Montpellier
Built in 1695, Montpellier's 52m-high triumphal arch is dedicated to Louis XIV. The tourist office organises guided tours in summer that take you up 103…
Must-see attractions in Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
The Mont Lozère range is of tough, impenetrable granite, from which the rainfall sluices in small streams. It's the source of the River Tarn, which flows…
Languedoc-Roussillon
In the village of Le Mas Soubeyran (17km west of Alès), this intriguing museum traces the history of the Camisard revolt, a bloody religious struggle that…
Roussillon
Travelling around the Têt Valley, it's well worth visiting the hilltop village of Eus, 12km northeast of Villefranche-de-Conflent. The approach to the…
Le Castillet & Musée Casa Païral
Perpignan
Like many medieval towns, Perpignan was once encircled by defensive walls. Today all that remains is the red-brick town gate of Le Castillet, at the…
Uzès
Uzès’ history as a confectionery centre lives on at this Wonka-esque museum, which explores the sweets-making process from the early 20th century through…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The defining landmark of Millau's historical centre is this medieval 12th-century-built square tower topped by an octagonal 17th-century bell tower. It's…
Languedoc-Roussillon
Just south of the Gorges de la Jonte, Grotte de Dargilan is known as La Grotte Rose (Pink Cave) for its rosy colouring. The most memorable moment of the…
Roussillon
At the southern end of Banyuls’ seafront promenade, this aquarium, which was modernised in 2017, houses an intriguing collection of Mediterranean marine…
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…
Roussillon
It’s still possible to walk along many of Villefranche’s ramparts. Built in stages between the 11th and 19th centuries, they have survived remarkably…
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…
Roussillon
Coming from Perpignan, you can't miss this graceful stone bridge that spans the Tech river with a single arch of 45m. It was built in the 14th century.
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,…
Jardin Méditerranéen du Mas de la Serre
Roussillon
Run in partnership with the Biodiversarium aquarium, this fragrant hilltop garden is a fine place to get acquainted with the local flora, with exotic…
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…
Roussillon
Squatting on a low hill near the village of Tuchan, Aguilar features six corner turrets and a hexagonal outer wall. It’s the smallest of the Cathar…
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…
