To describe a region on the Mediterranean Sea, with rolling hills, perched villages, castles, mountains, gorges and some of France's most prestigious wines - is none other than 'fabulous'.
Our family experiences of visiting and living in various parts of France during the last 40 years, influenced our choice of the Languedoc as our preferred area. It is the part of France the French aspire to live in most and has a growing population. Our reasons include -
- 300 days of sunshine a year with high summer temperatures and only a few days of frost perhaps during the winter, means often eating outside from February through to November.
- Flights are from Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands and Blackpool as well as airports further south. Languedoc airports include Montpellier, Nimes, Carcassone and Perpignan with airports that serve the region including Toulouse and just over the Spanish border at Girona (Ryanair call Barcelona).
- Motorways are via the A7 'Autoroute du Soleil' and A9 'Via Domitia', the ancient Roman route, or the A61 via Toulouse and Carcassone or the new and spectacular A75, crossing the highest road bridge in the world.
- The TGV, Paris to Montpellier in under 4 hours and links Beziers, Narbonne, and Perpignan.
- The long sandy beaches, pretty fishing villages and open rolling hills with the backdrop of the Languedoc and Pyrenees mountains make this one of the most beautiful parts of France.
- Passionate and friendly people who work in the largest wine producing area in the world.
- It is still amongst the cheapest Western Mediterranean Europe regions, despite recent rises.
- Control on building and development is strict, with the French authorities keen not to allow the past mistakes of others or themselves re-overdevelopment.
- Influenced by the Greeks and then Romans, who gave land here as a prize to reward citizens who served their Empires well, means a wealth of historical classical monuments available and others reflecting a turbulent history during the middle ages and more recent times.
- Arts and Music are much in evidence with major fetes and concerts throughout the year but particularly in the summer months.
- Crossed by several major rivers the Tet, Orb and Herault river valleys it also hosts several World Classified Historical Monuments including, Carcassone, the old walled city, the Canal du Midi, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic and the 'Pont du Gard' Roman aqueduct.
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