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UNESCO sites, “Occitanie Great Sites“, Cities you can’t miss and “Most beautiful villages of France“
No other region of France has so many sites registered by UNESCO (8) and villages labeled ‘most beautiful villages of France’. This 12-day circle tour will allow you to discover the most remarkable places of Occitanie.
You may arrive directly in Toulouse by air or by train. You could also fly to Barcelona or Marseille and start touring from Perpignan, Nimes or Montpellier. We are choosing Toulouse as the starting point. From wherever you start, the first day will be a day of rest after you check-in at your hotel.
Visit Toulouse, the capital of Occitanie nicknamed the “Pink city” with its marvelous monuments such as the Capitole (city Hall), St-Sernin Basilica, Les Jacobins cloyster and appreciate its “French way of life” having a drink on a terrace. Visit options during your morning exploration:
Option 1 : cruise on the river Garonne.
Option 2 : touristic train.
Option 3 : CityTour
Lunch in Toulouse
Afternoon excursion to Blagnac for a visit of Airbus factory and Aeroscopia aeronautic Museum. Dinner and night in Toulouse
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and cruise on the Lot River. (94 miles)
Departure for Cahors after breakfast (69 miles). Check-in at your hotel for one night. Enjoy a full-day cruise on the river Lot from Cahors to St-Cirq Lapopie on the Fenelon Barge. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (25 miles east from Cahors) was elected Prefered village by French people ! Dinner and night in Cahors.
Dordogne Valley – Padirac
Transfer to Rocamadour (76 km)
Rocamadour, unmissable sanctuary built on a cliff, among the busiest of France. The village is listed by UNESCO as a Pilgrimage stage on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
Lunch in Rocamadour
Visit the most beautiful villages of Dordogne Valley (Carennac – Autoire – Loubressac). Transfer to the Gouffre de Padirac (16 miles), a natural 250 feet chasm which is the most famous underground site in France and enjoy a unique experience tasting the famous Cahors Malbec black wine 335 feet underground. Check-in at your hotel for 1 night. Day drive 85 miles.
Dinner and night in /around Rocamadour or Dordogne valley.
Transfer to Figeac (25 miles). Visit of Figeac, a wonderful medieval city, birthplace of the Egyptologist Champollion. Museum Champollion – Les Ecritures du Monde You will continue to Conques (26 miles) “the jewel of Romanesque Art” listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France » and also listed by UNESCO as a major stage on St- James way to Santiago de Compostela. You will love Sainte-Foy Abbey.
Lunch in Conques.
Transfer to Rodez (23 miles). Visit Rodez , the Soulages Museum (the most known French painter still alive in the worldwide, Master of the black color) and the incredible red-stones Notre-Dame-de-Rodez Cathedral. Check-in at your hotel for one night. Day drive: 93 miles Dinner and night in Rodez.
Morning at leisure in Rodez
Afternoon drive to Millau city center (40 miles) check-in at hotel for 1 night. Lunch at Millau Viaduc Area (gastronomic restaurant). Both a “viewing area” and “tourist information centre”, it also offers a “gastronomical area”. Take a few minutes to climb to the belvedere viewing point from where you can admire the sublime and panoramic view of the viaduct.
Transfer to – and visit of Roquefort Cave Société. (16 miles x2) where the famous cheese comes from. Enter into the legend of Roquefort cheese: the king of the cheeses ! For an hour, learn about the mystery of these natural cellars, discover the animated model, its sound and light show, its museum- its gallery of illustrated people, without forgetting the free tasting.
Full day excursion in the Tarn Canyon and continuation to Montpellier. Day drive 120 miles. From Millau (16 miles x 2) you will go and discover the French “Grand Canyon the Gorges du Tarn. Little cruise with “Les Bateliers des Gorges du Tarn”. on the spectacular part of the canyon listed by UNESCO as a beautiful natural landscape.
Lunch in the Gorges du Tarn.
Transfer to La Couvertoirade (16 miles), one of the most beautiful villages of France lost on a desert plateau of Causses du Larzac listed by UNESCO as a beautiful natural landscape. Proceed to Montpellier (50 miles)
Dinner and night in/around Montpellier
Many options are offered out of Montpellier and your stay could be for 3 nights or more depending on interest and available time.
Visit of Montpellier and its famous Fabre Museum with more of 900 works of Fine-Art (paintings, sculptures, lavish decorative art).
Lunch in Montpellier.
Afternoon transfer to the seaside at La Grande Motte (16 miles) to discover its unique architecture listed “Great Site of Occitanie” as a 20th Century Heritage. Then visit Aigues-Mortes (6 miles), a lovely fortified village and discover a traditional “Camargue Manade “(white horses and black cattle) or have a cruise on a canal in the Camargue marsh or discover the salt marshes and the pink flamingos with a touristic train tour. Then enjoy for dinner a typical horse and flamenco show in the “Cabaret Equestre”. Return to Montpellier (22 miles) and overnight.
