southern France

Southern France is a dig area. Will you have a car? Without a car, Provence is well connected by public transit. (Even better with a car). With a car, Dordogne area is also really nice. In July I would stay away from the coast.

I can recommend Pezenas in L'Herault area of Languedoc. It is Southwest of Montpellier, which has a manageable airport. We have stayed near there for 5 weeks over 2 trips and there is a wealth of places to go on day trips: Carcasson, Collouire, Pont du Gard, to name a few, as well as some interesting geological features ranging from canyons to caverns. There are also many wineries. A car, however, is a must.

The Pyrenees are an oft-overlooked yet beautiful destination. I’ve stayed in the Haute Pyrenees south of Lourdes and the mountain scenery is incredible. This area is not on Rick’s beaten path, but Rudy Maxa has a TV episode that features this region.

I am not sure if this is along the lines that you are thinking, but if you want to try something a bit different, then here is a rough itinerary for a road trip through northern Catalonia and Languedoc I had previously drawn up -
DAY 1-
-Start at Girona
-North to Besalú
-West to Andorra la Vella (stopping in the medieval village of Castellfollit de la Roca)
-Sleep in Andorra la Vella
DAY 2-
-Explore Andorra and the nearby Early Romanesque churches in the Vall de Boí, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
DAY 3-
-Drive north through the Pyrenees to Foix (stopping at the Château de Foix)
-Continue north to Toulouse
-Sleep in Toulouse
DAY 4-
-Explore Toulouse
DAY 5-
-Drive south east to Carcassonne
-Continue east to Béziers
-Sleep in Béziers
DAY 6-
-Explore Béziers
DAY 7-
-Drive south to Narbonne
-Continue south through Narbonnaise en Méditerranée Natural Park (wildlife preserve along the coast)
-Continue to Figueres (see Dali museum)
-End in Girona

If you have not been to Western Provence, you could try there. Early July is peak season with the lavendar. With a car, a village like Lourmarin, Bonnieux or St. Remy. Or perhaps a town like Isle-sur-lar Sorgues. There is a wide range of sites and things to do. Without a car, you need to go up in size to a place with some public transit and tour services, like Arles.

Further east and without a car, a place like Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Cote d'Azur is great but a bit crowded -- Menton, Antibes, Nice are options that span the size scale.

Thanks for your great suggestions

I would echo Carolyn...Pezenas is fantastic. Spent 5 weeks there and never ran out of things to do. So much to see and do, the town is walkable, charming, and has great restaurants and shopping. The area is fascinating and the beach is 20 minutes away. Highly recommend...it will be quite hot in July but if you can get a place with AC it's great!

If you choose a place down in that area and can conveniently get to the Perpignan rail station, you might be able to manage a trip on the SNCF Yellow Train through the Pyrenees as a day-trip. You'd take a regular train from Perpignan to Villefranche-de-Conflent, where you would pick up the Yellow Train, which runs all the way to La Tour de Carol, but the most picturesque segment is the two-hour run between VdeC (a fortified town) and Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, where you could hop off the train and take the next one back toward VdeC. It's possible that you could save time by driving to VdeC and just taking the Yellow Train trip. There definitely is parking outside VdeC, but I don't know how much it costs or whether there are always free spaces.

I've linked to the summer schedule for 2018. I really enjoyed my trip on the Yellow Train in 2017. Aside from the mountain scenery it's an opportunity to see one of the Vauban-fortified towns (VdeC). Do expect the latter to be intensely touristy.

I personally love the Languedoc area of the Pyrenees more than Provence. It's beautiful green rolling hills and farmland with rivers, medieval towns and chateaux. It reminds me of a less populated Burgundy.

Having said that, there is a ton to see in Provence. There is also the Riviera and Basque region in "southern France". The only place I wouldn't want a car is in the Riviera, the train runs along the coast and is less hassle than a car.

I liked Carcassonne as a base for the Pyrenees. It's pretty central and you can go wander the old city after hours. I spent a few nights there but worked my way up through the Lot and Dordogne valleys before going to the Bordeaux area.

I was most happy with Arles as a base in Provence. It had a lot to see and do and was convenient, with a car, to the places I wanted to visit.

In the Riviera, my favorite is Antibes. It has a nice marina, white sand beaches, a walled medieval center and top notch art gallery - all in a walkable package.

I've only been on the Spanish side of the Basque region, so I don't have a good French recommendation for you.