Regional information

The Region

A short 3 minute walk brings you to the charming village of Cazouls les Béziers, which has 2 bars/cafes, 2 restaurants, three patisseries for your morning croissant, local shops and a large Carrefore supermarket.

Cazouls les Béziers hosts many festivities throughout the year, including the 6-15 July village festival week with outdoor concerts, summer balls and fireworks, and the 5-21 October Cultural Fortnight. In and around the village, you can try the famous local wines at the numerous Caves and Chateaux (Corbières, Minervois, Faugères and Cotes du Roussillon, among others).

Spend long lazy sunny days at the Maison Arc-en-Ciel, where the only decision you'll have to make will be whether to lie on the sun loungers by the pool, drive to the miles of long sandy beaches (15/20 minutes) or visit the numerous, historical and magnificent sights of the famous Languedoc-Roussillon region with its rugged mountain peaks, gorges and medieval hill top villages and cities. It's easy to see why this region is fast taking over from Provence as the most popular and beautiful holiday destination, as recent TV programmes about the region have confirmed ('French leave', 'A Place in the Sun' many times over!).

Beziers

Seven minutes drive from the villa, Beziers is the capital of wine for the region (St. Chinian, Corbieres, Minervois and Faugeres, etc.).

Beziers is a beautiful city, with many squares with pavement cafes and restaurants, excellent shopping, and the famous flower market. A covered market ('Les Halles') is open every day, selling superb fresh fish, cheese, paté, etc., plus outdoor markets every week.

Visit the magnificent Cathedral and other historical buildings, art galleries and museums, and the famous Canal du Midi, a truly magnificent engineering achievement that connects the Mediterranean with the city of Toulouse, now a paradise for cruising and leisure. Hire a boat for the day or have a meal on one of the riverboat restaurants to complete the experience.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is the magical and beautiful medieval city within the city walls - a real fairytale castle! Historical buildings, wonderful shops, pavement cafés, restaurants and museums all add up to great days out for the whole family. Anyone who has read Kate Mosse's Labyrinth (Kate also has a house in Carcassonne), will want to visit this fascinating city.

Languedoc-Roussillon generally

The luscious Languedoc-Rousillon region of France, hovering near Spain and dotted by the Pyrenees Mountains, is sun-kissed and delightful. It features great beaches, hilltop medieval villages, outdoor recreation and the world's most popular nudist town. The wineries here produce wonderfully rich and robust varieties - St. Chinian, Faugeres, Minervois to name but a few.

Now fast taking over from Provence as the most popular holiday destination, it far exceeds anything found in Provence in terms of sheer diversity of stunning scenery, beautiful medieval villages, cities and fortresses, beaches, shopping…..Those who know it keep it a well guarded secret! It has been the subject of numerous UK television holiday and lifestyle shows including “French Leave” and “A Place in The Sun”, "Relocation - Home & Away (return to the Languedoc region year after year), and many books have been written by Northern Europeans moving to the area. The famous author Kate Mosse (Labyrinth, Sepulchre, The Winter Ghosts etc.) who has a home in Carcassonne and bases all her books in the Languedoc, frequently Beziers, St. Chinian and Carcassonne. All her books are a "must read" when visiting the villa!

With its long, sandy beaches, rugged mountain peaks and medieval hill top villages the Languedoc-Roussillon boasts one of France's most diverse landscapes. Officially the sunniest region in the country (sunnier than Provence!), with in excess of 300 sunny days per year, it is also France's wine growing capital and probably the largest wine growing area in the world.

Bordered by the Spanish Pyrenees, Provence and the rocky Massif Central to the north, the area is noted for its relaxed pace of life. In recent years many resorts have been developed, offering wide, clean sandy beaches, excellent swimming with leisure and shopping facilities. These include Cap d'Agde, Argeles, Valras Plage, Vendres Plage and many others. This area is also well known for it's acres and acres of Lavender fields (far in excess of Provence) and Sunflower fields. There is a great feeling of space and the beaches do not get as crowded as you would expect given the climate, sea and development. Some towns and villages such as Sete, Agde, Palavas and Port-Vendres, still retain their traditional fishing industry and their harbours and streets still reflect this along with the delicious seafood fresh from the nets.

Towards the Spanish border the picturesque fishing village of Collioure inspired many famous artists who developed the Fauvist style. Heading north east from the Pyrenees you enter the land of the Cathar castles. (See the link on our useful information page) These are mainly to the south of Carcassone (right) a restored medieval town. Further north and inland from the Mediterranean coast, the hills and mountains offer wild countryside, with lush green valleys and the chance of white water rafting and canoeing on the rivers. The region has its own language, Occitan (from which Languedoc gets its name - literally 'Langue d'Oc', language of Occitan) and Catalan is spoken in many towns close to the Spanish border.

