The Languedoc region of France (2024)

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Now part of the Occitanieregion, the Languedoc-Roussillon area, popularly known as theLanguedoc,is the central region of the south ofFrance;it includes the western Mediterranean coast of France,stretching from the Rhone valley in the east, to the Spanish border inthe south west,and comprises five departments: four of theseare Mediterranean coastal departments: the Gard (30), theHérault (34), the Aude (11) and the Eastern Pyrenees or Pyrénéesorientales (66). The fifth department is rather different, being theupland department of Lozère (48), which forms the southern bastion ofthe Massif Central

DiscoverLanguedoc-Roussillon

A short guideto Languedoc

Since 2016, the area known as"Languedoc- Roussillon" has been mergedwith neighbouring Midi-Pyrénéesinto a newsuper-region that has taken the name "Occitanie" - a historicalreference tothe part of France where until the nineteenth century most people spokevarieties of Occitanian French, not the standard French of northernFrance.
Historically,the area known as "Languedoc", covered a larger part of southernFrance,indeed much of modern Occitanie and Provence.The name itself is a reference to the language(s) (Les langues d'oc - seebelow) spoken in this part of France in pastcenturies,; Roussillonis a much smaller area, being more or less the area covered by theEastern Pyrenees department. Roussillon, in the past, was the northernpart of Catalonia,and people here still speak Catalan as well asFrench.

The main city of Languedoc-Roussillon isMontpellier,athriving modern city in the Hérault, with a historic centre;othermajor cities in the region are Nimes,Narbonne,Seteand Perpignan.
Unlike Provence, Languedoc has aconsiderablecoastal plain, and except in the department of Eastern Pyrenees, muchof the coastal area is flat. In the past, the land was swampy andplagued with mosquitoes, which is why tourism did not develop here inthe 19th century, as it did on the coast further east. However, theswamps were drained long ago, and the mosquitoes brought under control,leading to the tourist development of this long coastline as from thenineteen-sixties.
Today, the coast of Languedoc is characterised bylong sandy beaches, often with plenty of space, and a modern touristinfrastructure, with twentieth-century resorts such as Cap d'Agde,Palavas, or Narbonne Plage. The brash developments of the sixties havehad time to mature, parts of the coastline have been recovered for moreenvironmentally sensitive tourism development; and among thequite densely built-up resort areas, there are attractive bits ofcoastline and hinterland. However, as a general rule, the areas within20 km of the coast have been extensively developed for tourism in thelast forty years.

Autumnlingers in Languedoc. November colours in the vineyards of theMinervois, north of Narbonne, with the garrigue and hills of highLanguedoc behind

The fertile coastal plain is given over toagriculture, vineyards and - particularly in Roussillon - fruit andvegetables. Languedoc is one of France's major wine-growing areas.
Those who do not want to spend theirholidays beingchar-grilled on a beach will perhaps prefer to discover the oldLanguedoc, away from the cities and the immediate coastal strip. InlandLanguedoc is a beautiful area, characterised by vineyards and"garrigue", arid rocky Mediteranean hills with their vegetation ofscrub, aromatic bushes and occasional fields. North andnortheast of Montpellier, the valleys,more wooded and rural, give way to the Cevennes hills, the southeasternpeaks of the MassifCentral.
The area has a lot of historic cities,such as Nimeswith its superb Roman remains,the famous walled city ofCarcassonne,the former Roman provincial capital of Narbonne, and othersmaller ancient cities, such as Agde.
The Pyrenees,forming a natural land barrier between France and Spain, are abeautiful range of high mountains, wooded on their lowerslopes,but offering good mountain and hill walking higher up - not to mentionthe attraction of day trips into Spain. The coastline wheretheymeet the sea is unlike the rest of the Languedoc coast, and ischaracterised by old coastal villages such as Banyuls and Collioure,rocky cliffs and small coves. The villages on the Pyrenean coastlinecan be reached directly by train.

Accessto Languedoc : by TGVfrom Paris Gare de Lyon, or from Lille; train from manycities, motorway from Paris, Lille, Strasbourg, Nancy, Lyon, Geneva.There are airportsat Béziers, Nimes, Montpellier, Carcassonne and Perpignan, withlow-cost flightsfrom the UK, Belgium and Holland..

