Hello -

I will be travelling to southern France (Languedoc/Roussillon) in late July / early August and I've got a couple of questions for the seasoned travellers here...

I'm planning on spending four nights in Montpellier, but I'd like to rent a car and do a day trip during that time. Is it possible to get to the Tarn gorges and back in one day, or should I focus on areas closer to the coast?

Also, in general, what will traffic be like at this time of year in the region? I'm dreading kms-long backups on the roads because of all the holiday crowds... has anyone visited during the height of the summer?

Thanks for your help,
- Jeff

Well,it's about 150 km fromMontpellier to the Tarn Gorges, the last half of it probably fairly slow going, though, and you'll want a few hours to drive through them, stop for lunch, take pictures, etc., but it's certainly do-able.

Expect traffic along the coast to be pretty brutal at that time of year.

I would not drive that far in that season. Chances are that the road in the Gorges du Tarn will be very crowded, slowing you down even more. I would fight the traffic in closer places, such as the Çamargue.

Hi

I've had visitors take a day trip in summer.

The traffic is heavy at weekends, but not too bad midweek.

Note that Montpellier to Millau is very fast ( 130 km/h mostly) being virtually highway.

Other things around are the Millau bridge (over the Tarn) and Roquefort cheeses.

Peter

Looks like the consensus here is too much for a day trip.

Then how many days/nights would one give to visit/see the GdT?

s

Hmm

Consensus may well be opposed to the view held by a local resident ?

Curious !


Peter

I go with Peter, we did it as a day trip and in August.