Description: Another of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, this one really is deserving of its label. It is a fortified town dating back as far as the 12th century in a really dramatic setting alongside one of the regions major arterial roads.

Location: On the N116 about 50km west of Perpignan.

Our recommendations:  You can easily spend a day here.  While the day is still cool we would recommend a walk (climb!) to Fort Liberia which was more recently built (circa 1700) to protect the town from attack from the steeply sided mountains that rise above it.  If you prefer there is a Navette service from the bottom of the village.  Then follow this with a walk around the ramparts (entrance is half way up the main street).  Lunch can be taken at one of the restaurants we recommend and the afternoon can be spent in one of the cool caves (Grotte des Canalettes, Grotte des Grand Canalettes, Cova Bastera).

For the children:  Our girls loved browsing the plentiful boutiques in the main street!

Also worth a visit are Sète for the annual water jousting tournament on August the 25th each year.  Béziers is a pleasantly situated town on the Canal du Midi with an arena where you can see the region’s speciality bullfighting.

 

Here’s more information to make the most of your visit to Languedoc: