LATE AVAILABILITY INDEPENDENT HOLIDAY COTTAGES IN LANGUEDOC
PRIVATE HOLIDAY COTTAGES IN LANGUEDOC
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Scroll down the page to see self catering gites, villas, apartments and holiday accommodation to rent in Languedoc - France. Properties are listed in random order. Please scroll down the page to see all our holiday properties to rent in Languedoc. Accommodation is listed in random order.
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Languedoc-Roussillon is the epitome of a classic French wine producing region, geographically familiar to Francophiles from the bottle label. Five departments make up modern day Languedoc; bordered from east to west by; villas in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes ski chalets, Auvergne gites and self catering in the Midi-Pyrénées with Spain and the Mediterranean sea on the south side. Although historically the wines were weak and mediocre, following replanting in the last thirty years quality wines from Cinsaut, Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon and Viognier grapes, amongst others, have established world class output from the vines in this hot and dry climate.
Occitan was the language spoken in Languedoc before the 20th century, and Catalan was the language spoken in Roussillon. French is now the established main language with a modern day return to reviving the ancient languages.
Montpellier (Hérault) is the Languedoc’s modern capital just 10km from the Mediterranean. Carcassonne, Narbonne (Aude), Beziers, Sete (Hérault), Nimes (Gard), Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) and Mende (Lozère) are principal towns, with frequent low cost flights into Carcassonne and Beziers airports; Toulouse is also convenient. From the UK the drive is a long one, taking 2 days is advisable.
Traditionally tourists were drawn to the Mediterranean stretching from Cap d’Agde in the east and Collioure in the south nestling the Spanish border. The beaches vary enormously. Espiguette is a jewel, a fine sandy wild beach backed by dunes stretching for miles, however care needs to be taken if nudist and/or gay beaches are not your scene, family areas are nearer to car parks. Portiragnes and Serignan plages are excellent, white sand and far preferable to the generally tacky and commercialized town beaches that are best avoided. Further south the Argelès beaches, although busy, are of excellent quality and have the dramatic Pyrenees as a stunning backdrop, with pine forests separating the ubiquitous holiday accommodation and camp sites.
For “ambience” stay slightly inland and rent a gite or a chateau, the best of both worlds mixing rural French lifestyle with days out to the chic resort “plages.” Activity holidays based around painting or art, writing, crafts, French language and cooking are extremely popular out of season when the weather remains mild, perfect for a last minute short break.
The 300 year old Canal du Midi stretches 350km connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. This navigable UNESCO heritage site passes through the roman fortified city of Carcassonne in Aude, perfect for a weekend break without a car.
Inland, Lozère valleys are wooded and delightfully rural, they evolve in to the Cevennes hills, the south eastern pinnacles of the Massif Central. A million miles from the glitzy coast.
Moving down towards Spain and the the coastline is much rockier and the old fishing ports of Banyuls and Collioure are well worth exploring. To escape the heat of high summer head to the Pyrénées. Climb aboard “Le train jaune” near Perpignan, with open topped wagons, a spectacular journey through dramatic mountain scenery. Lunch is long and languorous, here the cuisine is a fusion of heathy Mediterranean (tomatoes and olives feature widely) with Spanish, Italian and Moroccan influences, but still very French. Santé!