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“Occitanie Great Sites“ from the UNESCO Heritage – The cities you can’t miss and the “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 complete tour will allow you to discover the most remarkable of them.
Arrival in Occitanie region. You may arrive at the international airport of Nice or Marseilles, or you can take the speed train, from Paris. TGV trains do Paris – Nimes in only 3 hours. Transfer to your hotel and check-in for 2 nights. Visit of 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.
Full day excursion in Provence (approximately 100 miles)
Transfer to Uzes, a lovely Art & History labeled city, with its typical “Provence” market. Transfer To the Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct (UNESCO Site).
Lunch at the Pont du Gard.
Visit of the Pont du Gard. Transfer to Aigues-Mortes, a lovely fortified village, and enjoy a typical horse and flamenco show in a Cabaret.
Dinner at the Cabaret Equestre. Return and overnight in Nimes.
Depart after breakfast. En route to Toulouse, you will visit Montpellier and Carcassonne. (182 miles drive)
Your first stop is in Montpellier (25 miles). Visit of Montpellier and its famous Fabre Museum. Lunch in the historic center. Continuation to Carcassonne (100 miles). Visit of the Cité de Carcassonne, the greatest medieval fortress in all Europe (UNESCO site). Leave Carcassonne for Toulouse (57 miles) and check-in at your hotel for 3 nights
Dinner and Night in Toulouse.
Morning guided walking tour: Visit of Toulouse, the capital of Occitanie nicknamed the “Pink city” and have a cruise on the river Garonne.
Lunch in Toulouse
In the afternoon you go to Blagnac for the visit of Airbus factory and Aeroscopia aeronautic Museum. Should you prefer this option, you could visit Fronton vineyard’s (30min. north from Toulouse) which won 2017 Wine Region of the Year Award as a part of Southwest France vineyards.
Dinner and night in Toulouse
2 options
Option 1: Dordogne & Lot Valley
This option could be done in one busy day or preferably if you have time in 2 leisurely days. The total mileage is around 250 miles drive. Transfer to the Gouffre de Padirac, a natural 75 metres chasm which is the most famous underground site in France and there you will enjoy a unique experience tasting the famous Cahors Malbec black wine 103 meters underground. (110 miles)
Transfer to Rocamadour (10 miles) and lunch at Rocamadour
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. Proceed to Cahors (39 miles) to discover the beautiful Pont Valentré also listed UNESCO as a major medieval bridge on the way to Santiago de Compostela. After Cahors, transfer to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (25 mile) elected Prefered village by French people!
Way back to Toulouse (69 miles)
Dinner and night in Toulouse
Option 2: A quiet day in the French Toscany: Albi, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Gaillac vineyards
This could be an additional day to the program. (116 miles drive). Transfer to Albi (50 miles) after breakfast. Visit of the Episcopal city of Albi (UNESCO Site) and its Toulouse-Lautrec Museum (world-famous French painter).
Lunch at Albi
Transfer to Cordes-sur-Ciel, one of the “Most beautiful villages in France”. (16 miles) On the way back to Toulouse, stop and taste Gaillac wines in a winery (Gaillac vineyard is the oldest vineyard in France with fabulous landscapes called the “French Toscane”).
Return to Toulouse (50 miles) for dinner and overnight.
Morning drive to Lourdes (112 miles).Check-in at the hotel on arrival for 2 nights. Lunch. Afternoon visit of Lourdes, the 1st spiritual sanctuary in France. Then take the funicular to get to the top of Pic du Ger and have an amazing view over the sanctuary, the castle and the town of Lourdes.
Dinner in Lourdes. In the evening, at 8:30 pm do not miss the “candle processions”, an unforgettable spiritual experience!
Overnight in Lourdes.
Full day excursion in the Pyrenees Mountains (about 125 miles). Transfer to the Pic du Midi (30 miles) Visit of the Pic du Midi, the “Vessel of the stars” and enjoy the scenic view above all the Pyrenees mountains at 2877 meters and discover Europe’s highest planetarium. Since 2018 a new attraction, at the “Pontoon in the Sky” – will give you the feeling that you are walking on clouds or that they are flying.
Lunch at the Pic du Midi restaurant: panoramic view on the highest summits of the Pyrenees.
Then you will go to the Cirque de Gavarnie, “the Colossus of the Pyrenees” in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park. This incredible natural mountain site is UNESCO listed with its highest waterfall in Europe, its giant cliffs and its summits covered with eternal snows. For your last dinner in Occitanie: enjoy “Le Viscos” in Saint Savin, a gastronomic restaurant located in a typical mountain village.
Overnight in Lourdes Km
End of the tour in Occitanie.
You could return to the US, with an international flight out of Toulouse, or continue your visit to France going to Bordeaux and Nouvelle Aquitaine, or return to Paris by TGV.
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.