Jardin des Plantes and banks of the Tarn in Montauban

One of the few circular walks in Montauban, offering a chance to explore the banks of the Tarn, the lower town and, nearby, the Pont Vieux, the Ingres Museum and the historic town centre.

Details

1788461
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 22 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 22 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 104 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 76 m

Description of the walk

Start from the Jardin des Plantes car park.

(S/E) From the car park, head towards the steps in the garden and follow the path to the exit onto the road. At the road, keep left to cross the bridge, then immediately afterwards, cross over to a nursery school and follow the banks of the River Tescou towards the road.

(1) Cross the road, join the path along the banks of the Tarn and turn left. Go under a bridge and reach the next one.

(2) Go under the bridge and, at the roundabout, keep to the right. Continue along the Tarn to reach the riverside path. Continue either along the top or the bottom.

(3) When you reach the motorway bridge, turn left before the bridge (do not go under it). Follow the path to the road and turn right towards the roundabout. Watch out for traffic.

(4) Keep left and head back up towards the shopping area for about 350m (Avenue Henri Dunant).
Take care.

(5) Just before the first shops, take the road on the right (Chemin du Coteau). Before the motorway bridge, turn onto the path on the left, go up the short steep slope before heading back down towards Route de Vignarnaud.

(6) Turn left towards Moncerat. At the roundabout, continue to the right then immediately left (no entry) to reach a crossroads of paths beside a small pond in front of the Théas hotel school.

(7) Take the path on the left that crosses over to reach a new road. Continue left, then right at the roundabout. After about fifty metres, cross the road and follow the path on the left that runs alongside the Tescou on your right (do not cross the bridge). Continue until you reach Rue de l’Abbaye.

(8) Continue to the right for about 100 metres and take the path on the right that runs alongside the Tescou to the Jardin des Plantes. Turn right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 82 m - Jardin des Plantes car park
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 82 m - Cross the road towards the Tarn
  3. 2 : km 0.93 - alt. 81 m - Bridge over the - Tarn (rivère)
  4. 3 : km 3.3 - alt. 85 m - Motorway bridge, on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.18 - alt. 85 m - Turn left at the roundabout
  6. 5 : km 4.64 - alt. 84 m - Shopping area, on the right Chemin du Château
  7. 6 : km 5.25 - alt. 98 m - Route de Vignarnaud, on the left
  8. 7 : km 5.6 - alt. 93 m - Small pond, path on the left
  9. 8 : km 6.59 - alt. 84 m - Rue de l'Abbaye, on the right
  10. S/E : km 7.33 - alt. 82 m - Jardin des Plantes car park

Worth a visit

Banks of the Tarn, banks of the Tescou, Jardin des Plantes.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
Lemiche
Lemiche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting route showcasing two aspects of Montauban: the urbanised area and the countryside
The route is entirely accessible.

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User 26116097

We couldn't find the hike. Very poorly explained in the downloadable PDF, just turn left or right, cross a bridge, pass a kindergarten, no street names, bridge names or place names...

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Val82
Val82

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A walk that offers a change of scenery and a chance to get out of the city.
The section along the Tarn is very pleasant.
On the other hand, there isn’t much to see...
Very easy.

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pierre dimier
pierre dimier

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy stroll through the southern part of Montauban
I suggest adding a tour of the historic town centre to the itinerary and starting there to explore Montauban
Enjoy the walk!

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crest
crest

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely start to the route, up to the motorway; however, the walk loses some of its charm after that: dirty verges and a stretch through some rather unpleasant parts of Montauban. Suitable for pushchairs, though there are two short tricky sections.

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Fabouen
Fabouen

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

I agree with the comment below.
A route that allows the people of Montalban to enjoy a lovely walk without having to take the car!
Thanks to the author.

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PrettyBlackDove
PrettyBlackDove
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk if you’re from Montauban, but of little interest to tourists. You can’t see anything of the historic centre (the description mentions ‘the Pont Vieux, the Ingres Museum and the historic town’, but we didn’t see anything particularly noteworthy...).
The path along the riverbanks (2) is pleasant and shaded, as is the section running alongside the Tescou (7 to 8). However, the rest of the path is rather uninteresting (industrial areas, dangerous roads, a path right next to the motorway...), and there are few ‘beautiful sights’ to see.
The section running alongside the motorway is particularly unpleasant: dirty (litter), animal and human waste (a truly awful smell, especially in the heat), noise (motorway). Which is a shame because, to our left, we had a view of some very beautiful orchards.
Also, at point (5), the small path on the left that we were supposed to take was both off-limits to cyclists and pedestrians, and yet permitted. There were two contradictory signs, one next to the other... In the end, we didn’t encounter anything strange or dangerous.
/!\ Be really careful when you take the road from the roundabout; cars drive fast and there’s no pavement. A really dangerous stretch /!\

Positive points:
- Shaded over a fairly large section of the path
- pleasant view of the Garonne
- nice for a stroll if you’re already from Montalban

Cons:
- not much to see for tourists
- dangerous sections and sometimes really unpleasant
- frequent industrial and commercial areas

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