Quartier Saint-Médard and the Old Tanneries
Most visitors stick to the area around Place Saint-Roch and the museums, but a ten-minute walk south along the Midou brings you to the old Saint-Médard quarter, where the former tannery buildings have been repurposed into artists' studios, and where the city's most interesting street-art murals have colonised the blank riverside walls. It feels like a neighbourhood mid-reinvention — which is exact
A Walk Through the Tannery District
The tanneries that once processed hides from the Landes cattle trade closed decades ago, leaving behind robust stone and brick buildings with enormous windows that proved irresistible to artists. Several have been converted into live-work studios, and on open-studio weekends (usually in autumn) you can walk in and meet the makers.
Even on ordinary days, the exteriors reward a slow walk. Look for the large-format murals commissioned as part of the city's ongoing urban art programme — some are striking enough to justify the detour on their own.
The Quiet Riverbank Below
Below the tannery buildings, a narrow path runs right along the Midou's edge, shaded by willows and largely unknown to anyone who hasn't lived in Mont-de-Marsan for years. It's a genuine slice of local, unhurried life — fishermen, elderly couples, children feeding ducks.
The path connects back to the main riverside promenade, making it easy to loop the quarter into a broader river walk without retracing your steps.
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