The city of Nimes, with its perfectly preserved Roman arena is the best example of a Roman city outside Italy. A few kilometres away the Pont du Gard - a spectacular Roman aqueduct spanning the River Gardan.

Further west is the university town of Montpellier one of the France's most thriving and dynamic cities. Its huge pedestrianised centre is filled with cafes and an ideal place to sit and watch the world go by. A labyrinth of winding back streets, filled with boutiques and restaurants, form the city's historic centre.

A few miles east lies the peculiar beauty of the Camargues - a vast low lying area of 37 salt water lakes On these marshy lagoons, flocks of pink flamingos are a common site, as are the white horses and black bulls which used to roam wild on this flat watery landscape. Just north of the Camargues is the town of Arles, famous for its association with the artist Van Gogh.

The vast vineyards in land from the coast produce an abundance of excellent if under-rated wines such as Corbieres, Minervois, and Cotes du Roussillon. For nature lovers, the dense green peaks of the Cevennes National Park are a hill walker’s paradise. Its pine and chest-nut tree covered slopes, dry stone terraces, isolated hamlets, and wealth of animal and bird life, can all be discovered from its 300 looped footpaths. The local goats' cheese, 'pelardons' is second to none. To the west, the emerald waters of the Tarn Gorge are among the best in Europe for watersports attracting hordes of canoeists and fans of kayaking and white water rafting to the town of Millau each summer. Nearby is the town of Albi famous as the home of the artist Toulouse Lautrec, whose paintings and sketches of Paris's nightlife took the impressionist art world by storm in the late 1800's.

Riding a slow barge along the Canal du Midi, a 200km waterway linking the Mediterranean with Toulouse, is one of the highlights of any visit to the Midi-Pyrenees. If its street parties you're after the city of Perpignan is one of the best places to bop till you drop. Just as much Spanish as French, it is the third largest Catalan city after Barcelona and Lleida in Spain. Nearby are the towns of Bedarieux, nestling in the foothills of the Cevennes, and Roquebrun with its Eastern Mediterranean climate on the River Orb. The endless variety of possible activities or visits makes this a great region for anyone to visit

The whole area offers many sightseeing opportunities, with the Camargue (1 ½ hours away) the Pyrenees and Spanish border (2 hours), mountains and gorges of the Cevennes (1 ½ hours) and the Regional Parc du Haut Languedoc (15 mins), all within a days outing.

Markets

ST. CHINIAN - Whatever you do, don’t miss the marvellous St. Chinian Sunday market, colourful, bustling, vibrant, wonderful smells, leather goods, local hand made produce, food etc. So much to look at and buy! A perfect place to get those presents to take home! Watch it all from one of the many on-street cafe’s in St. Chinian. Make sure you get there early, around 10am, as it finishes soon after 1pm

PEZANAS – another wonderful, colourful and bustling SATUDAY morning market – don’t miss it, but again, get there early! Don’t miss the wonderful hot Meze dishes from a wonderful guy on the market – too delicious to miss!

PUISSERGUIER – never been but have been told it’s a fab market

Minerve (40 mins) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED N.E. OF Carcassone, a fascinating ancient town built on a limestone cliff which dominates the vineyards of the Minervois that stretch for miles below and produce some of the best Languedoc wine. Wander the streets, quality arts & crafts and gift shops, plus art galleries etc. Some great restaurants to sample the wonderful wines and food of the region, whilst enjoying the spectacular scenary and watching the world go by. There are ramparts and 11C church and small museum of pre-history. Great historic discovery: ruins of the castle, ramparts , two museums...Overhanging the Cesse gorges, this splendid village is set high up on rocks that change colours according to the light.

White water canoeing at Reals & Roquebrun (leaflets in villa) – great for all ages above about 7 yrs. From beginners to experts, you can do as much or as little as you like, they mini-bus you to your selected starting place and you canoe back to your car (or vice-versa). Everyone who’s done this has said it’s the highlight of the holiday.
Faugeres 25 mins – famous wine area, lots of domains to visit, plus the town of Faugere. Do take a trip to the XVI centure windmill (up a windy track about 2-3k long. Fom here you have the best views of the whole area (you can see Cazouls. Little shop selling ice creams, drinks and small gifts

Agde & Cap D’Ade 20 mins - Where fresh water meets salt water, where the Canal du Midi and the River Hérault meet the sea, Cap d’Agde, the town of Agde, Le Grau. Cap D’Agde is the most fashionable beach resort, now rivalling St. Tropez for the rich & famous. Wonderful cosmopolitan pavement cafe.society, watch the world go by drinking cocktails, coffee or fine wines! Boat trips and colourful water jousting tournaments. Loads of clothes, water sports, swimwear and gift/craft shops, plus outside markets selling local crafts, paintings and food

