Traveling in Languedoc-Roussillon
The Languedoc, France
Languedoc-Roussillon (often called "the Languedoc") is a historical coastal region in southern France, extending from Provence to the Pyrenees Mountains and the border with Spain. It is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Occitanie. The area is a major wine producer, with Vin de Pays d'Oc and sparkling Cremant de Limoux among its best-known varieties. The regional capital, Montpellier, is home to a well-preserved medieval quarter. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrenees on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side. It is the southernmost region of mainland France. The fertile coastal plain is given over to agriculture, vineyards and - particularly in Roussillon - fruit and vegetables. Languedoc is one of France's major wine-growing areas. The coast of Languedoc is characterized by long sandy beaches, often with plenty of space, and a modern tourist infrastructure, with twentieth-century resorts such as Cap d'Agde, Palavas, or Narbonne Plage.
Regions
Languedoc-Roussillon/Occitanie is made up of thirteen departments:
Ariege: a predominantly farming area as the soil is rich and fertile but more than 50% of it is mountainous, with much of it being covered by forests.
Aude: an agricultural area dominated by vineyards and more recently, also with olive plants for the oil.
Aveyron: an area rich in culture, it contains a part of the Cevennes National Park and well-known tourist attractions like the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and the many beautiful old castles and monasteries such as Conques Abbey, Sylvanes Abbey, Bonneval Abbey and Loc-Dieu Abbey, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens.
Gard: contains a part of the Cevennes National Park and there are important Roman architectural remains in Nimes, as well as the famous Roman aqueduct, the Pont du Gard.
Gers: largely agricultural, with great emphasis on the local gastronomical specialties. The department is characterized by sleepy bastide villages and rolling hills with the Pyrenees visible to the south.
Haute-Garonne: is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. Its main city and capital is Toulouse.
Hautes-Pyrenees: The area has 7 different geographical areas and been known perhaps since Antiquity for its hot springs, and several towns were built around these, most notably Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
Herault: The Mediterranean beaches are a major attraction, as well as the caves of Clamouse and Demoiselles.
Lot: is one of the smaller areas and features a few tourist attractions such as Cahors and Pant Valentre.
Lozere: The main activities here are cattle farming and tourism. Tourist activities include caving and a variety of sports, such as skiing and kayaking. Lozere also contains a part of the Cevennes National Park.
Pyrenees-Orientales: is a wine-growing area and a tourist destination. Some of the tourist attractions include Perpignan, Fort de Salses, and Saint-Michael-de-Cuxa.
Tarn: this area has extremely varied geographical regions, from rolling hills, to tall mountains, to plateaus, to limestone and sandstone foothills.
Tarn-et-Garonne: is mostly an agricultural area but there is also some industry, and it benefits from its proximity to Toulouse.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.