Languedoc, France

Debbie, we spent a little bit of time in this region coming from the Dordogne and going on to Provence. Collioure has great charm as a place to unwind after a stint of more-athletic sightseeing. There is not a ton of stuff to do there, but it's a nice place not to do it. You should plan your stay according to your needs. Carcassonne is best not seen during the day when the tour-bus hordes descend. If you splurge for a room in the old Cite you can see it by evening and morning. There are various towns and ruins in the area that you can visit mid-day. If Carcassone is less primary but still of interest, you could perhaps find a room in a nearby village and visit it from there, morning and/or evening, along with other sights. (Trying to answer the "base" question here, but I can't advise based on personal experience.) One day trip I liked a great deal were the Haut Corbieres in the foothills of the Pyrenees (google it). We actually saw these enroute from Carcassonne to Coulliore, but they would also work as a day trip from Coulliore, if crumbled mountain-top ruins are your thing. We spent a night in Albi and could have spent more, but it was enough to sample the highlights. I assume you are coming from someplace and going to someplace. Those places might suggest an actual itinerary as well as other considerations.

The Gorge du Tarn is definitely worth it, but I don't think you have enough time with just 5 days. We did it as an overnight trip from Pezenas. Do try to see the Millau bridge, though - it is quite a sight. Personally, I think you could use Collioure as your base for 3 days and day trip to Carcassonne. Then, move to Albi for 2 days. Albi is a little far to do as a day trip. You can easily day trip from Beziers or Pezenas to each of these locales - I'm assuming you will have a car. From there you could also visit the Pont du Gard. I spent 3 weeks in Languedoc the first time I was there, then 2 weeks 5 years later. There is a lot to see and do there.

Thank you Adam and Carolyn for your insights. To expand on our trip, we're flying in and out of Barcelona the beginning of Sept. We have 3 nights booked in Barcelona, and then plan on driving north, and hope to include Girona and a Dali stop. From there we have no specific plans. So potentially we could have 6 nights in Languedoc. SO, 2 more questions: 1. We didn't make lodging reservations in France, hoping to be a little spontaneous. Is that feasible in September? 2. What are must sees in the Languedoc? Carolyn, you mentioned Beziers. I haven't even seen that in the guide books.
Thanks for your advice! Debbie

I've been there in September, and though I stayed in a rented house, I don't think you'll have too much trouble without reservations. I mentioned Beziers because it is a fairly large city, but personally haven't spent much time there as I tend to stay away from bigger cities unless there is something worth seeing, such as Albi. Check out some of the towns along the Canal du Midi. Minerve is an interesting place to stop. Most of my time was spent in l'Herault where we stayed in a small village near Pezenas. If you're a fan of blue cheese, you could visit Roquefort on your way to Albi. Most of the coastal area north of Colliioure consists of modern resort towns that aren't very charming. But, I love Collioure. Ceret is inland from there and a charming town.There is just a lot of places to see and things to do in Languedoc - in the 5 weeks I've spent there, we didn't even see it all. I chose Pezenas as our base because it was central for day tripping throughout Languedoc and even into Provence. Google "Languedoc" and you'll be surprised at how much info is on the web. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.

A second for Minerve. Lovely place to stop slightly NE of Carcassonne. Also, other Cathar sites/ruins south of Carcassonne: Rennes-Le-Chateau, Peyrepeteuse.

I think traveling w/o reservations is probably feasible that time of year if you and yours are flexible about where you end up. We traveled that way in late May and early June and everything worked out. Getting a room in the Cite, if that is still under consideration, might be problematic. But I'm sure you could get a room nearby if it came to that. Peyrepertuse = one of the Haut Corbieres. I'd suggest finishing up in Coulliore before returning to Barcelona.