Aqua Theme Park at Cap D’Agde – 25 mins, POPULAR WITH FAMILIES, great for kids of all ages, like a water version of Chessington or Alton Towers, but smaller. Open June - September

Go-Karting – on on the road to Cap D’Agde and also one on the road to Valras Plage
Narbonne 20 mins – wonderful cosmopolitan city. Visit the medieval cathedral & Palaces which now house the Museums of Archaeology, Art & History. Those loving old buildings will love the Museum of Archaeology, which houses the most extensive collection in the world. Great shops, pavement bars, cafes & restaurants, good market
Marseillan – lovely seaside town on the way to Sete & Agde. Much to see and do there, lovely beaches. Good restaurants along the old quayside, seafood and fish a speciality here not surprisingly (plus a good Creperie on the quayside that we particularly like which has a craft shop attached).

PEZENAS 15/20 mins – Pézenas is truly a picture postcard town with plenty to offer everyone. It's weekly market on Saturdays cannot be matched for atmosphere and colour with plenty of local specialities on sale, but get there early! The streets of it's old town are full of craft workshops, shops, cafes and restaurants, and the listed buildings bear witness to Pézenas' prosperity. The town is as beautiful now as it was when Molière lived and performed there. His plays are still performed several times a year
Serignan Plage & Town 20 mins – lovely town (with macdonalds!), great beach, has windsurfing school and watersports centre

SETE 30 mins – boat trips along the coast, wonderful seafood and fish restaurants all along the river, wonderful place with a real buzz, plus the famous colourful water jousting tournaments

Dinosaur & History of Man Museum at Meze, nr Pezanas. 25 mins Calling all paelentologists - this was a really big Dinosaur area, many sites found. This outdoor museum is really worth a trip (see leaflets in the villa), life-size real dinosaur reconstructions (and they are BIG) , bones, eggs etc., with massive life-sized dinosaur models recreated from dinosaur bones, the kids (and the grown-ups) will love it. Gift shop, lovely café. Really worth seeing. Now with the added attraction of the History of Man.

Sigean African Game Reserve, Sigean (on N9 towards Narbonne c 30 mins– see lions, tigers, bears, deer, monkeys, elephants, emus, zebras etc., etc., etc., in their natural habitat. Quite expensive but worth the cost. To get so close to the lions and bears is worth the trip alone. Lots of cafes, restaurants, picnic areas, gift shops, events etc. Beware the shops are expensive – take a picnic! Don’t choose a hot day unless you’ve got air-conditioning in your car, you cannot leave your car whilst going through the game reserve.

Gorge D’Heric c 25 mins – a must for all! A long walk up through the gorge, but you can stop and swim all along the way in crystal (really crystal) waters. Café open all year A must for all, but for young kids, take a buggy! There are many, many gorges to visit, check on your map for more.
FOR WINDSURFING & SAILING:

 Serignan Plage or Marseillan Plage (both around 25 mins). You can hire here too. Windsurfing & Sailing School,
 Lac de Salagou (40 mins) (right) between Bedarieux and Clermont l’ Herault is a large man made lake sitting in the Occitanien Highlands. All kinds of water sports are available (except any under power) and you can hire windsurfing kit here. Surrounded by mountains and hills with sandy beaches and the left over of volcanic eruptions. The soil here is a strange ochre red making the whole area look a little like a moonscape. A beauty spot not to be missed. Take a picnic, find a quiet spot along the miles of shoreline and forget the rest of the world, at least for a day. Contact number & website for more info.: 34800 Clermont l'Herault Phone : (33) (0)4.67.96.31.65
www.mnet.fr/causse-et-vallees
 Sigean – large sailing & windsurfing centre (nr Narbonne
… and just a few more worth mentioning

Olargues – 40 mins. Located in the Jaur valley, Olargues is one of the loveliest sites of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. It has been protected for thousand years by its lofty tower. Its old houses, winding alleys and its medieval bridge are very attractive. Popular with the stars, several well known English actors & musicians have bought places there
Lamalou la Bains – 30 mins lovely spa town with a real Italian feel, beautiful buildings, casino, quite close to Bedarieux, so make a day of it!
Bedarieux – 40 mins on D909, centre du Tourisieme, beautiful town, lively atmosphere, spectacular views
Clermont L’Herault (right) Its proximity to lake Salagou and its rich heritage, both historically and in terms of natural beauty, make Clermont l’Herault an important tourist site and a place whose life-style is extremely pleasant.
Cessenon – 10 mins, medieval village. Plus on the road to Reals and Cessanon is Le Ferme Zoo, a lovely place to take the kids for the afternoon and just 5 mins from the villa, there is a café and gift shop there too.
Maurassan – 5 mins if you want gourmet restaurants, visit Parfum de Garrigue (pricy but seriously good) and pretty village
Murveil les Beziers – 10 mins pretty hilltop ancient village, awarded one of the Prettiest Villages in France Award