I'm driving east from Biarritz to Nice in September, over a 14 day period I'd like to visit some beautiful towns, stay in some nice hotels, eat some good food, and take a few days hiking. What would be unmissable? Am I overdoing it in the car? There are so many places... I'm overwhelmed!!

It's very feasible in a 14 day period. Here are some things you may want to see:

Auch: the cathedral and its market of regional products.

The Lourdes castle is worth a visit if you are passing through that town.

The Cirque de Gavarnie. The Col du Tourmalet.

St. Bertrand de Comminges.

Mirepoix.

You might want to explore French Catalonia. If you drive up to Bourg-Madame from Foix and then down to Prades, you will be having a lovely ride coming into the core of French Catalonia.

Get the Green Guide for the Languedoc, and a good map.

I have a 35 page itinerary that describes my ramblings through that area. e-mail me at [email protected] if you would like a copy.

Stu Dudley

Pau is well worth a visit and a side trip through the Madiran would be nice.

In our neck of the woods, nice wee towns are Mirande, and Marciac. Find out about the bastides, because it makes enjoying the place even better.

There's a tiny and very pretty place called Tillac on the roud south east of marciac.

Aurignac is terrific if you lunch at the Serf Blanc and get the guided tour.

I second the comments on Auch. Definitely worth a visit. As are Toulouse and Albi

If going as far north as Albi, you might as well consider Moissac for its abbey church and Montauban for its square ca. Place des Vosges and its Ingres Museum which obviously does not contain his most famous paintings.

And in Albi, don't miss the Toulouse Lautrec Museum and cross that magnificent bridge in Millau.

Thanks to you all- many areas to focus my research on now!

Oops, spelling error

that's Cerf Blanc

Stu's itinerary will be a big help in planning your trip, as it has been in our planning of a similar trip this summer.

We will be leaving from St Jean de Luz, one of our favorite destinations. You may wish to spend a couple of days in this thoroughly delightful town. Book a room at the Grand Hotel. Have dinners at one of the restaurants on rue Republique, our favorite being La Portua.

We will be stopping in St Gaudens, Oust, Ceret and near Perpignon before heading north.

If you choose to stay in Albi, another favorite town of ours, I can recommend the Hostellerie San Antoine.

RonZ, out of sheer nosiness, wht St Gaudens?

Duh!... "why"

We went to Albi last summer and also stayed at the Hostellerie St. Antoine, which we enjoyed, especially as it was air conditioned. If you do get to that area, the hill town of Cordes sur Ciel is nearby and was very enjoyable.