In my slightly bias view of the Roussillon, it is by far one of the most beautiful and interesting areas to visit in La Belle France. I have mentioned specific pretty or historical areas in the past but thought I would go for something a little larger today, so here is a little information about the major cities of the region.
Béziers
Beziers, in the heart of the Languedoc wine country, is marked by its cathedral that stands proudly between L’Orbs and the Canal du Midi. Beziers’s proximity toSpain is also evident here: the bullfights in August set the town on fire.
www.beziers-tourisme.fr
Carcassonne
The medieval walled town lies on the right bank of the river Aude and is featured on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It has 52 towers and 2 rings of town walls making a total of 3 km of battlements. It boasts a large number of shops and craftsmen
Montpellier
Montpellier is a cultural, scientific and artistic crossroads with an incomparable heritage. L’Ecusson, with its Place de la Comedie, dominated by the opera house, stretches all the way to the new Antigone quarter designed by Ricardo Bofill. The narrow streets, lined by many 17th and 18th century mansions, lead to St Peter’s cathedral, the western world’s oldest medical school, the Place Royale du Peyrou and the botanical gardens created during the reign of Henry IV.
www.ot-montpellier.fr
Narbonne
Narbonne, the Visigoth kings’ former residence and capital of the Roman Septimania, is devoted to the Mediterranean art of living and marks the dividing line between Languedoc and Roussillon. The Archbishops’ Palace in the historic town and its 40-meter high fortified tower stand on the ruins of the Gallo-Roman ramparts and the via Domitia, overlooking the town.
www.mairie-narbonne.fr
Nimes
Nimes, a beautiful, laid-back bourgeois city, displays its ancient roots and, during the Whitsun and Grape Harvest festivals, becomes an outpost of Spain, with bodegas vibrating all night to the beat of “penas”.
www.ot-nimes.fr
Perpignan
Perpignan, at the foot of the Pyrenees, is graced with the heritage of the kings of Majorca. In the 20thcentury, Salvador Dali called it “the center of the world” because Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Derain and Chagall worked there creating new styles of painting.
www.perpignantourisme.com www.ceretproperty.com
Pézenas
Its magnificent stately homes and 17th century mansions lining narrow streets plunge you into a delightfully refined atmosphere. Nearby Pezenas is the birthplace of Molière.
www.ot-pezenas-valdherault.com
Sète
Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Thau, Sète offers an authentic fishing port in the centre of town, the spectacle of its typical neighbourhoods with their colored facades, crossed by canals, and the daily return of the fishing boats.
www.ot-sete.fr
My thanks to france guide for some of the above infomation
In my slightly bias view of the Roussillon, it is by far one of the most beautiful and interesting areas to visit in La Belle France. I have mentioned specific pretty or historical areas in the past but thought I would go for something a little larger today, so here is a little information about the major cities of the region.
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