Tourist sites further than 1 hour

Tourist sights in the Languedoc and Nearby

Attractions further than 60 minutes


Girona	The Millau Viaduct	Montpellier (Photo: Umberto Pini)

The Pyrenees

The Pyrenees mountain range stretches the length of the border between France and Spain, thus forming a natural barrier. The area closest to us is the mountain region of the Ariege Valley. Here can be found a high concentration of Cathar castles and historical sights, for it was into these mountains that the Cathars fled from the advancing armies of the North. Historical sights abound, such as the chateaux of Puivert and Roquefixade, and Montsegur - the tragic rock upon which 180 Cathars made their fortress for 9 months, before succumbing to the onslaught of de Montfort's forces. Most were burnt at the stake on a mass funeral pyre at the foot of the 'pog', the extraordinary sugarloaf mountain on which the ruins of the fort still remain.

The scenery in this area is spectacular: high, often snow-capped peaks, knife-edge slopes running down steep, rippling valleys. The landscape is all the more evocative for the presence of many precariously-sited castles and ancient mountain villages where, to this day, villagers undertake farming activities using traditional methods. Travelling around here is like taking a step back in time: picturesque, flower-strewn villages squatting under towering peaks or spilling down steep hillsides... their stone houses with slate roofs pitched at different angles, taking on the appearance of crooked witches' hats.

Other sites include the village of Montaillou, featured in Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's book about the medieval village and its population, with fascinating detail drawn from Inquisitional records, including the mental, emotional and sexual life of the peasants.

The beautiful town of Mirepoix is an atmospheric place to visit, with a lovely main square surrounded by medieval beamed arcades and colourful, half-timbered houses. On Mondays, the town hosts a bustling market full of local fare including delicious charcuterie, honey and Pyrenean brebis' and goats' cheeses.

Girona, Catalonian Spain

The city boasts a remarkably intact medieval centre, arguably even better than that in Barcelona, and an enduring elegance. Overall it is undoubtedly the jewel of the Costa Brava, perfect for exploring. The city’s spiritual centre and major landmark, is the magnificent cathedral. Before their expulsion in 1492, a sizeable percentage of the city’s population was Jewish and had its own district, the Call, and its labyrinthine streets are beautifully preserved. The story of this community is told in the excellent Jewish Museum.

Millau

As well as being the highest bridge in the world, the the Viaduct of Millau is a real masterpiece, a modern day work of art and a technological triumph. It is the 21st century's answer to the 17th's Canal du Midi. You will be amazed firstly at its grandiose scale as well for the beauty of the landscape. A visit to the bridge can be combined with one to the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon to visit the Roquefort caves - and sample, of course, the famous cheese itself!

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Leucate flamingos	Arab baths - Girona	Camargue (Photo: Jean-Pierre Romeyer)

Perpignan

Perpignan is the capital of Roussillon in the northernmost province of Catalonia in the Pyrenees Orientales. Only 40km from the Spanish border and 13km from the Mediterranean sea, a high percentage of the population is of Spanish origin starting with survivors from the Civil War. Perpignan is a lively and historic city, with its heyday in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries when the kings of Majorca held court there. There is an abundance of things to do and see in this surprisingly Spanish city.

Montpellier

A thousand years of trade and intellectual activity have made Montpellier an energetic city. Today it vies with Toulouse for the title of most dynamic city in the south. The reputation of its university especially, founded in the thirteenth century and most famous for its medical school, is a long-standing one: more than 60,000 students still set the intellectual and cultural tone of the city

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