Languedoc-Roussillon
Oct 14th, 2004, 04:40 AM
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Languedoc-Roussillon
I'm planning a trip to Barcelona and would like to explore a bit the area of Languedoc-Roussillon due to its proximity. Which places would you recommend I see and what attractions are in that area? I'm thinking of going to Montpellier, but not sure if I would be missing anything in Perpignan, Carcassonne, etc. Is it worth it to go to Toulouse in the Midi-Pyreneees. Any input would be appreciated. Any lodging suggestions? I would like to stay in a bed and breakfast, but my budget is about 100euros per night. Thank you! Millie
Oct 14th, 2004, 05:08 AM
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Hi Milvega:
The area of Languedoc-Rousillon is one of our favourites. Depending on your time restraints take a few days either while in Barcelona or on your way to the Languedoc area to visit Nuria on the Spanish side of the pyrenees. Check out valdenuria.com. It's a great place up in the mountains with a hotel, and great walks and hikes and scenery. It is accessible from Ribes de Freser (an hour or so north of Barcelona) by cogwheel train.
Driving from Ribes de Freser is a lovely drive through the mountains, crossing into France at Puigcerda on the Spanish side and (I think) bourg Madame on the French side. The drive from the border to Mirepoix, a favourite little town of ours in Languedoc-Rousillon is about two hours. Check out towns like Limoux, St Hilaire and follow the path of the Cathars to some of their ruined castles. We love driving this area. If you choose not to do Nuria you can drive right up the motorway(toll) from Barcelona to Perpignan in probably just under two hours. From there you can jog inland and find lots of interesting sideroads. We drove from Cap d'agde (further up in Languedoc)inland through Beziers towards Toulouse along the Canal de Midi a few summers ago and found lovely little villages, wineries and great scenery to savour.
There is a Languedoc website you could check out at tlp.netfirms.com/ This is a site we have found good info on and posters help with information requests just like here on Fodors.
I have lots of maps etc at home that I could refer to with specific drives, road numbers etc but I am away form home for a year and without my maps I can't remember them!
We are always delighted by this area however and if you have a car and can just head out you will enjoy it I am sure. Actually we are hoping to make it a place to spend our winters once our working days are over.
Enjoy!
The area of Languedoc-Rousillon is one of our favourites. Depending on your time restraints take a few days either while in Barcelona or on your way to the Languedoc area to visit Nuria on the Spanish side of the pyrenees. Check out valdenuria.com. It's a great place up in the mountains with a hotel, and great walks and hikes and scenery. It is accessible from Ribes de Freser (an hour or so north of Barcelona) by cogwheel train.
Driving from Ribes de Freser is a lovely drive through the mountains, crossing into France at Puigcerda on the Spanish side and (I think) bourg Madame on the French side. The drive from the border to Mirepoix, a favourite little town of ours in Languedoc-Rousillon is about two hours. Check out towns like Limoux, St Hilaire and follow the path of the Cathars to some of their ruined castles. We love driving this area. If you choose not to do Nuria you can drive right up the motorway(toll) from Barcelona to Perpignan in probably just under two hours. From there you can jog inland and find lots of interesting sideroads. We drove from Cap d'agde (further up in Languedoc)inland through Beziers towards Toulouse along the Canal de Midi a few summers ago and found lovely little villages, wineries and great scenery to savour.
There is a Languedoc website you could check out at tlp.netfirms.com/ This is a site we have found good info on and posters help with information requests just like here on Fodors.
I have lots of maps etc at home that I could refer to with specific drives, road numbers etc but I am away form home for a year and without my maps I can't remember them!
We are always delighted by this area however and if you have a car and can just head out you will enjoy it I am sure. Actually we are hoping to make it a place to spend our winters once our working days are over.
Enjoy!
Oct 14th, 2004, 05:15 AM
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My wife and I did the same thing and had a great time in L-R. Go on Travel & Leisure and there's a great article titles Field of Dreams. I've given you the link but if it doesn't work just go to their web site and type in Languedoc. http://www.travelandleisure.com/invo...AC0002B3309983
Based on that article we decided to go their after Barcelona. We stayed in a great little guest house in Fabrezon called lou Castelet which was good for our day trips to Carcassonne, Lagrasse and many others. On the way up there from Barcelona also stop in Collioure along the coast. Mattisse lived and painted there. The area was beautiful, the people were friendly, good wine and food. Our favorite little town was Lagrasse with the French designation as one of the most beautiful villages in France. We would certainly go again.
Based on that article we decided to go their after Barcelona. We stayed in a great little guest house in Fabrezon called lou Castelet which was good for our day trips to Carcassonne, Lagrasse and many others. On the way up there from Barcelona also stop in Collioure along the coast. Mattisse lived and painted there. The area was beautiful, the people were friendly, good wine and food. Our favorite little town was Lagrasse with the French designation as one of the most beautiful villages in France. We would certainly go again.
