Arriving from Toulouse by train, you'll find the gare SNCF a kilometre southwest of the town centre on avenue Albert-1\up8 er. The gare routière is on place Soult, with bus services to Mazamet and Lacaune. The tourist office is beside the Pont Vieux at 3 rue Milhau-Ducommun (July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 1.30–7pm, Sun 10.30am–noon & 3–5.30pm; Sept–June Aug Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 1.30–6pm & Sun 3–5.30pm; tel 05.63.62.63.62).There are several reasonable hotels in Castres. Among the cheapest are the basic, old-style Le Périgord, 22 rue îmile-Zola (tel 05.63.59.04.74; under €30; restaurant from €12), and the more comfortable Hôtel Rivière, 10 quai Tourcaudière (tel 05.63.59.04.53, fax 05.63.59.61.97; €30–40). On a slightly larger budget, try the stylish Renaissance at 17 rue Victor Hugo (tel 05.63.59.30.42, fax 05.63.72.11.57; €40–55), just off place Jean-Jaurès. The municipal campsite (tel 05.63.59.72.30; closed Oct–March) is in a riverside park 2km northeast of town on the road to Roquecourbe, which you can also reach by river-taxi (round trip €4). For simple, inexpensive meals, you can't beat the upstairs dining room in the Brasserie des Jacobins, on place Jean-Jaurès. Alternatively, Le Médiéval (tel 05.63.51.13.78; closed Sun & Mon), at 44 rue Milhau-Ducommun, has an eleventh-century dining room poised above the Agout, and offers reasonable terroir and gastronomique menus from €18.
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