City in the southern part of France for a week?
 

We are thinking of flying into Barcelona for a week. We would then like to rent a place somewhere in the south of France (not too far of a drive) to stay another week.
The reason to be in France is to practice french, relax and eat good food! (a bit of sight seeing wouldn't be bad as this will be with children also).

Collioure is one thought - beautiful setting, nice beaches, good possibilities for daytrips.........

Ooops! I now see you were looking for a city - definitely not Collioure, then. How about Montpellier? It's a great, lively university town with easy access to the beach and plenty for kids to do.

Hi m,

Collioure is a very good idea
http://www.collioure.com/anglais/co-001.html

Also Perpignan
http://www.perpignantourisme.com/?lg=UK

((I))

Will you have a car???

If not, you're pretty much confined to a large city. Montpellier would be the best bet.

I you have a car & want to stay in a smaller village, I would take the train from Barcelona to Perpignan, rent a car there, then stay in Ceret - inland from Collioure. You can visit the Pyrenees, both the towns mentioned by St Cirq & Ira, and many other very cute villages in the area. There are several Cathars castles close by, and a very nice Vauban-type fort just north of Perpignan. Carcassone is a short day-trip away - so is Gerona. Perpignan has an airport you can get to Paris from (or take the TGV), and Toulouse & Montpellier are international airports.

Stu Dudley

Toulouse is another option; it's pretty and lively and has a nice historic quarter and active Arts scene. It's the gateway to lots of nice smaller towns in the Midi Pyrenees

Dear Mom:

Castres, which is about 50 miles east of Toulouse, is a lovely city, on the Agout River. It was famous as a dye center in the Middle Ages for wools and other fabrics. It is also home to the Musee Goya, located in the town hall. It has a fabulous collection of the works of Francisco Goya, a rare sight outside of El Prado in Madrid or even the Metropolitamn Museum in NYC. Drop me a line if I can be of more help..

Regards.
Luis

Thanks for all of your replies. Someone has recently told us that we should perhaps fly from Barcelona to the Dordogne area (Ryanair). I thought that we would need a car, especially if we are in a smaller town.
If we do Collioure or Montpellier, will the weather be okay in mid to late April. Does anyone know if this is school break time in France?
I am going to try to find out more about Castres.
I would really like to have one home base the whole time we are there. We did a little bit too much moving last year.

Castres is an interesting town historically, and it has a pleasant riverside quai and old quarter, but it's not that much more special than a lot of other places and doesn't, IMO, merit more than a night or two.

The weather will probably be lovely in Collioure and Montpellier in late April - maybe afternoon showers, but nothing to put you off touring around.

French school holiday schedules are scattered, with kids in different parts of the country having different vacation schedules (http://www.kiechle.com/france/index....cat/educat.htm). Everyone gets Easter Sunday and Monday off, though.

I just checked ryanair.com and it doesn't seem as though they fly out of Barcelona. They do fly into Bergerac, but I thought you wanted to be "not too far" from Barcelona. Where are you flying home from? If it's Barcelona, and you only have a week, I don't think I'd head for the Dordogne - much as I hate to say it - you'd have two long days of travel and only five to enjoy it, whereas if you stick closer to Spain you'd add at least another day of that relaxation you're looking for.

I would heartily second the choice for Montpelier. It's one of the prettiest towns in Europe, besides, the center of town is a lovely, lively, entertaining place. I think they call it Le Cirque. It's like no place I've ever seen. As for a town for a home base, I spent a month in Lunel. It is a rather non-descript town. A friend of a friend offered to lend his home there to me, so it was free. It's really nothing, but I couldn't beat the price. It's only claim to fame is that Karl Marx lived there, and it's very close to the Perrier Water establishment-that's it. However, its' location is pretty good. It's close to Nimes (great town), Avignon (greater town), and Arles (even greater town). It also has a rail station, so that all of Provence and Languedoc is just a very short ride away. If you feel adventurous, go to Montelimar. You will love it. Some clown gave me the incorrect information on how to get to Orange, and I ended up in Montelimar. It was the highlight of my trip. Bless that clown.

Ryanair flys to Girona, which they call Barcelona, and to Perpignan. be aware that Ryanair enforce weight limits on luggage, both cabin and stowed, very strictly. Similarly for check-in times. I have previously mentioned our place in Claira, a village just out of Perpignan - it could be available for your dates. http://www.users.tpg.com.au/adsl8fbu/clairanew.htm Weather anywhere along the Mediterranean coast should be quite good for that time of year - it may still be quite cool anywhere inland. You are unlikely to be disappointed with any of the recommendations that have been made, but I agree with St Cirq that the Dordogne would appear to be out of your way based on what you are looking for and where you will be coming from.

We are thinking about visiting Collioure and Perpignan. Does anyone have some recommendations for hotels in either place? My guidebooks are rather vague. Thanks.