An Aikido workshop took hubby and I to Rodez for a long weekend at the end of July. The brand-new Soulages museum had just opened last May and this was the occasion to see this much-talked about building and special exhibit.
The museum website suggests buying your ticket on-line, to avoid the long lines. Probably a good idea, but there’s another way to avoid the lines, which we discovered quite accidentally. Our first day we decided to visit the Musée Fenaille first, and upon buying our ticket (quite reasonable at 7€) we were told that it was valid one month for the other two museums in Rodez. What a fantastic deal!!!
The Fenaille Museum, built around two Renaissance époque houses, was a lovely discovery. Its 3 stories present (1) prehistoric artefacts, including the largest collection of carved menhirs in Europe, (2) items from the Gallo-Roman and Middle Ages and finally (3) pieces from the 16th century and Renaissance. See my coups-de-coeur in the photos.
The following day we were happy to skip the very long line waiting to buy tickets for the Soulages museum and walk directly into the exhibit. I haven’t been a big fan of Soulages up to now, but seeing his paintings in the right conditions makes a big difference. Black is not always black.
For lodging, I can recommend the Hotel du Midi, just two steps away from the cathedral (impressive) and very convenient to everything in the old town center. The rooms are nicely redone and the staff warm and helpful. During the weekend parking on the street is free but the hotel also has parking for a modest fee.
Warning: the choice of restaurants in Rodez is not very extensive and we had a difficult time finding restaurants open on Sunday and Monday—the tourist office would be well advised to try to encourage some restaurants to open on these days. The Pizzeria des Remparts was one that was open; on a Monday evening with pouring rain it was packed and for good reason—excellent food and very friendly and efficient staff. The half of a pizza+half of a salad combo is a great option. Other restaurants that we enjoyed were Le Cèdre, which has the best Lebanese food that I’ve ever eaten, and Ginkgo, which has a rather original concept. Second warning: Ginkgo is open only for lunch and they can “sell out” as we discovered to our dismay our 2nd visit there.
Make sure to have a working GPS if you visit Rodez. As the city is built on a hill top, almost every street is one-way!
Overall, Rodez is a good option for a get-away weekend not too far from Montpellier.
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