Option 1 Nîmes, Uzes and Pont du Gard (100 miles)
Transfer to Nimes, the “French Roma” which combines some of the most fabulous vestiges of Roman Art in France and a brand new Museum : the “Musée de la Romanité” (opening in June 2018 with more than 25000 roman works and an amazing panoramic restaurant.
Lunch in Nimes.
Transfer to Uzes, a lovely Art & History labeled city, with its typical“Provence” market. Transfer To the Pont du Gard roman aqueduct (UNESCO Site). Visit of the Pont du Gard. Return to Montpellier (dinner and night in Montpellier)
Option 2 Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Thau lagoon or extra day 96 miles
Morning: transfer to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (28 miles). Visit of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (listed as a stage on the Pilgrimage way to Santiago de Compostela). In the heart of the Hérault Gorges, the medieval village of Saint-Guilhem-le- Désert , built around the Abbey of Gellone is one of the most beautiful villages in France and a jewel of romanesque Art. Transfer to the banks of Thau lagoon at Marseillan (39 miles)
Lunch at Tarbouriech
Domaine Tarbouriech is an amazing oysters farm and tourism resort offering treatments based on products from the best shellfishes. Oyster tasting, catering, care, relaxation on the program. Visit of Maison Noilly-Prat (favorite James Bond wermouth) : discover the unique production site of Noilly Prat vermouth
In the afternoon: Cap d’Agde and Sète.
Transfer to The Cap d’Agde (8 miles). Cruise along the volcanic coast of the Cap d’Agde and approach the Island of Fort-Brescou castle. Proceed to Sete (16 miles) : Have a walk along the harbor and enjoy a magic view from the Mont Saint-Clair on the sandy beaches between the Pyrenees and the Rhone delta (Camargue).
Return to Montpellier (25 miles). Dinner and night in Montpellier.
Narbonne – Fontfroide or Perpignan Approximately 100 miles
Transfer to Narbonne (50 miles). Visit of Narbonne (labeled City of Art and History). Tour in the first roman city in France (Gaule) founded in 188 BC and the ancient cradle of french wine-making. Don’t miss the Saint Just-and-Saint-Pasteur Gothic cathedral, the Archbishops’ palace (2nd largest Catholic Palace in France after Popes’ Palace of Avignon), the narrow streets of the historical centre, the 1900-style covered market, the underground galleries from the Roman time and the Canal de la Robine (UNESCO site).
Lunch at The Grands Buffets restaurant. This Narbonne all-you-can-eat restaurant proposes a journey through 350 different products from among the great classic of French traditional cuisine, with its old-fashioned Rotisserie, its Tripe, Kidneys and Stews. For your drinks : Every bottle is served at producer prices, choose from a selection of over 70 local, all available by the glass.
Transfer to Fontfroide Abbey (8 miles)
On the foothills of the Corbières, at the end of a wild valley lined with pine trees and vines, the Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide is tucked away. Today the historic 12th c. site is in a state of exceptional conservation. Continuation to Perpignan (44 miles) – Visit Perpignan, the French Catalunya capital (Dinner and night in Perpignan) Possibility to end the loop of Occitanie and continue to Spain tomorrow, returning to the US from Barcelona airport).
Transfer to Carcassonne (85 miles). Visit of the Cité de Carcassonne, the greatest medieval fortress in all Europe (UNESCO site). The fortress of Carcassonne looks like a medieval film set. The spectacular walled town is one of France’s most famous national monuments built between the 12th and 14th c.
Lunch at Carcassonne.
Cruise on the Canal du Midi (UNESCO site) or Transfer to the Chateau de Pennautier : the “Little Versailles of Languedoc” ( 5 km). Visit this beautiful castle, taste the local wine and enjoy the “à la française” park and gardens. Continuation to Toulouse (56 miles). Dinner and Night in Toulouse.
End of the tour in Occitanie.
You will close the loop as you return to Toulouse, from where you could continue your visit through France going to Bordeaux and Nouvelle Aquitaine, returning to Paris by train or taking your flight back to the US. This loop covers approximately between 550 and 600 miles depending on the options you may choose.
Celestial Voyagers will be happy to prepare a special trip for you entirely tailor-made to your taste, your special interests, and your budget.
This sample tour is just an example of a specific itinerary related to the country we just described to give you an idea of what is available in that country when you travel.
All our trips are tailor-made and we are at your disposal to plan your trip in consideration of how many people will be traveling, how many days you wish to travel, the season, the standard and the location of the hotels, the amount of meals you wish to include, the guided tours or experiences which will show you not only the “must see” landmarks but also the special interest sites and events you will love that are off the beaten track.
Francoise is the president and founder of Celestial Voyagers. She graduated with a tourism degree at Nice University in France and has worked as a tour director and operations manager in France, Australia and Mexico. Settling in New York City, she founded Celestial Voyagers with the aim of creating uniquely curated group travel for adults and Academia.