Oct 14th, 2004, 05:32 AM
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You don't say how much time you're planning to devote to this area, which is key. If you only have a couple of days, then Carcassonne and Montpellier are definitely must-sees; if you have a week or more there are a zillion more places to explore - Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Collioure, Céret, Gaillac,
Montolieu, St-Férréol, etc. I've wandered all over the L-R and loved it, but I usually avoid Toulouse - not one of my favorite places.
You won't have any problem finding lodging for under 100 € a night.
Montolieu, St-Férréol, etc. I've wandered all over the L-R and loved it, but I usually avoid Toulouse - not one of my favorite places.
You won't have any problem finding lodging for under 100 € a night.
Oct 14th, 2004, 06:49 AM
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Milvega, we visited the area in 2001 and stayed in rented houses in Agde and Villasavary, a tiny village near Castelnaudary.
If you are interested in history, you might enjoy reading a bit about the Albigensian Crusade before you go. There are several histories available, but the easiest read is The Perfect Heresy by Stephen O'Shea. We found that having an understanding of these events really helped us to appreciate places like Béziers, Minerve, and the "Cathar castles" that keldar mentioned above.
Several of the castle ruins are accessible from D117 west from Perpignan. You can reach Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, and Puilaurens from that road, and if you keep driving as far as Lavelanet, you can also see the ruins of Montségur.
If you have time, there is a wonderful Cistercian abby at Fontfroide near Narbonne. It is well-restored and there are regular guided tours. (Our tour was in French; I'm not sure whether they offer English tours.) Cistercian architecture is beautiful. There is also a good restaurant on site.
I hope you enjoy visiting the area. We plan to return if we can ever break our Provence habit.
Anselm
If you are interested in history, you might enjoy reading a bit about the Albigensian Crusade before you go. There are several histories available, but the easiest read is The Perfect Heresy by Stephen O'Shea. We found that having an understanding of these events really helped us to appreciate places like Béziers, Minerve, and the "Cathar castles" that keldar mentioned above.
Several of the castle ruins are accessible from D117 west from Perpignan. You can reach Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, and Puilaurens from that road, and if you keep driving as far as Lavelanet, you can also see the ruins of Montségur.
If you have time, there is a wonderful Cistercian abby at Fontfroide near Narbonne. It is well-restored and there are regular guided tours. (Our tour was in French; I'm not sure whether they offer English tours.) Cistercian architecture is beautiful. There is also a good restaurant on site.
I hope you enjoy visiting the area. We plan to return if we can ever break our Provence habit.
Anselm
Oct 14th, 2004, 08:59 AM
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I know it's not L-R, but a side trip
to Girona in Catalonia is well worthwhile. The medieval city is
really interesting with its Jewish
and CAtholic background.
Having just spent far too many days in
Toulouse I'd agree with St.C's advice
to skip it; at the risk of sounding
totally tourist-y, I'd pass by Perpignan in favor of a day wandering
in Collioure. Everyone should see
Carcassonne at least once and Albi is
has a nice Medieval pedestrian centre
plus the imposing fortress cathedral.
to Girona in Catalonia is well worthwhile. The medieval city is
really interesting with its Jewish
and CAtholic background.
Having just spent far too many days in
Toulouse I'd agree with St.C's advice
to skip it; at the risk of sounding
totally tourist-y, I'd pass by Perpignan in favor of a day wandering
in Collioure. Everyone should see
Carcassonne at least once and Albi is
has a nice Medieval pedestrian centre
plus the imposing fortress cathedral.
Oct 14th, 2004, 09:54 AM
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I love Toulouse and think it is definitely worth visiting. I have stayed at the same hotel as Antoine de Ste-Exupery (Grand Hotel de l'Opera, 1 Place du Capitole - with rooms under 100 euros) where he wrote "Le Petit Prince". My brother lives there 6 months a year doing business/management consultation with the University there. I always love visiting the quaint shops and seeing the town. Also, Carcassonne is a definite must too.
Oct 26th, 2004, 09:21 AM
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Milvega,
We have stayed in Collioure on two occasions. We stayed at the Casa Pairal, a former mansion of a Catalonian businessman. It is very nice. Get a second story room as the main floor ones can be on the dark side. For dining try the Neptune. Nice shops in town.
About 50 kms away is the little yellow train, "tren jaune" that runs through the mountains to Spain. It used to (may still) have outdoor seating that was exhilirating (for summer travel.)
During the summer, may be at other times, dancers come to the town square and do the Sarbanne, a rhythmic Catalan dance. It has circles of ten people, all ages 6 to 80+, who give a stirring show.