The Origin of the name"Languedoc":
The "Langue d'oc" was the version of French spoken in the south of thecountry, and Languedoc referred to the part of France in which the"language of Oc" was spoken. "Oc" (from the Latin ac ) was the wordfor "yes" in this partof France, at a time when people in the north of France said "oeuil",an old French word that has become modern French "oui". Today, the"langue d'oc" survives in the many patois still spoken by a few peoplein rural areas of this part of France.
Thenew regional name Occitanie isanotherreference to the historic language of "Oc".

Detailedmap of Languedoc:
Click here,and drag the map to cover the Languedoc area. then zoom in or out.

Discoverthe Cevennes. Take the About-France.com recommended routefrom Mende, in the Lozère, down to the Camargue

Maintourist attractions inLanguedoc Roussillon

Attractionscovering more thanone department:

• Le Canal du Midi- (34,11) world's oldest commercial canal, built in 17th century. FromAgde to Carcassonne, - and beyond to the Atlantic. Canal with shadedcycleway and footpath. UNESCO world heritagesite.
• Les Cévennes:(30,34) beautiful mountains, with steep wooded valleys. National Park area.Impressive caves .
• TheCoast: (30,34, 11, 66) plenty of beaches, marinas and small ports. Miles of sandybeaches, crowded in parts at times, but also including long expanses offairly empty sand.
• Gorgesdu Tarn (12 - 48) dramatic and deepgorge of theriver Tarn, through the limestone rock of the Causses.

Bydepartment East to West
Gard

• Bagnolssur Cèze (30) MuséeAlbert André. Fine collection of late 19th century Frenchart,including works by Bonnard, Matisse, Marquet, Signac, Jongkind, Rodinand more.
• Nimes:(30) old city with narrow streets, and remarkable Roman remains,including the Arena and the Maison Carrée
• LePont du Gard: (30) UNESCO World Heritage site, impressiveRoman aqueduct, just north east of Nimes.
• AiguesMortes: (30) fully walled bastide townnear thecoast, oncea port from which the Crusaders set forth. See walledcities
• The western part of the Camargue
• Trainà vapeur des Cévennes: (30) Cevennessteam railway. FromAnduze
• Uzès.Attractive small town north of Nimes, famous for the Castle of theDukes, and the Fenestrelle tower, a unique circularromanesquetower dating from the 12th century. The town also has the Haribo sweetsmuseum.
• The Cevennesmountains,and National Park. A beautiful area of wooded hills and valleys, withopen summits culminating in the Mont Lozère at 1699 metres (5574 ft)above sea level.

Lozère

• LaLozère: (48) sparsely-populated upland area,with a dryclimate, mountains, spruce forests and gorges...

Hérault

• Montpellier:(34) regional capital, with old centre, theMusée Fabre,churches and other sites.
• Agde: attractive old small city, old streets, market, cathedral, waterfront.
• Béziers:(34) traditional Languedoc city, with old streets, churches and gardens.
• St.Guilhen le Désert (34)- small medieval city with romanesque abbey and ruined castle. Alsothe nearby Grotte de la Clamouse: magnificent stalacmites andstalagtites.
• Sète:(34) fishing and commercial port. Old town, beaches, boat trips

Aude

• Narbonne:(11) former Roman city, once the regional capital, with an impressivecathedral, underground Roman grain-store, and canalside quays.
• Carcassonne:(11)UNESCO World Heritage site, a historic city encircled by medievalramparts.
• Cathar country:a collection of fabulous medieval castles, veritable eagles nestsperched on rocky crags, guarding over this once turbulent frontierregion. Of special note are the castles of Quéribus andPuylaurens.
• Catharcountry tourist train, departs from Rivesaltes near Perpignan, andrises to Axat in the Pyrenees.
• Sigean(11) African safari park:perhaps the best and the biggest (almost 700 acres) wildlife park inFrance (opened in 1974).
• TheCanal du Midi:(34, 11) UNESCO World Heritage site, the world's oldest majorcanal, opened in1681, linking the Mediterranean and theAtlantic

Pyrénées Orientales

• Céret(66): Museum of Modern Art,with works by Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Braque etc.
• Collioure& Banyuls:(66) picturesque small towns almost on the Spanishborder, where the Pyrenees meet the sea. Harbourside château atcollioure.
• LeTrain Jaune:(66) take the train up intothe Pyrenees, from near Perpignan.Spectacular scenery, andopen-top wagons.
• Medieval heritage :There is a rich heritage of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in thedepartment, with highlights at Elne, Serrabona, St. Martin du Canigou,Saint Michel de Cuxa and the stunning 12th century frescoes at St.Martin de Fenollar, near Le Boulou.

Goingfurther: OfficialLanguedoctourism site