Albi, France: a cultural city guide The cathedral and palace are both built of handmade brick - as is virtually everything else in Albi, giving rise to the nickname of la ville rouge. Looking closely, we spot 500-year-old thumbprints here and there in the baked clay. The maze of traffic-free streets in the medieval old town has more reminders of the past. Half-timbered homes are topped with a soulheilou, a covered roof terrace-cum-storehouse that is perfect for drying ham as well as laundry. Street signs are in two languages: modern French and ancient Occitan. Traditions also continue with food and wine. In Les Délices Lamarque (11 rue Sainte-Cécile), I am offered a hard biscuit. We call them janots; we dip them in Gaillac, our local wine. Even the grape varieties link to the past, with Occitan names: the white Len de l'El and red Fer Servadou. The Château du Bosc And, half-an-hour from town is the Château du Bosc, where Toulouse-Lautrec spent a happy childhood in what is now the home of his great-niece, Madame Nicole Tapié de Céleyran. She is passionate about her ancestor and points out the animals in the Aubusson tapestries that inspired his early drawings and his caricatures of relatives, drawn on the wall of what is now the gift shop. She describes the leg injuries that inhibited his growth and explains: "Everyone in our family is short, and the redingotes [long overcoats] of the day made him look even shorter." What we like best about Albi is the juxtaposition of old and new. The streets buzz with cafés and small, well-priced restaurants, and independent shops. In the remains of the 13th-century Saint Salvi cloister, where monks once meditated, students chat and chill. And, in front of the cathedral, skateboarders flaunt their skills on the large piazza. The 13th-century Saint Salvi cloister Our last day sees a visit to the Musée de la Mode, a private collection housed in a converted convent that reflects fashion over 300 years. "Who needs Jimmy Choo?" whispers my wife, as she peers at satin pumps from the 1830s. In the five cleverly lit galleries, highlights range from exquisitely embroidered waistcoats to a Mad Men-style Fifties cocktail dress. Albi essentials Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) has flights from Stansted to Rodez, which is just over an hour from Albi, from £75 return. Rent a car to make the most of the town and the surrounding region: Rhino Car Hire (0845 508 9845; rhinocarhire.com) offers three days" car hire from Rodez airport from £68, including collision damage waiver, taxes, airport fees and unlimited mileage. The Albi Card (€9/£7.30; from the tourist office, albi-tourisme.fr) saves time and money on attractions, such as the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum and audio-guide tours of the cathedral. Cruise the Tarn aboard a gabarre, traditional flat-bottomed wooden boat (€7/£5.70; albi-croisieres.com). Pastels d'Albi chocolates are created by Yves Thuriès (37 rue Mariès), twice named Meilleur Ouvrier de France. Buy elegant scarves, blouses and soaps made with natural blue woad at l'Artisan Pastellier (5 rue Puech Bérenguier). Observe watch jeweller Jean-Marc Cros at work in his shop (112 rue Croix Blanche). The Tarn department is studded with bastides (fortified hill villages). Thirty minutes north-west of Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel is the most famous, with dreamy views over the countryside (cordessurciel.fr). Mercure Cité Episcopale d'Albi £ In this former flour mill, 12 of the 56 comfortable modern rooms overlook the Tarn and the city (0033 5634 76666; mercure.com; from £78; breakfast extra). La Tour Sainte Cécile ££ Stylish four-room chambre d'hôtes in a 16th-century brick tower; rates include tickets to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum (5814 05152; toursaintececile.com; from £105; reduced for subsequent nights; breakfast included). La Réserve £££ On the outskirts of town, this 22-room Relais & Châteaux hotel has lawns running down to the Tarn (5636 08080; lareservealbi.com; from £160; breakfast extra). La Table du Sommelier £ A jolly bistro serving hearty portions, where owner Daniel Pestre, once France's sommelier of the year, showcases the best local wines (20 rue Porta; 5634 62010; latabledusommelier.com; closed Sunday and Monday). Bruit en Cuisine ££ The terrace of this restaurant has Albi's best view of the cathedral. Julien Callens's well-priced modern dishes also impress (22 rue de la Souque; 6383 03795; closed Sunday evening and all day Monday). Clos Sainte-Cécile ££ A former schoolhouse, where the playground is now a lovely shaded terrace and menus are chalked up on the old blackboard (3 rue Castelviel; 5633 81974; closed Tuesday and Wednesday). L'Esprit du Vin £££ In this vaulted brick cellar, Michelin-starred chef David Enjalran demonstrates intensely flavoured creative cooking at its best. Featuring whatever inspires him at the market, his four-course dinner menu costs £70, but two courses at lunchtime are £21 (11 quai Choiseul; 5635 46044; lespritduvin-albi.com; closed Sunday and Monday). Stinting with time at the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. As well as paintings, there are the palace's 17th-century gardens and terraces to admire (museetoulouselautrec.net). Mondays, when most restaurants and shops, as well as museums, are closed. Trying to beat the system. Everything closes between noon and 2pm - except the restaurants, of course. Wearing slippery soles on L'Echappée Verte, a lovely little urban walk that includes stepping stones over streams, pebbles and mud. Albi once produced the woad used to dye the blue tunics of Napoleon's 'Grande Armée