Carcassonne
Built on a steep spur of rock, Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress dates back more than two millennia. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of…
Must-see attractions in Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
The extraordinary three-tiered Pont du Gard was once part of a 50km-long system of channels built around 19 BC to transport water from ±«³úè²õ to ±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ. The…
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ’ twin-tiered amphitheatre is the best preserved in France. Built around 100 BC, the arena once seated 24,000 spectators and staged gladiatorial…
Montpellier
Founded in 1825 by painter François-Xavier Fabre, this exceptional museum houses one of France’s richest collections of European art. The galleries…
Perpignan
Perpignan’s most dominant monument, the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca sprawls over a huge area to the south of the old town. Built in 1276, the castle…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The gravity-defying Viaduc de Millau toll bridge hovers 343m above the Tarn valley, making it one of the world’s highest road bridges. At its northern end…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Within the cavern of Aven Armand is the world’s greatest concentration of stalagmites, including a gallery of stone columns known as the Forêt Vierge …
±«³úè²õ
This fortified château belonged to the House of Crussol, who were the dukes of ±«³úè²õ for over 1000 years until the French Revolution. The building is a…
Musée Parc des Dinosaures et de la Préhistoire
Languedoc-Roussillon
Signs warning of dinosaurs line the drive up, but this dinosaur park is no gimmick – the biggest cache of dinosaur eggs ever discovered in Europe was…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Near the small village of Ste-Eulalie-en-Margeride, 45km north of Mende, this vast 200-hectare nature reserve contains more than 30 free-roaming bison…
±«³úè²õ
Built in 1090 on the site of a Roman temple, ±«³úè²õ' cathedral was partially destroyed in both the 13th and 16th centuries and stripped during the French…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1093, Fontfroide Abbey became one of southern France’s most powerful ecclesiastical centres during the Middle Ages…
Musée de Site Gallo-Romain Villa Loupian
Languedoc-Roussillon
Dating from the 1st century AD, this extraordinary Roman villa was built on the Via Domitia road linking Italy and Spain. It was occupied for 600 years…
Montpellier
Four kilometres north of the city centre, this zoo – France’s second-largest, covering 60 hectares – has an enormous population of wild residents that…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Situated 18km northeast of Millau, overlooking the Gorges de la Dourbie, this maze of canyons was formed by countless millennia of water erosion, which…
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ
Roman remains in these elegant gardens include the 30m-high Tour Magne, raised around 15 BC – the largest of a chain of towers conveying imperial power…
Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel
Languedoc-Roussillon
The cave-riddled cliffs above Tautavel, 34km northwest of Perpignan along the D117, have yielded a host of prehistoric finds, most notably a human skull…
Perpignan
Perpignan’s old town has several intriguing churches, but the most impressive is the Cathédrale St-Jean, begun in 1324 and not completed until 1509…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Looming 37km south of Florac off the D18 is the prominent peak of Mont Aigoual (1567m). Its lofty 1894-opened observatory is the last remaining mountain…
Perpignan
Occupying two elegant hôtels particuliers (private mansions) right in the historical centre, this museum was entirely renovated in 2017 and now ranks as…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Creepy-crawly-loving kids can indulge their interests at the excellent ‘Insect City’ of Micropolis, 19km northwest of Millau. This high-tech centre brings…
Carcassonne
Though it’s one of several bridges spanning the Aude River, the Pont-Vieux is by far the oldest and prettiest. It was built during the 14th century to…
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ
Opened in mid-2018, this futuristic steel-and-glass structure faces Les Arènes right in the heart of the city. Within, the ambitious archaeological museum…
Carcassonne
To actually walk on the ramparts of Cité Médiévale, you have to pay to enter the Château et Remparts, a keep built for the viscounts of Carcassonne during…
Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran
Montpellier
Attached to the Musée Fabre is L’Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran, a lavish Montpellier mansion that belonged to local notable Madame Frédéric…
Perpignan
Three fine stone structures flank place de la Loge. The 14th-century La Loge de Mer was rebuilt during the Renaissance; it was once Perpignan’s stock…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The former archbishops' palace houses several archaeological museums. Roman mosaics and stucco paintings are on display at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire…
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ
Constructed in gleaming limestone around AD 5, this temple was built to honour Emperor Augustus’ two adopted sons. Despite the name, the Maison Carrée …
Languedoc-Roussillon
Wolves once prowled freely through the Lozère forests, but today you’ll see them only in this sanctuary in Ste-Lucie, 7km north of Marvejols and 36km…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Birdwatchers won't want to miss the Maison des Vautours, just west of Le Truel on the D996, where a population of more than 200 reintroduced vultures now…
Collioure
Collioure’s seaside castle was mostly built between 1276 and 1344 by the counts of Roussillon and the kings of Aragon, and was later occupied by the…
µþé³ú¾±±ð°ù²õ
Situated 1km southwest of town is this famous stepladder of eight locks and nine gates. The whole area was fully renovated in 2017 and is now one of…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Opened in 1974, this 300-hectare wildlife reserve aims to recreate the atmosphere of the African savannah – a climate not all that different from the…
Montpellier
One of Montpellier’s hidden gems, the Jardins des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France. Established in 1593, it was used as a model for the…
Languedoc-Roussillon
It’s more than 160 years since the first shoots of this rambling, mature bamboo grove were planted by a spice merchant returning from the tropics. Here in…
±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ
World-famous fizzy water Perrier has its source in natural springs 13km southwest of ±·Ã®³¾±ð²õ. You can watch a 3D film that explains Perrier’s history, the…
Montpellier
Built in 1695, Montpellier's 52m-high triumphal arch is dedicated to Louis XIV. The tourist office organises guided tours in summer that take you up 103…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The Mont Lozère range is of tough, impenetrable granite, from which the rainfall sluices in small streams. It's the source of the River Tarn, which flows…
Languedoc-Roussillon
In the village of Le Mas Soubeyran (17km west of Alès), this intriguing museum traces the history of the Camisard revolt, a bloody religious struggle that…
Montpellier
This municipal museum has a fairly pedestrian collection of local-interest pieces ranging from furniture to paintings and antique weaponry, but it’s worth…
