Roussillon

Understand

thumb|The mountain fortress of Montségur thumb|Brousse-le-Château, [[Aveyron]]

Get in

thumb|Gorges des Jontes, [[Cévennes]] thumb|Place des Cornières in Lauzerte, [[Tarn-et-Garonne]] thumb|Stone matador in front of the amphitheatre in [[Nîmes]] thumb|Troglodyte houses built into the cliff in [[Lot]]

See

thumb|225px|Covered market hall in Beaumont-de-Lomagne, a typical bastide town in [[Tarn-et-Garonne]] thumb|225px|Cap Béar on the Côte Vermeille

The charm of Occitanie is captured in hundreds of villages, each with a unique character. Predominantly a wine-growing region, this is in fact the most productive viticultural area in France; expect to see many hectares of vineyard stretching ahead of you! Many villages are famous for excellent individual wines.

Bastides are a particular sort of medieval town built during the 12th and 13th centuries. They are generally walled towns built from local stone along a grid plan of streets (unusual for the European Middle Ages), with a central market square, which is often covered. Many of Occitanie's towns and villages are considered bastides. Côte Vermeille (Vermillion Coast) — the southernmost stretch of coast in mainland France is 20 km of beaches, coves and cute harbour towns. The Grotto at Lourdes — where the spirit of the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared eleven times to a young girl, who became Saint Bernadette. Now one of the major Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, second perhaps only to the Vatican itself; expect crowds. Mountains — the Pyrenees are second in height only to the Alps in all of western Europe, and in this region run west to east through Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Pyrénées-Orientales. Generally, the mountains' highest peaks mark the border with Spain and Andorra. The Massif Central is a lower ran…

Do

Mountain sports — the Pyrenees are obviously great for climbing and mountain biking, but they also have a ski season in the winter, with quite a few resorts, especially in Ariège and Hautes-Pyrénées. Hiking, paragliding, kayaking and canoeing are practised in the Cévennes. Kayaking the Gard river is an original way to see the Pont du Gard. The Cèze is a quiet river ideal for a family trip. Windsurfing — Gruissan, about 10 km away from Narbonne on the coast, offers both sea and lake windsurfing options. Overall, this coast is a hotbed of windsurfing opportunities.

Eat

thumb|Painted advertisement for anchovies in [[Collioure]] thumb|Cassoulet

The region's gastronomy is as diverse as its landscapes. Broadly speaking, the western half (corresponding to the old Midi-Pyrénées) has a typical south-western French cuisine, while closer to the sea (the former Languedoc-Roussillon) tastes are more Mediterranean.

Traditional south-western meats include duck, goose and pork. The Toulouse region is known for its cuisine based around specially fattened duck, or canard gras raised in the rural regions of Gers and Landes, west of Toulouse. There is no denying the deliciousness of this duck, just as there is no denying the cruel force-feeding that fattening the birds up involves. If you are in any way reluctant to support these practices, you should stay clear of any duck- or goose-based foodstuff, just as you might avoid a bull ring during the Feria. Traditional dishes include: Cassoulet, a slow-cooked casserole dish that includes sausage, goose or duck, pork skin, and lots of white beans. The Cassoulet triangle is between the three towns of Carcassonne, Castelnaudary and Toulouse. Magret de canard, a very tender cut of duck breast pan-seared, usually rare Confit de canard, a leg of duck fried and roasted in its own fat Foie gras: duck or goose liver Saucisse de Toulouse: Toulouse sausage

Languedocian cuisine is based around beef and lamb, as well of course on the bountiful produce the Mediterranean yields. Some typical dishes to highlight are:

Agria…

Drink

thumb|Vines in Hérault|300px thumb|100px|Bottle of local Vermouth

Sleep

The region is popular with tourists, so the accommodation base is extensive and even small towns usually have at least one hotel and a variety of B&B (chambres d'hôte) and self-catering options (gîtes). There are lots of campsites too, in keeping with the rest of the country.

Stay safe

thumb|The only place you're guaranteed to see a bear - the zoo. Pickpockets operate in all of the major tourist destinations and larger cities in this area of France. Be vigilant of your surroundings and keep your belongings out of sight and tucked away safely.

Forest fires are common in late summer, especially August and September. The local authorities are very well geared-up to deal with fires, and so the risk is minimal as long as you are sensible. If you see a forest fire (or more likely its smoke), and haven't been evacuated you are most likely safe where you are, but it is still beneficial to keep abreast of the local news during this time. This can be difficult without a knowledge of French, so if in doubt ask an English-speaking local.

In the remote Pyrenees and Cévennes, there are small numbers of wild animals (wolves and brown bear) with the potential to harm humans, though attacks on people are unheard of in the 21st century. Both creatures are very elusive and keep out of the way of people; European brown bears in particular are much warier of humans than their American cousins, and due to their rarity your chances of seeing either animal in the wild are sadly very low. If you do have an encounter, the best thing to do is to retreat slowly and calmly to a safe distance with your gaze averted (staring eyes are the mark of a predator), perhaps while speaking in soft, non-threatening tones. Pyrenean folklore recommends humans politely pass the time of day with any…

Go next

thumb|Statue of Saint Roch in [[Auch cathedral. The shells on his clothes clearly mark him as being dressed ready for pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela]]