France: Pyrenees & South-West
 

I would like to spend a week in France in July. I'm looking for somewhere peaceful & beautiful.Can anyone recommend anywhere special? Ideas on accomodation most welcome!

I am also looking into that region of France. There is a good web site: www.touradour.com <BR> <BR>

I lived in Pau for some 15 years; what are you looking for, what are your centers of interest? <BR>If you like hiking go to the pyrenees Vallee d'aspe, Vallee d'Ossau, Pays Basque inland. <BR>Also Wine cellar in Madiran (25 miles NW of Pau), Jurancon (5 miles S of Pau) <BR>Eco-musee In landes Sabres Old village but reconstructed with old houses. <BR>Pau: old castle from 15th century <BR>Toulouse, Bordeaux, .... <BR>Avoid the coast after July 15th and August it is more crowded. <BR>Also realize that distance are not that big: <BR>Bordeaux Toulouse ca 300km less than 3h (motorway) Bordeaux to Pau 200 km 2h1/2, Toulouse to Biarritz 300km 3h Motorway <BR>So I suggest to rent a car and drive around <BR>jfc

We will spend 4 days with French friends in Toulouse this October on way to a meeting in Paris. Have been to France several times, but we are looking to be good houseguests and do daytrips to leave our friends some peace and quiet. Can anyone suggest where to go from Toulouse for the day. Our friends insist that they are going to "tour guide" us to Carcassonne and also on another day of wine tasting, but we feel we need to do some of it on our own. Also, for the famille Clay--our friends have a 14 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. Any suggestions for what they might like from California?? Thanks. PS. My husband was a history major in college and is very interested in medieval --mostly English--history. But, Eleanor of Aquitaine was a central figure---any ideas???? <BR>

kam: <BR> <BR>I highly recommend Cordes-sur-Ciel which is a wonderful walled village about (I recall) 90 minutes northeast of Toulouse. It is in excellent condition and provides lovely views of the countryside (as the village sits up on a hill). It is also home to many artists and artisans.

Joe, Thanks for the suggestion. It sounds good and not too touristy. It seems not too many people have been to the area near Toulouse, or if so, only to Carcassonne etc. Can you tell me anything about Albi? The history is very interesting and I imagine the cathedral is one of a kind, but is it worth a trip and how far from Toulouse? Thanks. <BR>

My husband was born near Albi-a little town called Mazamet-I have to admit I am not up on the history of the area, but I do know that Albi is the capital of the departement and that Mazamet is the southern most town. Anyway, we drove south from there and the region between there and the mediterrean is nice-very scenic. We also visited a tourist resort on the Med. which might interest you called the Grande Motte-kind of 60's futuristic <BR>Jeanne

PS to kam <BR> <BR>audio cd's are always a hit! Otherwise Nike anything....

We spent a week this summer in the Dordogne region - also southwest. Definitely peaceful and beautiful. We spent 2 days at La Terrasse - a stone tower and mansion formerly the abode of some medieval religious "biggies" - in Meyronne and explored the area to the southeast of Brive (we took the train there from Paris and rented a car right at the train station - very convenient). The fascinating hilltop towns overlooking the verdant river valley were unmatched - we've decided this is our favorite part of France! The next 3 nights we spent a bit further west at Hotel Belle Etoile in La Roque Gageac - officially listed as one of the prettiest villages in France. The houses hug the wall of a cliff right by the river - you could throw a stone in the river from our window! We can't recommend this area enough. Glad to share more details - let me know if you're interested.