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 Uzès to Nîmes. The…
Nîmes
Nîmes’ 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 …
Uzès
This fortified château belonged to the House of Crussol, who were the dukes of Uzès 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…
Uzès
Built in 1090 on the site of a Roman temple, Uzès' 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…
-
Nîmes
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…
-
Nîmes
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…
-
Nîmes
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…
-
Béziers
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…
-
Nîmes
World-famous fizzy water Perrier has its source in natural springs 13km southwest of Nîmes. 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…
