prmbrown

Dear fellow travelers,

I started a previous thread about where to visit in the above named regions but since then my plans have changed considerably and the recommendation to take the train to Brive-la-Gaillard from Paris and return to Paris the same way but from the Languedoc is what we've decided to do. We will rent a car in Brive and keep it the entire trip.

After having read and absorbed all of the information from the generous posters in the former thread, our tentative plan is to base out of Sarlat for 8 days and 2 days out of St Cere. As stated earlier, our preference is to stay in one place for longer periods and do day trips but I'm not sure that strategy is going to work on this trip due to the size of the Languedoc. First, I think I could shave a day off of the Sarlat end of the trip but due to the boat and canoe trips I think would be interesting I think that's about the extent of alteration at that location. But, I would like to hear some pro's ad con's if anyone cares to weigh in. .After leaving St Cere in route to the Languedoc, the Lot Valley and in particular, St Geniez, St Eulalie and Estaing seem just too temping to pass up. Could we cover these with an over night stay in one of the named towns?

Now comes the real challenge! If you had nine days to spend in the Languedoc, starting in St Cere and wanting to spend a day or two in the Lot Valley where would you go? Is Collioure too far to range ( girl friend loves the water/coast)? Is Carcassone a "must see"? Narbonne? St Guilhem Le Desert? The Canal du Midi? Albi? Cathar castles (which one)? Whatever inout you could give would be helpful.

Finally, we need to take a train, hopefully the TGV, back to Paris at the end of the trip. Where can I find information as to which towns/cities have TGV service? I'm guessing we'll end the trip in a coastal town Collioure or another.

Thanks for the patience and the excellence advice. It is all greatly appreciated.

Michael

Cruising on it is the attraction of the Canal du Midi.

Carcassonne deserves a couple of hours at a minimum, depending on the special exhibit the castle might have, at which point I would schedule half a day.

Albi is definitely worth a stop, if only for the church and the bishop's palace which is now a Toulouse Lautrec museum.

Uzès is a nice town, close enough to the Camargue that one could spend a day at the beach in les Saintes Maries de la Mer.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...955097003/show

grandmere

St-Guilhem-le-Desert is a beautiful village and worth a stop. Gorgeous scenery in the Cevennes.

Sommieres is a small town with a medieval old town section and a good Sat. market.

And Uzes is my absolute favorite place in Languedoc! And not far from the Pont du Gard.

kja

I loved Albi, and strongly recommend a visit (with audio-guide) to its stunning church. And as Michael noted, the Toulouse Lautrec Museum is well worth seeing.

Pvoyageuse

Carcassonne is a good base to visit the Cathar Castles : Lastours, Peyrepertuse, Queribus, Puilaurens, Villerouge-Termenès, etc...
http://www.payscathare.org/
A TGV from Carcassonne to Montpellier won't necessarily be faster than an Intercities - TGV's do not run at high speed in heavily populated areas. There are TGV stations in Perpignan, Narbonne, Beziers, Montpellier, Nîmes etc. See www.sncf.com

prmbrown

If we base in Albi for a few nights what other city would you recommend as a base? Also, is there a coastal fishing village other than Collioure that you would recommend?

Many thanks for the TGV stations. I'll look at the sncf for details. Thanks to everyone for the help.

I'm getting there planning wise!

Pvoyageuse

Check Gruissan ( the old village, not the new developments ) near Narbonne. Also Port-Vendres, less touristy than COllioure.

prmbrown

Thanks Pvoyageuse. I'll check it out.

prmbrown

Thanks to all.

I made a map of things to see using pinmaps.com and it looks like I'm a little too ambitious for the time available (there's always something to come back for).

I've deleted the Gorges du Tarn and Collioure as too far to venture for this trip. There was a great discussion on another thread by Easygoer, StCirque, StuDudley, TPAYT, Pvoyageuse and others and I've cobbled together the following using much of the advice given there. I would love to hear some feedback if possible.

Day 1; Arrive Brive from Paris by TGV, rent car via Kemwell and drive to Sarlat

Sarlat: 7 days (we'll be traveling the area using this as a base and also utilizing Stu's trip reports.

St Cere : 2 days

Figeac : 2 days

Albi: 3 days

Toulouse: 2 days

Montpellier: 3 days

Return to Paris via TGV on 20th day

The portion of the trip from Figeac to Montpellier is the part that has me concerned. As stated in earlier posts we enjoy seeing the countryside, village markets and essentially slow travel. I would like to see one or two of the Cathar castles, St. Guilhem Le Desert. Cordes Sur Ciel and my girl friend would like to visit the coast some which is the reason for three days in Montpellier. The "most beautiful villages" appellation has me intrigued and I'll probably go to Mirepoix if possible. Any thoughts on this itinerary being sensible? we normally stay longer in one place and do day trips but as Stu has pointed out frequently, it's a very large space.

Easygoer, if you care to comment from your recent experience it would be great.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Michael

If you do not want to move around too much, Albi is an easy day's excursion (it can be done by train) from Toulouse. The bishop's palace and the church will take half a day, another half for the rest of the town. 3 days (4 nights?) is too much.

Another excursion available from Toulouse is Montauban and Moissac. Montauban for its 17th century double arched square and Ingres museum (in a former bishop's palace) and Moissac for its church and cloisters.

You might want to get the Michelin Green Guides for that area.

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

annhig

When you say "2 days" do you really mean days, or nights?

2 nights only really mean 1 full day, plus bits of days either end.

Another good guide is the Cadogan guide to the Languedoc - lots of tips for places to stay and driving route advice, so it fits well with the Michelin Guide.

prmbrown

Yes, annhig. When I mention two days it's really two nights which is the complaint I always have with moving around so much. Lots of time spent unpacking and packing, but I can't see an option with an area the size of the Dordogne and Languedoc combined.

Michael, I was thinking Albi would be a better base town since its smaller than Toulouse and we'll have a car the entire trip. My reasoning is that Toulose will be more difficult and time consuming to navigate in and out again on a daily basis.

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions. I have the Green Guide for the Dordogne and will buy the one for the Languedoc as you suggest.

Michael

Because Toulouse is bigger, it is also more difficult to navigate in a day trip. Imagine going to Paris for a day from a smaller city and trying to orient yourself efficiently. So while it is more difficult to get out of town, in the long run it might give you more options (I did not mention Carcassonne, which could be another day trip).

prmbrown

Good point, Michael. That's why I've allocated two days to stay there. I wasn't planning any day trips out of Toulouse rather all of the time would be spent sight seeing there. Do you think that's a good amount of time for Toulouse? I'm sure there's more there to be experienced but I'm hoping 2 days is adequate.

Michael

<i>When I mention two days it's really two nights which is the complaint I always have with moving around so much. </i>

I am offering the suggestion of Toulouse as a base in reaction to this comment of yours. It's been a long time since I was in Toulouse, so I am the last person to offer advice on how much time to spend there.

annhig

We spent 3 nights in Toulouse which was about the right amount of time for us then rented a car from the station and took off around the area, ending up staying in a hotel in village near Perpignan which looked like a great base - a lovely main square, loads of lovely nooks and crannies, great restaurants, and [don't laugh] rugby league.

kja

Two days in Toulouse was a tad shy of what I would have liked. It's a LOVELY place!

prmbrown

Thanks Michael, annhig, kja! I really appreciate your help. I'm not sure what the final itinerary will look like but your advice has been very helpful.