This is very nice part of the world.
Anthony
We have stayed in Collioure on two occasions. We stayed at the Casa Pairal, a former mansion of a Catalonian businessman. It is very nice. Get a second story room as the main floor ones can be on the dark side. For dining try the Neptune. Nice shops in town.
About 50 kms away is the little yellow train, "tren jaune" that runs through the mountains to Spain. It used to (may still) have outdoor seating that was exhilirating (for summer travel.)
During the summer, may be at other times, dancers come to the town square and do the Sarbanne, a rhythmic Catalan dance. It has circles of ten people, all ages 6 to 80+, who give a stirring show.
This is very nice part of the world.
Anthony
Dec 8th, 2004, 01:09 PM
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I'm hoping to revive this thread to get a few more specific suggestions on lodging. We will be traveling up from Banyoles in Spain where we have rented a house for a week to explore Figueres, Girona and Cadaques. From there we would like to travel North and west and find lodging for four nights with the intent to take the Little Yellow Train one day and also the Green train from Ribes de Freser up the Val Nuria. So pretty specific ideas of where we want to be. Any suggestions for a central accomodation right in this area? I am reading spotty reviews of the Chateau Riell in Molitg les Bains and El Castell de Cuitat does not appeal (looks dark and depressing, at least in the pictures). I have been to Colliure and I think we want to be further west, nearer to Puigcerda. Keldar???
Dec 8th, 2004, 02:15 PM
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I "joined" the Fodor message board after your original post. We've vacationed in the Languedoc/Roussillon area for over 10 weeks within the last few years. We spent 6 weeks there this year. Contrary to other's preferences, I'm a big fan of Toulouse.
I have a 35+ page itinerary that I recently developed which describes our favorite sites, towns, scenic drives, and restaurants (with specific menu choices). We love this area. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy of my itinerary e-mailed to you as an attachment.
The following is the "intro" to the itinerary.
Like most vacationers to France, our first dozen or so visits consisted of 5 days on the Cote d’Azur, 5 days in Provence, 5 days in Brittany & Normandy, 5 days in the Dordogne, 3 days in the Loire etc, etc, etc. Several times we hurried through the Languedoc region going from Provence to the Dordogne, and my wife & I said that perhaps on one visit we should explore this area more thoroughly. Well – now that we’re retired and have the time to spend 2 months in France each year, we’ve done just that. The more time I spend in this area, the more I want to return for another visit. We’ve seen hundreds & hundreds of souvenir shops & ultra-touristy places in our first 20 years of travel in Europe, so that does not appeal to us as much as it did many years ago. As we get farther away from the crowded areas we frequented on our first visits, we see more un-spoiled villages, normal French residents going about their daily lives, drives in the countryside where we see few cars, and mom & pop hotel/restaurants that have been in their families for generations.
Languedoc/Roussillon seems like what Provence must have been 20 years ago - before Peter Mayle, before the Parisians discovered it, and before there was the large influx of American tourists. I actually enjoy Toulouse more than Aix, Avignon, or Nimes. Montpellier is just as nice as these Provence cities too, and Perpignan is not far behind. Albi is one of my favorite medium sized towns in all of France. Pezenas is a combination of St Remy & l’Isle sur la Sorgue – cute village, an excellent outdoor market, and lots of antique shops. The Languedoc region doesn’t have the lavender & sunflower fields that Provence has, but there is beautiful pastoral countryside and perhaps the largest vineyard areas you will ever see. It is more rugged than Provence. There are gorges in the Languedoc I like more than the Gorge du Verdun in Provence, plus there are dozens of fabulous stalactite & stalagmite caves not found in Provence. Carcassonne is unique in Europe, as are the many Cathars castles you can visit near the Roussillon area. There are plenty of cute small villages (Cordes, Conques, Minerve, Morepoix, La Couvertoiade, St Guilhem le Desert, Estaing, Villefranche de Conflent). I have not visited the coast of Languedoc, except for the area around Collioure & south of there to the Spanish border. Everyone has different tastes in food, but I have had many more satisfying dinners in the Languedoc area than I have had in the 21 weeks I’ve vacationed in the Cote d’Azur & Provence areas – and at about two-thirds the cost. The outdoor markets in the Languedoc are much more geared for the local residents, and not the tourists. Except for the Saturday market in Pezenas, I think tourists (like us) will enjoy the markets in Provence more.
