Saturday
10 am
Begin exploring this medieval town by taking a walk downtown, to admire Saint-Étienne cathedral. This gothic edifice is remarkable for its stained-glass windows and gargoyles. It is located by the Évêché gardens. Inside the cathedral, you'll find the world's largest black Virgin. What makes it so special ? It is made of enamel.
Saint-Michel-des-Lions church is also well worth a visit. It gets its name from the two stone lions standing on either side of its entrance.
Saint-Aurélien chapel is also a registered Historical Monument and is home to the relics of Saint Aurélien, the second bishop of Limoges, who is also the patron saint of the town's butchers. The chapel is located in rue de la Boucherie, and is the last stop on your spritual journey this morning. The time has come for lunch at les halles covered market. Its facade is decorated with a porcelain frieze, in the purest traditional Limoges style. Café 1900 (located place des bancs) is another delicious alternative for lunch, with its « troquet » atmosphere.
2 pm
After a morning dedicated to religious heritage, how about a tour of the city's tens of kilometres of Gallo-Roman undergound galleries? Welcome to secret Limoges, a parallel world of rooms with arched ceilings, cellars, wells, aqueducts and silos where social life used to exist, many years ago. In the late afternoon, enjoy some window-shopping : wander inside the Quincaillerie Électrique (an old electrics hardware shop in rue Élie-Berthet) or head to the Bocal, a collective gallery of craftspeople and designers (boulevard Louis-Blanc).
In the evening, sip a nice cold beer at Brasserie Michard (place Denis-Dussoubs), then off you go to the Palais des sports de Beaublanc to attend a Limoges CSP basketball game.
Sunday
10 am
Wake to taste a lovely cup of coffee at La Fabrique du Café (place d’Aine), in the upper part of town. Wander from square to square, in the district of the old Viscounts' castle, and admire the variety of the urban landscape, a combination of traditional half-timbered houses, classic edifices and modern buildings.
Next, head to the La Cité pedestrian district. This district began to develop in the 4th century and is now one of nerve centres of city life in Limoges, with its terraces, cafés and boutiques. On the second Sunday of each month, second-hand market fans will enjoy the city's famous « Puces de la Cité », at the foot of the cathedral, before strolling down to Saint-Étienne bridge, on the Vienne riverside.
2 pm
After lunch at Chez Alphonse(place de la Motte), a true Limoges institution with delicious bistrot-style cuisine, iit's time to set off to explore the star of Limoges : Porcelain. To do so, visit Adrien-Dubouché museum, the Bernardaud Foundation and/or the Casseaux porcelain kiln. As the day ends, stop over at Jacques-Pergay factory to do some shopping ,then head on over to admire the amazing Bénédictins Railway Station, a site you'll never forget !
Follow us, the editors of Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Tourisme.com as we show you around… our home.
From the peaks of the Pyrenees to the Marais Poitevin canals via the wharfs of Bordeaux, the beaches of the Atlantic to the shores of Lake Vassivière near Limoges, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is full of fascinating, entertaining stories that will amuse one and all.
