Myer

The original plan (started a year ago) was to do this trip this month (Sept 2014). However, my wife was "tripped out" and we decided to defer until Sept 2015.

First, the ground rules. We do not rent a car in Europe and have done very well on all previous trips. We try to use trains but a few buses are ok. My wife suffers from motion sickness. We did take a minivan tour in Provence one day.

It appears our flight would arrive in Toulouse. At first I thought we'd train directly to Montpellier. Then I thought "why not a few days in Toulouse to check it out".

The "most underrated city in France" phrase got me interested in Montpellier so why not "my second most favorite city in France" for Toulouse since we'll be there anyway.

Day trips to Carcassonne and Albi were decided upon during the original planning.

Now I'm trying to decide how much time to allow for Toulouse itself.

We're not real museum goes (though we do visit the main ones sometimes). We enjoy wandering around seeing the sights and various areas of interest.

What makes it so good or not?

Please help out with this. Thanks.

Michael

To whet your appetite:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...877915948/show

past the first pictures of Mirepoix through the pictures of Toulouse. Click on "show info" for an identification of the picture.

MaineGG

Since our brief afternoon, evening and overnight stay there before taking the train to Paris, Toulouse has gone to the top of my list for a future visit. I'd like to have two full days there plus another day for a daytrip to Albi.

By the way, we were there in early May and it was hot and sunny. It's 84F there right now and the 10-day forecast is for 80s every day. If you can plan to visit later in the fall or in the spring, it would probably be more pleasant for walking around.

Perhaps you've already found Kerouac's photo-report, but if not, here it is:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-toulouse.cfm

I have found a lot of inspiration in both his and Michael's great pictures.

di2315

Hello Myers

We are just coming to the end of a three week home exchange in Toulouse. It's a lovely city, and quite different from other parts of France we have visited.

If I were on a touring holiday, I'd allow 2 - 3 days to cover the most interesting parts; more if you are using it as a base to see Albi and Carcassonne. We much preferred Albi of the two - if you plan to be in Carcassonne, make sure you are there early in the day, or stay overnight to be there after the main crowds have left. Even in September we were shuffling through the old town with too many others for comfort! The narrow streets are lined with shops all offering the same souvenirs; we much preferred the older parts of the 'new' town down the hill.

In Toulouse itself the highlights for us have been (in no particular order):

St Jacobins church - most unusual interior
Walking along the Canal du Midi
The interior of the Marie
Learning about the production of Pastel colour
The brick buildings - either a lovely rose or blond colour
Wandering the narrow streets window shopping and finding some little gems!

Happy planning, Di

kja

I adored Toulouse and think there's a lot there for even those who aren't museum goers (although I am definitely a fan of museums). di2315 has given you some great ideas; check out the Michelin Green Guide for many more. I also loved Albi and thought it worth a full day, whether added onto your time in Toulouse (perhaps 2 days for Toulouse itself, particularly if you are going to be dealing with jet lag while there) or as a separate one-night stop.

Enjoy!

Myer

THANKS all!!! Great info.

I used to plan for mid-late June for trips due to the longer days and better weather. But now my wife likes to be home then as the grandkids have end-of-year school stuff she doesn't want to miss.

I think we'll do as follows:

Day 0 - day of arrival - rest of day in Toulouse.
Day 1 - I would like a day trip (to split up day trips) but I'm sure my wife will want first day at the base.
Day 2 - Carcassonne or Albi
Day 3 - Other of Carcassonne or Albi
Day 4 - Toulouse - leave for Montpellier late afternoon
Day 5 - May stay in Toulouse all of Day 4 and leave for Montpellier this afternoon

Then several days in Montpellier plus 2 day trips to be determined. Need some help here. We don't rent a car. Use mostly trains and some buses.

Then off to Paris again for a couple of days.

We were in Bruges in 2006. Thinking of adding 2 more days in the Paris part and do an overnight in Bruges.

Thanks again for the great info.

Michael

I think that Carcassonne can be done on the way to Montpellier, assuming that it is on the same train line. We were supposed to meet a friend in Carcassonne, but this summer's train strike prevented her from going there as scheduled. We ran into her the next day because there was a bus from Narbonne to Carcassone (and back). I would not be surprised if there's a bus to Montpellier if the train schedule is inconvenient.

di2315

When in Montpellier we took a day trip to St-Guilhem-le-Desert. We went by car, so I can't help with transport options, but I'm sure others will. It was a gem of a place - won't spoil it by trying to give a description!

We looked at train from here in Toulouse to Carcassonne, but decided it was a bit expensive so drove instead - I don't know if is cheaper if you buy ahead like PREMS tickets. I assume there is a bus from the station at C up to the walled city, otherwise it's a bit of a hike.
Di

MaineGG

The interesting port of Sète is only 20 minutes from Montpellier by train. Kerouac did a photo report there too:

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/5183

That train line continues on to Béziers, a large town on the Canal du Midi where you can see a flight of 7 locks and the viaduct that takes the canal over the Orb River.

http://wikimapia.org/4006390/Canal-d...serranes-Locks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb_Aqueduct
https://www.google.com/search?q=pont...ed=0CAcQ_AUoAg

Accessible from Montpellier by bus are St.-Guilhem-le-Désert (less than an hour) and Aigues Mortes (about an hour). We found both very interesting.

http://www.herault-transport.fr/
http://www.herault-transport.fr/tele...reseau_ete.pdf

Happy planning!

Myer

Thanks for more great info!!!

MaineGG,
Was that Kerouac who described Sète as ghritty? What does that mean?

I expect we'll do daytrips on 2 days while based in Montpellier. I also noticed that Sète, Beziers and Narbonne are all on the same train line. So we could probably visit 2 of those three if we wanted. Any recs of those?

I have to be a bit careful with buses as my wife suffers from motion sickness. Trains do better.

If we had to decide between St.-Guilhem-le-Désert and Aigues Mortes which and why?

Thanks again for the great information.