Montpellier
At the eastern end of this wide, tree-lined esplanade is the 1695 Arc de Triomphe. From the Château d’Eau, an elaborate hexagonal water tower at its…
Montpellier
At the eastern end of this wide, tree-lined esplanade is the 1695 Arc de Triomphe. From the Château d’Eau, an elaborate hexagonal water tower at its…
Montpellier
Part of the Odysseum shopping centre, this aquarium recreates nine aquatic environments, from polar waters to tropical forests. Kids will love the…
Montpellier
Noted for its disproportionately tall porch, Montpellier’s monumental Cathédrale St-Pierre began life as a church attached to the 14th-century monastery…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Narbonne’s most distinctive landmark is actually only half-finished: construction was halted in the 14th century, and only the towers and choir reached…
Carré d’Art – Musée d'Art Contemporain
Nîmes
The striking glass-and-steel Carré d’Art was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. Inside is the Musée d’Art Contemporain, with permanent and…
Montpellier
The landmark neogothic St Anne's church, with dazzling stained-glass windows, was deconsecrated in the 1980s and is now a spectacular setting for…
Collioure
Boat sketches by Matisse and Edouard Pignon along with coastal canvases by Henri Martin and Henri Marre are among the highlights of this small but…
Uzès
This delightful garden contains a wealth of plants and flowers that served a variety of purposes for their medieval planters: medicinal, nutritional and…
Languedoc-Roussillon
In the fishing port of Marseillan, 8km northeast of Agde, you can visit the Noilly-Prat Factory, which has been making their famous dry vermouth to the…
Montpellier
Find this attractive beach a a few kilometres southeast of La Grande-Motte. It features a nature reserve with dune systems. It's exposed to the prevailing…
Collioure
At the northern end of the harbour, the medieval belfry of this church once doubled as a lighthouse, although its pink dome – the signature feature of…
Carcassonne
Carcassonne's basilica is worth a peek for its soaring Gothic transept and vivid rose windows. Often, traditional plain chant can be heard inside.
Béziers
This 19th-century aqueduct of the Canal du Midi is on the southern edge of town, bridging the Orb River. It affords stupendous views of the city.
Montpellier
Plage du Pilou is an appealing and quiet beach that's near the small town of Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, west of Montpellier.
Montpellier
Four kilometres north of the city centre, this zoo – France’s second-largest, covering 60 hectares – has an enormous population of wild residents that…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Opened in 1974, this 300-hectare wildlife reserve aims to recreate the atmosphere of the African savannah – a climate not all that different from the…
Nîmes
World-famous fizzy water Perrier has its source in natural springs 13km southwest of Nîmes. You can watch a 3D film that explains Perrier’s history, the…
Montpellier
This municipal museum has a fairly pedestrian collection of local-interest pieces ranging from furniture to paintings and antique weaponry, but it’s worth…
Collioure
The most scenic way to reach this 14th-century windmill is a 950m walk through olive and almond groves from Fort St-Elme along the Cami del Port de Sant…
Hôtel de la Vieille Intendance
Montpellier
The early-17th-century Hôtel de la Vieille Intendance was built during the reign of Louis XIII for the queen mother and his niece Marie Louise d’Orléans …
Musée International des Arts Modestes
Sète
This offbeat gallery occupying a renovated warehouse is refreshingly free of big names – here the emphasis is on the art of everyday objects, curated by…
Nîmes
The city’s fine-arts museum has a fairly pedestrian collection of Flemish, Italian and French works, although it’s worth a look for the fine Roman mosaic,…
Sète
Sète was the birthplace of symbolist poet Paul Valéry (1871–1945), and the town’s main museum houses a disappointingly small collection of his works,…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The town's improbably large Cathédrale Notre Dame was built in 1368 as the official seat of Mende’s bishop. The cathedral is home to outstanding 18th…
Nîmes
Nîmes' natural history museum has the usual displays of stuffed beasties, fossils and skeletons, as well as a few menhirs (standing stones) decorated by…
Nîmes
Inside the city's 17th-century episcopal palace, the town museum delves into the history of Nîmes from Roman times through to the modern era, with lots of…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Delving into ‘the astonishing, exciting world of the snail’, this working snail farm 12km north of Alès has a simple museum devoted to the slimy creatures…
Montpellier
The Hôtel de Varennes is a harmonious 18th-century makeover of a medieval structure; it now contains the city’s small history museum, the Musée du Vieux…
Collioure
Built in 1552 by Spanish king Charles V between Collioure and Port-Vendre, this hilltop fort was designed as a key piece of the coastal defence system. It…
Nîmes
Topped by twin towers reaching 70m, Nîmes' largest church (accommodating up to 3000 worshippers) was built in neogothic style between 1867 and 1877.
Carcassonne
The main gateway to the Cité Médiévale, Porte Narbonnaise leads into the citadel’s interior.
Sète
Sète was the childhood home of singer and poet Georges Brassens (1921–81), whose mellow voice still speaks at this multimedia space.
Perpignan
The 14th-century La Loge de Mer, rebuilt during the Renaissance, was once Perpignan’s stock exchange, then its maritime tribunal.
Languedoc-Roussillon
The Musée de l'Étang de Thau has aquarium tanks, sepia photos, vintage fishing equipment and models of the lagoon.
Carcassonne
The castle’s second gate, Porte d'Aude, was partly destroyed in 1816 and no longer has its drawbridge.
Montpellier
The Hôtel St-Côme is a suitably grand building for the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
Perpignan
The Hôtel de Ville has a typically Roussillon pebbled façade of river stones.