julies

We're having a tough time deciding for our trip later on this month. If you've visited both areas, I'd like some input. We are considering areas around Carcassone, around Beziers, in the Vallespir valley and north of Girona for a week stay. They all look interesting, and we can't decide. We are flying in and out of Barcelona and are interested in the outdoors, local color and culture, charming villages, nice scenery, active pursuits such as biking or hiking, wines, and local markets. We are not interested in going to the beach, shopping, touristy places, or tacky places. Do you have any thoughts? Is there really any difference between the France and Spain in the Catalan area say 30 miles or so either side of the border?

elle

Do a search for Ceret, an interesting town on the French side. A few posts will come up and you can judge whether or not this is the type of setting you're looking for. I haven't been there (yet!) so I can't really say if it's a good fit for you.

Even though you're not interested in beaches, you may enjoy the seaside town of Collioure, which inspired such painters as Matisse, Picasso, and Dufy. While it's more town than village, it is not without charm and is well located for checking out some of the vineyards in the region, including Bandol, Maury, Fitou. The route around Maury also has Cathar castles, if that interests you.

If you don't want touristy, then you may not enjoy Carcassone. Although the restored architecture is magnificent, inside the city walls it's just one souvenier shop after another.

We have friends who live in Beziers and while we enjoy it--especially the Friday afternoon market--it is not an especially charming city.

Another option might be Mirepoix, a truly charming village in the Ariege, probably about midway between Barcelona and Toulouse, and a good stopping point if you decide to go to Carcassone. It dates back to the middle ages, has a lively market day, and is well situated for checking out the sparkling wines of Limoux.

elle

Yikes, that should be "Banyuls" not "Bandol" mentioned above. Bandol is in the Var, not Roussillon.

cigalechanta

I find the French side more bedecked with flowers. We like Beziers, Sete, Colliure and Ceret. The colorful tins of Sardines make great presents to take back.

Langcraft

Greetings Julies:

Once you reach Perpignan, it seems as if you are in Spain. Indeed, the town street signs are bi-lingual: Catalan and French. I have trolled about in Perpignan, Collioure, Ceret and all are lovely places. However, if you like mountains..and dont mind driving, try heading west along the D117, west of Perpignan to Foix, about 90 miles away. It is located in the Ariege, stunning mountains vistas, especially between Quillan and Foix, about a 40 mile distance. The Chateau de Foix is amazing and the views of the Ariege River and valley are spectacular..

Regards..
Luis

julies

So it seems as though you're all recommending the French side over the Spanish side. Am I correct? I have to admit that Cigalechanta's remarks about the flowers do also convince me because I too love to see all the flower-bedecked towns. I forgot to ask earlier if there are any votes for what I suppose is part of the Costa Brava somewhere east of the Figueras/Girona line.

One of the places we are considering is in Couiza which is on the Aude and 12K north of Quillan that Luis is referring to. This location would also enable us to visit Mirepoix, or would there be a better base in the area? Luis--Would this area allow us to do some nice back road biking or is this all really hilly to mountainous? We don't mind a few hills, but since we're middle-aged a day of nothing but climbs and then scary descents doesn't appeal to us. Or, is this area more suited to hiking?

From what I can gather the Ceret area might suit our needs as far as wanting to do some biking. Should I just aim at Ceret in my search, or is anywhere in the vicinity acceptable? We are looking for a gite. Thanks again.

julies

Forgot to ask Luis if just outside Foix would be better. We've also got a possibility there. Also, we aren't aiming at staying in town probably in any of these places, but in more of a smaller village type setting since we're looking for a gite.

buongiorno

Hi Julies

We went to Languedoc Rousillon a couple of years ago after a trip to Barcelona. We actually went there based on an article I had read in Travel & Leisure. If you go to the Travel & Leisure web site and type in the word Corbieres, you'll find an article called Field of Dreams. We also stayed at one of the guest houses in the article, lou Castelet in Fabrezon. We loved the area, the villages, the food and the wine.

Langcraft

Julies:

As far as biking, the D117 is very twisty and chock full of switchbacks i.e, you drive around in a corkscrew pattern. It seems to be a bit arduous for biking, lest you be like that skinny guy from Texas who seems to be good at that sort of thing and wins races..over and over. So.. given the terrain, I'd stick to hiking. Foix is the capital of the Ariege, so it is more or less the largest town in the area. If you choose to use Foix or even Tarascon sur Ariege as a base, I'd recommend seeing the Riviere Souterraine de Labouiche, an underground river that runs 3 miles under the Limestone with stalactites above you. Also, everyone knows about the Lascaux caves. However.. in Tarascon, which is 10 miles south of Foix, you can see the Grotte de Niaux, which are similar EXCEPT that these are ORIGINAL works done during the Magdalenian era, NOT reproductions like Lascaux.

