), the Fenaille Museum (history & archaeology), the Denys-Puech Museum (fine arts), and various townhouses such as the Hôtel Le Normant d'Ayssènes housing the departmental HQ and the Maison d'Armagnac.

Access & Transport

The town is roughly in the centre of the Aveyron department, 70km northeast of Albi on the N88, 145km from Toulouse and 170km northwest of Montpellier. The town is connected by train to Toulouse (via Albi) and to Brive (via Figeac). There is a small airport just outside town with a few flights to Paris-Orly and a few seasonal flights to London, Dublin and Bruxelles (at the time of this review).

Instructions & Recommendations

The town can be thought of as a central base to explore the Aveyron though the distances can be long (not many straight lines). Neighbouring touristic sights include the village of Conques and the Canyon de Bozouls. Note that the Soulages Museum is closed on Mondays except in July & Aug.

Meta review

Rodez is quite a well-known tourist destination though it doesn't see a huge volume of travellers given its geographic position (not close to the sea...). The best known attractions in town are without question the cathedral and the Soulages Museum and those are covered under separate activity reviews. Coming in third is the Fenaille Museum but online reviews are clearly unreliable (a massive proportion of fake positive entries); in any case they highlight the quality of the curation and the building, singling out the menhirs statues as being both original and interesting. The leading quintuplet is completed by the Saint-Amans church and the Denys-Puech Museum. The former has attractive architectural lines and type of stone but the interior has little to offer beyond a polychrome statue and some frescoes. The latter is described as small but charming with plenty of sculptures though the opinion of reviewers relating to their quality is very inconsistent.

Environmental & Social

The main activities in the city have a low carbon footprint. Tourism helps preserve some of the city's architectural and cultural heritages

Conclusion

Rodez makes for a pleasant stop and there is perhaps enough to fill a day if including a couple of museums but none of the attractions are top-tier so that we would not describe it as a destination unto itself.

Key positive

Impressive cathedral and several noteworthy buildings

Two interesting museums

Key negative

The historical centre is quite small

Suitability

Visitors with reduced mobility should be able to enjoy most neighbourhoods and attractions in town

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

February 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:1h

est. visit time:2h 45m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningOk

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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