Days Out

We are ideally situated for exploring the Mediterranean coast, the villages and towns of the Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales and Herault regions.

The beautiful wooded mountains of the Haut Languedoc National Park with its lakes, rivers and wonderful scenery is within a 45-minute drive.

You can enjoy the history and culture that this “ Land of Legends ” has to offer. Discover the remarkable historic sites such as the Abbey of Lagrasse, parts of it dating back to the 10th century, the Cathar castles, and the medieval site of Villerouge Termenes, Fontfroide Abbey or the fabulous medieval fortified town of Carccassone . Be sure to buy the’ Cathar Country Inter-site Card’, approx 4 €, which covers seventeen monuments in Aude region. It is valid for one year and entitles you to reductions on all sites.

Medieval Cité of Cacassonne

Those who visit the Cité of Carcassonne for the very first time are amazed by its magical fairytale look and will remember that first image for a very long time. La Cité is at the heart of the Toulouse-Montpellier-Barcelona triangle and crossroads of two major high-ways dating back to time immemorial. These highways join the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the Cevennes to the Pyrenees from where springs the River Aude.

Twenty centuries of history have led to this well known gem being listed as a UNESCO’s World heritage site and stands perched on the edge of a rocky plateau beside the River Aude. It was a strategic crossroads as far back as Roman times, the earliest traces of man date back to the 6th century B.C. “La Cité” was built over the ruins of a former Roman fortress and was the theatre of the crusades against the heretics in the 3rd century. Highly influential in the eleventh century, Carcassonne sheltered many Cathar heretics but after a two-week siege in 1209 it fell and “La Cité” and its landed possessions were assigned to the military commander of the crusade, Simon de Montfort. In 1355 a great part of “Cité” was put to fire by le Prince Noir (The Black Prince). The present rebuilt Cité has 52 towers and 2 rings of town walls making a total 3km of battlements to explore. Within the walls you will find the torture chamber, haunted house and many shops and restaurants.

Narbonne

Narbonne is the oldest town in the south of France . It was founded by the Romans in 118 B.C. It became the capital of the whole of Southern Gaul , at the time it was a major port, although now it lies some 17km from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea . Narbonne was the first Roman settlement established in France and you can see the Via Domitia dating from 10BC, the first Roman road built in France , connecting Italy to Spain . The wonderful Gothic Cathedral of St Just dating from 1272 is also a must, visit the tresor in the Cathedral and marvel at the whispering gallery. These can all be seen in the “Place de l’Hotel-de-Ville” which is also the place to be, where you can sit with a coffee outside one of the many café’s and watch the world go by.

The Canal du Robine linking the Canal du Midi to the Mediterranean Sea meanders through Narbonne and with its many restaurants and café’s beside the Canal it gives the town a cosmopolitan feel.

Gruissan

Gruissan is situated five minutes from Narbonne next to Mediterranean Sea and is perfect for exploring the coast to the East, Beziers 32km, Cap d’Agde 50km, Montpellier 95km, Nimes 145km, Arles & The Camargue 170km, Aix en Provence 240km and Marsaille 270km. To the South West - Perpingnan 70km, Collioure 100km, The Spanish Border 106km, Figures 117km, Andora 200km and Barcelona 264km.

In Gruissan you will find windsurfing, go-carting, paintballing, Aqua Park, Crazy golf, Pirate Park, Fishing, Sailing, Hiking, Cycling, Wine tasting and Bird Watching.

The old village of Gruissan lies between salt water lagoons, a favourite place for flamingos and the Massif de la Clape mountain range. Only 15km from Narbonne it represents a truly Mediterranean mix of fishermen and wine growers.

The Massive de la Clap has been classified as a site of natural beauty since 1973 and is a range of hills to be explored on foot to see rich the vegetation, Thorny shrubs, Orchids, medicinal plants and a species unique in the world, the Centaur ée de la Clap are at home here. Near to the old port is an extensive but tasteful modern marina development, Port Gruissan. This bustling harbour is full of all types of leisure boats where fishing trips to catch tuna or deep sea fishing for shark and swordfish are offered, or you can just take a gentle boat trip along the coast.