As far as food/lodging in Foix, try a meal at Le Phoebus which has the BEST view of the Chateau de Foix, the Ariege River and the train tracks right over the river. For lodging, you could try the in town local hotel: Audoye-Lons which also has a restaurant and is reasonable. Be advised that the walk to the Chateau from the town is a hike in itself, all uphill.

Drop me a line if I can be of further help..

L

Langcraft

Julies:

A point that no one has made mention of hitherto. The Ariege is seldom visited by Americans, so no matter where you go in the region, it will be quite memorable..

On another note, given the fact that I live in NYC, only 10 mins away from the French National Tourism Board, I can get you some specific info on food, lodging, activities etc. Let me know if this might help..

L

Kate_W

We are leaving next week for our honeymoon, which will include several days in Barcelona, preceded by a long weekend based in Cadaques (in Spain, but very close to the French border). We picked this location because it seemed less touristy than other sections of the Costa Brava, and is near a good scuba dive site (close to, but not in Roses). We hope to walk in the coastal areas nearby, and take a trip up to Girona when we're not diving. We're staying at the Hotel Rocamar. Check it out at http://www.rocamar.com

I have friends who went on a self-guided hike in this region (on both sides of the border), and really enjoyed it. I think it's possible to find charm in this region, you just have to dig a little.

We can report back, but we won't be there until mid-May (probably too late for your planning).

elle

&gt;<i>The Ariege is seldom visited by Americans, so no matter where you go in the region, it will be quite memorable..</i>

Probably true--we did not meet any others during our stay in Mirepoix or in surrounding towns (except during visit to Carcassone). But Quillan seems to be very popular with Brits, fwiw.

RSSmith

We just returned from a trip that included 4 days in the inland portion of Costa Brava and 10 days in Languedoc. Based on your cited interests, I think you cannot go wrong in either area. In Costa Brava, we stayed at a delightful hotel, Castell d'Emporda, a medieval castle in La Bisbal, between Girona and the sea. In Languedoc, we had the privilege of staying at the home of family friends in Trausse, a tiny village about 30 km from Cascassone. We loved Costa Brava for many reasons, including the charm of the small villages, the incredible inventive quality/value of the restaurants (especially La Cuina de Can Pipes), the warmth of the welcome we received, and the decided lack of obvious tourism. The countryside is beautiful and the coastal villages are quite quaint. The most dramatic Spain/France distinction I recall is driving the vertiginous narrow coastal highway from Cadaques to Collioure: on the Spanish side, there are ancient terraced olive groves; the moment one crosses into France, grape vines cover literally every nook and cranny on the hillside! Languedoc is also beautiful, and if markets, excellent small family-owned wineries, and fascinating Cathar castles interest you, I think you cannot go wrong there either. We did notice many, many English, South African and Australian expats in Languedoc, though few Americans.

mpprh

Hi

The atmosphere is distinctly different even close to the border.

As someone who lives on the French side, there is another important difference : Spain has slightly cheaper fuel, accommodation, alcohol &amp; tobacco !

I've got info on both sides of the border here : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com

I like to visit Empuria Brava, Old town Girona, Cadaques when I am in the area. Dali memorabilia is in Figueres and Port Legat.

Peter
http://www.the-languedoc-page.com

julies

Thanks to you all. Now all I need to do is to try to pin down some accomodation requests. It does sound as though we'll be fine whatever we choose.

gracejoan

Keep posting in this area!! I have a house rented near Sarlat for 2 weeks and then plan to spend a week down near the Pyrenees areas...will just do maybe 2 hotels..one maybe near Ceret and one further west. Will be flying in/out of Toulouse...I am gathering all sorts of information.....thanks!

Michael09

We stayed in the Ari&egrave;ge as well last month. We had a great hotel in the centre of the medieval village of Mirepoix, it is a four star hotel with excellent rooms and big bathrooms. The hotel is a charming caractere hotel in an old building from the 18th century with a lot of old details. For more information about the medieval village have a look at the website of the tourist office www.ot-mirepoix.fr. The hotel has only 5 rooms and 3 suites, so be sure you reserve the room before by their website. It is called Relais Royal and the have a fantastic gastronomic restaurant. I think it is the best in the whole department. They have as well a small pool.

When you visit the area, do not forget to visit the old church of Vals, it is stunning!!

annesouness

Having just come back from the Costa Brava I can thoroughly recommend it. Last year we holidayed in the Languedoc region which was very good but believe it or not the food was no t as good a spain, we stayed ib Begur which is not touristy/no high rise etc. Girona is wonderful and don't miss Figueras for the Dali museum. Best time to go early June and September. We hired a villa but had wonderful meals at Castell D'emporda, Mas Torrent, hotel sa punta and countless meals in Begur which were excellent.