[Travel] South-West France

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

Best villages / towns to visit or stay between Bordeaux and Montpelier ?
Have got 5 days / 4 nights from Monday, 30th July.
Any helpful tips would be most appreciated, thank you.

 

[ofco8]

Always liked Biarritz and St. Jean de Luis (maybe wrong spelling) but it is next to Biarritz..

 

[Goldstone1976]

Carcassonne, Pau, Lourdes, & Biscarrosse all worth visiting.

 

[Titanic]

Carcassonne, Pau, Lourdes, & Biscarrosse all worth visiting.

all of these... and a walk along the Canal du Midi... bars/restaurants at most locks.

 

[Blue&WhiteSea]

Depends what you're after, my in-laws live in duras which is pretty small but has some nice restaurants and a fair amount of stuff going on nearby. It's not very englishy compared to nearby places like eymet.

 

[alfredmizen]

Best villages / towns to visit or stay between Bordeaux and Montpelier ?
Have got 5 days / 4 nights from Monday, 30th July.
Any helpful tips would be most appreciated, thank you.

Bordeaux itself is a gorgeous place , absolutely wonderful , just saying !

 

[Titanic]

If you like lake beaches/swimming/watersports then the Lac de Leon is excellent.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Bordeaux itself is a gorgeous place , absolutely wonderful , just saying !

Give Gus my best wishes if you go please.

 

[Boys 9d]

If you are interested in the history of the region, the village of Minerve with it Cathar siege links and its natural tunnels for the river which should be dried up at that time of the year. Rennes le Chateau which is very atmospheric has links with Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. If you can manage the climb, the Castle of Montsegeur is where the Cathars made their last stand.
If you like seafood visit the fishing port of Sete. Montpellier, Beziers, Narbonne and Toulouse among the larger towns and cities are worth a visit. These are in addition to the places mentioned above by other posters. if you want further information PM me as I lived in the area for 14 years.

 

[The Hon Sec]

Depends what you want. Hundreds of historic towns, villages and castles throughout the area.
Mirepoix is a lovely town with large medieval square and busy Monday market

 

[Buzzer]

Carcassone is very nice, home of the cassoulet and French Foreign Legion. It's definitely an old southern French town that feels like it still belongs in the past. I got a taste for the local Limoux wine in a big way when there. A word of warning, it does get very hot in the summer. We had a lovely time and you can do all sorts, cycling along the canals and enjoying the slower pace of life.

If you like historical mysteries/conspiracies then have a little read up of Rennes-Le-Chateau and see if that piques your interest. It's a strange little village and the church at the heart of the story is extremely odd.

 

[Buzzer]

If you are interested in the history of the region, the village of Minerve with it Cathar siege links and its natural tunnels for the river which should be dried up at that time of the year. Rennes le Chateau which is very atmospheric has links with Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code.

Beat me to it but personally I'd avoid anything Dan Brown wrote and instead go for Holy Blood and Holy Grail, the book that Dan Brown plagiarised wholesale for his novels.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

If you want some beach activity, then Cap d'Agde is popular I hear.

 

[alfredmizen]

Give Gus my best wishes if you go please.

went in october , 25 degrees , did the wine tour on the medoc side , just beautiful there .

 

[Two Professors]

Look out for posters advertising maritime jousting,the 'knights' are on boats instead of horses,it's hysterically funny.Think you will be there at the start of the season.

 

[HantsSeagull]

monpazier
monflanquin

 

[Titanic]

Carcassone is very nice, home of the cassoulet and French Foreign Legion...

Much disputed... Castelnaudary would stake a serious claim to that honour!

 

[Buzzer]

Much disputed... Castelnaudary would stake a serious claim to that honour!

Damn! I meant Castelnaudary. Not Carcassone.

Carcassone, castle apart, is over-rated IMO but Castelnaudary is beautiful and has a FFL HQ. Those Legionnaires are scary too. When we were there a lot of them were veterans of the Balkan wars. God knows what skeletons they had hidden in their closet.

 

[Hastings gull]

Best villages / towns to visit or stay between Bordeaux and Montpelier ?
Have got 5 days / 4 nights from Monday, 30th July.
Any helpful tips would be most appreciated, thank you.

getting towards Montpelier, then visit Pezenas if you like olde worlde places.

 

[indy3050]

If you want some beach activity, then Cap d'Agde is popular I hear.

Been going there for over 30 years. Depends what you are after, there is a marina with boat trips, shopping and restaurants, water park, casinos, Luna park (amusement park) and has a very popular nudist beach. Agde itself is an old town with lots of history involving Greece. Wine and cheese to die for (it’s why I keep going back)