Along with 5 other families, we will be staying at a country house near Lasalle for a week-long cooking class (mainly aimed at kids) a few weeks from now. I haven't found much info about this area at all -- Lasalle seems to be a very tiny village. I know it is about 1.5 hours drive from Montpellier airport. We will have some free time for day trips or half-day trips while the kids are cooking. Anyone have any knowledge of this area, to suggest what we might do? Thanks!
Posted by
winston salem, nc, usa
1078 posts
Nimes is a terrific town about an hour away. Also, within 90 minutes is the Pont du Gard(Roman Aqueduct) Les Baux(ruin on top of a plateau) where these guys can gallop off some energy, Utz(for adults to visit local Caves). You are only limited by your sense of adventure!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Also, think about the Rhone area of Provence which is just across the river from Languedoc (Orange, Avignon, etc).
Montpellier and its suburb of Lattes are not slouches either.
Further away, but still in Languedoc, is Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi, one of the most famous waterways in France since it allowed boats to bypass the Iberian peninsula and pass from the Atlantic (Bordeaus) to the Med (Narbonne).
The salt flats seaward from Montpellier date since the Phoenician era and are still in use.
The Camargue area is famous for its white horses and flamingos, especially around the national park.
My favorite place in the area is the small town of Aigues Mortes -- about and hour and a half due south of Lasalle. It used to be a walled port, but the water has receeded and now it's a walled village with a canal passing alongside. We swing through there and poke around for a few hours anytime we're even remotely close.
Oh yeah, and what Jerry said about Nimes and the Pont du Gard aquaduct which is only rivaled by the one in Segovia.