Hi
We're sorting out the 5-6 days we have between our home exchange in Loire valley and our villa stay north of St. Tropez.
We thought we'd take a couple days in Bordeaux, but are looking for a city/ville/area to explore/sleep/eat/stroll en route to the St. Tropez area.
Ideas gleaned from this Forum, google maps, and other travel websites include:
Sète, Montpelier, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
Any feedback on these cities or other ideas in that neck of the woods?
Montpellier is a lively university city with a large historic district. I liked it a lot. For more than one night, I'd prefer it to the much smaller Sete. However, Sete is a pleasant place, and on the water, so it depends on personal preference.
If you haven't been to Toulouse, I'd recommend that you consider it as well. It has a different look from almost all other French cities--red brick. Again, a very attractive city. Plenty of sights in Toulouse itself, and it's a short side trip to Albi, which has a fine Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, an historic cathedral, etc.
A final suggestion is Pezenas, a very attractive small town know for its crafts.
Ck out Cassis. I enjoyed the boat ride to the calanques , the laid back feeling of the small village, market day etc.
Hi shawn! I just spent the last year living in Montpellier and could give you LOADS of specifics on all 3 places you suggested :) What are you interested in?
Montpellier is probably best for a few day stay--it's very lively at night and has a surprisingly "international" feel. It does depend on the time of year you're visiting though. It's also kind of dirty (in a southern city kind of way), but loads of fun. The people there are great--very friendly and open, and love living there. There's tons of bars and restaurants.
Sète is cute. I went there several times. I really enjoyed it, but there isn't a lot to do there. It's good for a day or maybe 2 day trip. Of course it also has the beach, which can eat some time :)
I LOVE St-Guilhem. It was the one place I took all my visitors. That being said, the vibe varies greatly on day of the week and time of year. It's good for a half-day trip, or potentially overnight if you want a very quiet evening.
You didn't mention Nîmes but it's also lovely--interesting history. Kind of quiet at night, but still makes for a good overnight or 2 day stop.
Wonderful everyone, thanks!
We had begun to center on Montpellier for our 3 nights (after 2 in Bordeaux), with perhaps a day tip to Saint-Guilhem and/or Sete.
Momo516, I was looking at these hotels...any thoughts on their locations: Hotel Ulysses and grand hotel midi Or other hotels you might recommend?
shawn
Are you sure you don't want to visit the Dordogne?
We visited Dordogne last year. It was wonderful!
I really liked Montpellier. And can recommend the Hôtel d'Aragon - cheaper if you book direct and not through an aggregator. Look at their tariff 'vert' for a 3-night stay.
Staff at reception were very knowledgable about public transport options, and helped me to find a way to get to a concert at the lovely abbey of Maguelone on the coast. I didn't get to St-Guilhem-le-Désert, alas - maybe next time.
Consider also Narbonne: a smaller place with much historical interest and very pleasant for just strolling around. I stayed at the Hôtel La Résidence - again very helpful staff.
For a more rural location if you like walking, look at Olargues.
My friend and her mom stayed at Hotel Midi and liked it very much. It's located in THE "center" of town (if you look at a map, you'll see it's not the geographical center, but is the social center). It will be much livelier there at night than at Ulysses, though the hotel is very well-insulated, so wouldn't cause issues with sleeping. Ulysses is less centrally-located, but will be quieter at night, but is further from what you'll probably want to visit in the town. I would typically point someone towards Midi, but there may be other reasons you would choose Ulysses.
