Auch: Cathedral, Gardens and History

Auch offers a range of ways to shape your stay: religious architectural history, medieval streets, museums, gardens and opportunities to get around outdoors. When planning your days, you can focus on culture and history, or make time for green spaces and cycling too. Each attraction has its own character, so you can choose according to your interests.

Cathedral, stairways and medieval lanes

Sainte-Marie Cathedral is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Routes of Santiago de Compostela.” Construction lasted from 1489 to 1680, spanning two centuries. This long period provides a remarkable context for exploring its architectural history: the cathedral was not built in a single phase, but over several generations. It offers a distinctive way to discover Auch’s historic architecture.

Another route through the city is the Escalier monumental. Completed in 1863, this staircase connects the old town with the new town and spans a height difference of 35 metres. It has 234 steps, or 374 in total if the double flights are included. These figures reflect two different ways of counting the same staircase. At the first landing stands “L’Observatoire du temps,” a contemporary sculpture by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, installed in 1992. From the lower landing, the view stretches across the Gers Valley; on clear days, the Pyrenees are also visible.

The Pousterles add another dimension to the city, with medieval, steeply sloping lanes, some of which have steps. They connect the upper town with the river. While the Escalier monumental is a named staircase with a specific number of steps, the Pousterles are a network of historic lanes. Together, they offer different insights into Auch’s routes through the city.

Museums and cultural perspectives

The Musée des Amériques – Auch houses France’s second-largest public collection of pre-Columbian art. The museum garden hosts sculpture exhibitions and artist events every year. Both pre-Columbian art and recurring cultural events are therefore central to the museum and its grounds. If you are planning your stay around particular interests, you can consider the collection and the annual programme as two distinct reasons to visit.

The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation du Gers explores the realities of the Second World War and the connections between local and national history. Founded in 1954, it collects objects belonging to former members of the Resistance. Since 2023, it has been housed in a modern, extensively documented space in Auch’s historic centre. Its founding, collection and current location offer different perspectives on the institution: its history, its holdings and its present-day address in the city.

Gardens and varied designs

The Jardin Ortholan is a 7,600 m² formal French garden. Its water features draw on Hispano-Moorish influences, and the grounds also include an English-influenced garden area for children. The combination of garden style, water features and children’s area highlights the site’s different design elements without reducing them to a single style.

The Square Jérôme Cuzin is another garden with its own historical connection: it covers 2,800 m² around the former seminary chapel. It has held the “Jardin Remarquable” designation since 2022. Unlike the Jardin Ortholan, its setting around the former chapel particularly shapes the garden’s character. The two gardens thus offer different kinds of places to pause between Auch’s cultural attractions.

Cycling and non-motorised routes

For a bike ride, Route 3, “La nature à Vélo,” is a specific option: the cycling route is about 6 km long and rated easy to moderate. It also has a steep section in the upper town. When planning, take into account both the rating and this note about the terrain; no precise journey time is specified. The Promenade Claude Desbons is different: a green route reserved for non-motorised travel. The route and the promenade therefore offer different ways to experience Auch outdoors.

If you are looking for a hotel in Auch, the focus of your stay can help you plan what to do: architectural history, museums and historic lanes offer different themes from gardens and cycling. The specific details about steps, distances and design can help you choose places that suit your interests.

Discover more destinations: Sarraguzan, Valence-Sur-Baïse, Lombez, Ligardes, Maravat, Lannepax, Castex-d'Armagnac, Cravencères.

For the broader travel overview: Gers.