A large selection of shops, bars and restaurants, where you can eat some wonderful sea food including Gruissan mussels and oysters farmed locally, line this modern harbour. This is a perfect place to eat or sit in the sun with a cool drink and watch the world go by.

Canal du Midi

Amongst the dozens of maintained lakes, natural lakes and countless rivers, the 300km of navigable waterways including the famous Canal du Midi, a site featured on UNESCO’s World heritage list, provides the opportunity to experience fishing, swimming, lively water sports like canoeing, kayaking, rafting or canyoning, sailing and windsurfing and the much calmer pleasure of boating. At the helm of a houseboat you choose where to go and when to stop for refreshment perhaps with a picnic and a bottle or two of local wine.

Sigean

Just outside Narbonne is the Sigean African Game Reserve with more than 3800 animals covering almost 300 hectares.

The Abbaye de Fontfroide

The Abbaye de Fontfroide was founded in 1145, on the site of an earlier Benedictine establishment, and became one of the most important and richest Cistercian abbeys in the south. One of its abbots became Pope Benedict XII in the 14th century. It also features as a footnote in the story of the Cathars: it was the murder of the papal legate Pierre Castelnau, a monk from Fontfroide, which provided the immediate pretext for the Albigensian Crusade. It is in a classic situation for a Benedictine abbey, tucked into a narrow, sheltered valley remote from the outside world and its concerns. It fell into decay as a result of the Plague of 1348, and was subsequently run by nobles who were given the courtesy title of Abbots without actually being monks. Evidently they decided that the plain monastic lifestyle was not entirely to their taste. They added various luxuries such as fireplaces, elaborate staircases, and marble pillars in the cloister, which make parts of the Abbey look more like a château than an Abbey

Lagrasse

Minerve

After the fall of Carcassonne Simon de Monfort moved onto Minerve in 1210. The village was protected on all sides by deep gorges, a marvellous natural defence cut in the limestone rocks. Montfort soon realising that water was the fortresses weak spot had the most powerful of his four catapults aimed at the stairway down to the well. Once this access was destroyed, Minerve had no water and after a five week siege had to surrender and 140 men and women were burnt to death.

Andorra

This tax free country is reachable within two hours, but its advisable to make this a two or three day trip to enjoy the shopping and the picturesque scenery of the Pyrenees mountain range to its fullest.

Montpellier

Within one hour drive is the capital of the Languedoc Roussillon Region and is one of the fastest growing cities in France . It has history dating back to the middle ages but as a quarter of its inhabitants are students this cosmopolitan city with pedestrianised areas having such an array of restaurants and bars is vibrant and has so much to offer visitors, it is hard to beat.

Nimes

An old Roman Town which has a Roman Amphitheatre built around 2000 years ago and is considered to be one of the best conserved in the world. It was used for hunting wild animals and Gladiator tournaments from the end of the first century AD and many events are still held there today. There are many Roman temples and monuments with gardens that have water fountains, again designed by the Romans. The water for the town of Nimes and the fountains came via the Pont du Guard, built in 19BC it is one of the most preserved and beautiful aqueducts in the world.

Sete

A Mediterranean town, well known for its fishing industry. A large fishing harbour is surrounded by wonderful sea-food restaurants.

Wine

If you are a wine lover then take the Corbières wine route. The Languedoc-Roussillon region has the highest coverage of vineyards in the country. Gruissan and Narbonne are surrounded by unspoilt countryside and contains some of the best wine producing vineyards in France . This space is not large enough to detail all the types of wine, the grapes and the areas in which they grow, but there are 34 appellations, 17 vintages, wine museums and hundreds of vineyards where the enthusiastic owners are keen to talk to you. They enjoy discussing their involvement with the land and vines and are keen to answer any questions you may have regarding the wine making process and of course are happy for you to taste their wine and to sell you some if you like it.