The Tarn is an area which has plenty of diversity - forests, mountains, vineyards, alluvial plains and which benefits from its proximity to Toulouse and Montpellier.
The rose-red bricks of Albi invite the visitor to relax and stroll through its streets. The River Tarn flows through the canyons in the grands causses to the east of the département, before rolling sedately through Albi.
South of Albi lies the Sidobre region, with fantastic rock shapes, part of the Parc Naturel du Haut-Languedoc, known for its stunning granite formations.. History and culture are rich in the département's numerous other bastides (medieval fortified towns built around a central square), such as those at Puycelsi, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Castelnau-de-Montmirail.
France's best-preseverved Gothic site, the medieval hilltop town of Cordes in the north is a thriving centre for craftsmen. The fortified, 13th-century town is renowned for its medieval architecture, its craftsmen and for its hilltop location.
Other specialities of the Tarn are dried ham of Lacaune (similar to Parma ham), the milk of the sheep of Lacaune, which goes to Roquefort to be made into the world-famous cheese, and the garlic markets of Lautrec and Réalmont — real celebrations of garlic, its medicinal properties and culinary assets.