Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon is a region in the South of France. It borders the Mediterranean Sea and has five départements: Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère and Pyrénées Orientales. Its county-town Montpellier is about ten kilometres away from the sea.

This region spreads in a curve along the Mediterranean coast from the Spanish boarder to the Rhone estuary offering diverse landscapes. Its excellent white and red wines are contributing to its fame. Worldwide, Languedoc-Roussillon is particularly known for the city of Carcassonne, the greatest fortress in Europe:  two surrounding protecting walls which are more than 3 km long. Every year, more than 3 thousand tourists come to visit the medieval city classified as World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This historical monument is one of the most known in France.

This region is has a rich culture, real treasures are right in front of you, one there. These lands where already known during the Roman Empire, e.g. the Galia Narbonensis and are still nowadays some of their impressing constructions are visible. Without naming them all, the most interesting are: the fragments of the Via Domitia, the first Romain road, built in 118 BC.
In front of the Narbonne's City Hall, one can find a paved part of this road (at 1,5m beyond the current road level). Another monument one should not miss out on is the Gard Bridge built in 50 AD. 48m high, 360m long, it has 3 levels of arcades and is the highest Roman aqueduct in Europe. In Nîmes and Arles, the perfectly conserved Roman arenas are still used for corridas (bull-fights) or different kind of spectacles.

One of the symbols of Languedoc, especially of Roussillon, is "the little yellow train of Cerdagne". It is a touristic train in yellow and red (the Catalan colours). For more than 100 years, it travels a 60km long way through the Catalan Pyrénées from Villefranche de Conflent to Latour-de-Carol. From its waggons with a platform, the tourists may admire the breathtaking landscape. On its trip to Latour-de-Carol, it takes 19 tunnels and 2 bridges (the Séjourné viaduct which is 236.70m long and the Gisclard bridge which is the last French railway suspension bridge which is 253m long. Both are classified historical monuments).

The Cévennes National Park is a remarkable place of conservation of numerous species. Its peak, the Mount Lozère, culminates the chestnut Cévennes Valley with its 1699m.

In the Pyrénées, the landscape is shaped by treacherous mountain peaks separated by steep valleys. One will discover sumptuous caves with stalactites, stalagmites and colourful rocks.