The major drawback to visiting the Languedoc/Roussillon area is its size – perhaps 5 times the size of Provence (not including the Cote). It’s possible to stay in one location in Provence & take day trips to everywhere else, but you can’t do that in Languedoc/Roussillon. Like I said, the area is more rugged, so the roads are slower – but not difficult. There are some freeways in this region, but driving them is not the way to really enjoy the scenery, and many of the freeways do not traverse through interesting areas in the Languedoc. Other than these freeways, the roads through the Cevannes Mountains, along the gorges, along rivers, through the Pyrenees Mountains, are all very slow roads – as they should be for you to really enjoy the scenery.
Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca.
I have a 35+ page itinerary that I recently developed which describes our favorite sites, towns, scenic drives, and restaurants (with specific menu choices). We love this area. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy of my itinerary e-mailed to you as an attachment.
The following is the "intro" to the itinerary.
Like most vacationers to France, our first dozen or so visits consisted of 5 days on the Cote d’Azur, 5 days in Provence, 5 days in Brittany & Normandy, 5 days in the Dordogne, 3 days in the Loire etc, etc, etc. Several times we hurried through the Languedoc region going from Provence to the Dordogne, and my wife & I said that perhaps on one visit we should explore this area more thoroughly. Well – now that we’re retired and have the time to spend 2 months in France each year, we’ve done just that. The more time I spend in this area, the more I want to return for another visit. We’ve seen hundreds & hundreds of souvenir shops & ultra-touristy places in our first 20 years of travel in Europe, so that does not appeal to us as much as it did many years ago. As we get farther away from the crowded areas we frequented on our first visits, we see more un-spoiled villages, normal French residents going about their daily lives, drives in the countryside where we see few cars, and mom & pop hotel/restaurants that have been in their families for generations.
Languedoc/Roussillon seems like what Provence must have been 20 years ago - before Peter Mayle, before the Parisians discovered it, and before there was the large influx of American tourists. I actually enjoy Toulouse more than Aix, Avignon, or Nimes. Montpellier is just as nice as these Provence cities too, and Perpignan is not far behind. Albi is one of my favorite medium sized towns in all of France. Pezenas is a combination of St Remy & l’Isle sur la Sorgue – cute village, an excellent outdoor market, and lots of antique shops. The Languedoc region doesn’t have the lavender & sunflower fields that Provence has, but there is beautiful pastoral countryside and perhaps the largest vineyard areas you will ever see. It is more rugged than Provence. There are gorges in the Languedoc I like more than the Gorge du Verdun in Provence, plus there are dozens of fabulous stalactite & stalagmite caves not found in Provence. Carcassonne is unique in Europe, as are the many Cathars castles you can visit near the Roussillon area. There are plenty of cute small villages (Cordes, Conques, Minerve, Morepoix, La Couvertoiade, St Guilhem le Desert, Estaing, Villefranche de Conflent). I have not visited the coast of Languedoc, except for the area around Collioure & south of there to the Spanish border. Everyone has different tastes in food, but I have had many more satisfying dinners in the Languedoc area than I have had in the 21 weeks I’ve vacationed in the Cote d’Azur & Provence areas – and at about two-thirds the cost. The outdoor markets in the Languedoc are much more geared for the local residents, and not the tourists. Except for the Saturday market in Pezenas, I think tourists (like us) will enjoy the markets in Provence more.
The major drawback to visiting the Languedoc/Roussillon area is its size – perhaps 5 times the size of Provence (not including the Cote). It’s possible to stay in one location in Provence & take day trips to everywhere else, but you can’t do that in Languedoc/Roussillon. Like I said, the area is more rugged, so the roads are slower – but not difficult. There are some freeways in this region, but driving them is not the way to really enjoy the scenery, and many of the freeways do not traverse through interesting areas in the Languedoc. Other than these freeways, the roads through the Cevannes Mountains, along the gorges, along rivers, through the Pyrenees Mountains, are all very slow roads – as they should be for you to really enjoy the scenery.
Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca.
Dec 8th, 2004, 03:39 PM
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For a range of accomodations, try Gites de France. Their equivalent of two stars always had a private bath and all of them were very acceptable when we used them a couple of years ago. The price range was between 35 and 50 euros a night for two, including a continental breakfast. Prices may have changed since, but they are posted on the web site listing the B&Bs.
If you are driving, you may want to drive up the valley from Prades to La Tour de Carol, coming back down toward Foix and Carcassonne. Or, for a less touristy road, go from Prades to the Col de Jau and down into Cathar country.
If you are driving, you may want to drive up the valley from Prades to La Tour de Carol, coming back down toward Foix and Carcassonne. Or, for a less touristy road, go from Prades to the Col de Jau and down into Cathar country.
Dec 8th, 2004, 09:50 PM
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StuDudley, I agree with what you said about Toulouse and Montpellier.....they are both wonderful towns. They have an undiscovered air about them and completely lack the floods of tourists that some of the other cities get. I went back in March to visit my brother in Toulouse - I just loved it!
