Narbonne, Béziers or Perpignan?
 

I'm trying to fill a couple of days between Montpellier and Nîmes. I've used the search here and haven't come up with much for the three cities I've listed.

I'm looking more for a bustling city feel then relaxing countryside. It'll be the end of November with short, colder days. I'd rather have museums to visit then gardens.

This is a solo trip. I'll be using public transportation. In the area I've already visited Marseilles, Orange, Alès and Avignon.

Anyone have any thoughts about visiting one over the others or any other suggestions for a couple of days?

Thanks!

With the TGV, I'de go to Lyon - much more interesting than the others, IMO. Also consider Toulouse. How about Aix??

Stu Dudley

Will you be in Montpellier for long? From what I've read and what I've heard from friends, it is a bustling place. That said, I just posted this info to another thread about SW France (the beach info will not likely be of interest to you):


I found great info here:
www.the-languedoc-page.com and www.creme-de-languedoc.com

The Languedoc Page has a wealth of information on all topics. Creme de Languedoc has a very comprehensive beach guide and a list of sightseeing activities broken down by type, which I found particularly helpful in determining what we want to do while there (in one week!): http://www.creme-de-languedoc.com/La...eing/index.php

Indytravel,
I spent a semester in Montpellier and did a lot of solo train travel in the area. I did lots of day trips to many of the places you listed. Unfortunately Narbonne and Beziers are going to be pretty dead in November. They are more popular in the summer as beach towns. They were nice for walking around for a quiet afternoon, but not much more than that. I have not been to Perpignan, but as I recall it's not between Montpellier and Nimes - it's very close to Spain.

Might I ask why you need to fill time between Montpellier and Nimes? Both are great cities but there is not a large distance between them - perhaps you are better off extending your stay at other locations?

Hi

There is enough to do around Montpellier & Nimes. Both have museums, and other attractions. Nimes has many roman remains and is within reach of Uzes, Pont du Gard and Arles.

And this link is to what's on in the area : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/to...sm-whatson.htm

Peter


Peter

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your input.

I'll have 3 full days each in Nîmes and Montpellier. I don't feel like I'm cheating myself by taking 2 days for another city.

Thanks for the suggestions Stu. At first glance it looks like Toulouse and Aix are worth more than a day and a half but I'll keep them in mind. By the way I love Lyon. I've visited 3 times in the last 3 years. I'm trying to branch out this time.

Hausfrau you're making Narbonne and Béziers sound appealing by saying it'll be dead in November. I'm not much of a crowd person and don't care about nightlife or beaches. (I shouldn't have used the word "bustling" maybe "urban" instead.) I'll be able to visit a museum or two without crowds, explore some churches and have dinner at a restaurant that isn't open just for tourists in the summer.

I really enjoyed Narbonne, and it's not a small town or anything. I wouldn't call it a big bustling city, but in the middle. You don't have to go there for two days, though, it's easy to visit it as a day trip from Montpellier, that's what I did. It's not that far by train.

Perpignan doesn't close the door after summer finishes. There are a lot of stuff inside the center of Perpignan. There is a large palace (Palais des rois de Majorque) to visit and certainly some museums too.

You could also jump onto the train and visit Collioure. It's about twenty minutes more on the same train line. It's basically old city on the sea. There's a large Chateau Royal and a beautiful church. There is a couple of beaches and the whole city is full of restaurants. It's a good place to lay back and let life pass the day. This is still alive at the winter time too.

http://www.collioure.com

Again, you could jump onto the train and visit Figueras, a small city in Spain. This is still on the same train line. The Dali Museum is in this city.

The train line from Nimes, Montpellier, Bezier, and Narbonne in a direct line to Perpignan, Collioure and Figueras.

Enjoy

Blackduff

We used Bezier as a base for several nights and thought it was just ok. We took the bus to Pezana from there and very much liked that town. I haven't been to the other two towns. I might take Stu's advise as I think there are more interesting places to see close by.