Languedoc

Sete for a neat little beach town. Montpellier for a universtiy town that everybody skips. Nimes for the Roman stuff and a bigger city. Perpignan for it's Basque enclave and another universtiy town. If you want to push the boundry west a little - - Albi, Redez, and Castres in that order. No matter where you stay you need to get into Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue national/regional park.

Ed,
Thanks for the rapid reply . . . and Albi looks like a great possibility. Look forward to any further thoughts you might have. Ron

Albi would be my pick of the whole slew. You know about gites-de-france.com, right? I've never gone wrong using that sucker anywhere in the country, but some other folks have different sources that I've undisremembered.

We spent a month at a house near Pezenas which has a picturesque old section with good restaurants and shops. Also has a Carrefour hypermarket. The location is convenient for day trips to much of Languedoc-Roussillon and into western Provence. If you want info on the 3 br house, send me a message.

These are suggestions for day trips...Can't remember if its close enough but I loved the walled city of Carcassonne. Definitely worth a day. I had the best cassoulet there! Also loved the Pont du Gard...again not sure how far away from the Languedoc area. I would not stay in Nimes - its a fun day trip but all of the accomodations seemed run down (and I stayed in one).

You definitely should not miss out on "the most fascinating small town on the Mediterranean coast" according to the Daily Telegraph UK. Sète is bordered by canals on one side and sandy mediterranean beaches on the other. It is authentic, lively, artsy (water jousting festival, jazz, photography, poetry , 5 museums, 22 art workshops..) and especially plenty of fabulous seafood restaurants (nearby oyster beds). A gourmet tour is operated by a local company taking visitors around the town to discover the colorful markets and meet the merchants. There is even a one star Michelin restaurant for the ultimate foodies. Well worth the stop!

Husband and I spent 3 nights in Albi a couple years ago and loved it, although the hotel we stayed in was just ok. The fortress-like cathedral is amazing. Also, don't miss Carcassone as a day trip. We also spent a day in Rodez which also has an awesome cathedral with some contemporary stained glass that is incredible. As a "hub" we also stayed in a little village Caunes Minervois at a B&B owned by a couple of Irish ex-pats, "L'Ancienne Boulangerie". Lovely. You'll love the area. So much to see and do.

If you get as far north as Rodez you should not miss Belcastel and Sauveterre de Rouergue. Both have Michelin starred restaurants with wonderful hotels. The scenery in that area is stunning. Belcastel is about 15minutes west of Rodez and Sauveterre is about 25 minutes south west of Rodez.

Congrats on visiting a wonderful region of France! Friends and I have rented a house several times on the edge of Uzes, which is on the eastern border of Languedoc. This made it easy to visit places in both Languedoc and Provence. There are many Roman ruins (and not so ruined) in the area: Nimes (where denim got its name), Pont du Gard (huge Roman viaduct), and many others. And Provence offers many places to visit: Avignon (where a pope lived), Roussilon (lovely village in the Luberon region east of Avignon with red cliffs and red clay covered homes), Gordes (with its beautiful stacked stone walls), etc. Don't miss the various village markets in both departments, especially the big one at Isle Sur LaSorge. These are just a very few of the activities you can enjoy! Bon Voyage