South of France Hotel | Languedoc Travel Guide

Tourist sights in the Languedoc

Attractions within 60 minutes


Béziers	Mirepoix	Narbonne

Béziers and Narbonne

Both towns are excellent for shopping and strolling around. The old towns have been tastefully enhanced with gushing fountains, pedestrianised streets and they provide a wonderful Southern French atmosphere with a Spanish twist. Béziers' wealth was founded in the wine trade at the end of the 19th century, although it was originally a Cathar town. The Béziers Feria offers five days of festivity centred on bull fighting in the summer. The Friday flower market is well worth a visit. Narbonne is a short distance from the coast and is near the scenic harbour town of Gruissan. Founded in 118 BC as a Roman port, the Canal de la Robine runs through the middle to connect the town with sea. There is a wonderful market every day in les Halles.

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is close to the Pyrenees in Ariège and hosts a wonderful busy market on a Monday morning, On the large central square you can still admire the half-timbered houses supported on wood pillars, creating a magnificent covered arcade. The ends of the joists of the richest houses are sculpted, and the most beautiful sculptures are on the Maison des Consuls, showing fantastical images. A visit is a must.

Attractions further than 60 minutes


Collioure	Albi	Toulouse

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Collioure

For any art lover, the attractive village of Collioure is high on the list of key sights. Originally an anchovy fishing port, Matisse visited here during a low point in his career and was inspired and revitalized by the lovely scenery. The small town, with its ochre rooftops and castle at the edge of the shore, is endlessly charming. His vivid paintings sparked a new art movement, Fauvism, which attracted other artists—Matisse, Picasso and Chagall among them—to this small town. They hung out at the bar of the Hôtel-Restaurant les Templiers, which doubles as an art museum now.

Albi

Albi is a delightful town that oozes historical and cultural heritage. It lies between mountains and the river Tarn and is home to the enormous 11th century Cathedral Ste. Cécile, one of South France's jewels of gothic architecture. Hometown to Toulouse-Lautrec, the museum of the same name houses 90% of the artists' works.

Toulouse

Toulouse is a wonderful city, a place any visitor to France must see for its architectural treasures at the least. This is a city from the past, built of pink stone; during the Renaissance, Toulouse experienced a surge of prosperity and the inhabitants constructed mansions and churches with this wealth. It is also a city building the future, with a large trade in aerospace engineering, being the centre of Airbus. Toulouse is lively and has a distinctive outdoor Southern way of life.

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