The whole area offers many sightseeing opportunities, with the Camargue (1 ½ hours away) the Pyrenees and Spanish border (2 hours), mountains and gorges of the Cevennes (1 ½ hours) and the Regional Parc du Haut Languedoc (40 mins), all within a days outing.

There are a number of fine cities, within reasonable distance from Autignac:

The nearest is Beziers, 20 kms from us where the attractions include a fine cathedral, old and new arenas, where bull fighting takes place, Allees Paul Riquet, a pedestrianised area with a weekly flower market (also a vast weekly general market ), the Canal du Midi, which runs past the edge of the city and incorporates the renowned “Neuf Ecleuses” a nine lock system, together with a theatre and many good shops and restaurants. The Feria de Beziers in August is the biggest festival of the year in the South of France and lasts 4/5 days attracting 800,000 people. Attractions include concerts, dances, street music, equestrian shows and a fantastic procession of floats in the town centre.

Montpellier, the largest city of the region, lies approx an hour to the north of Autignac, where attractions include a wide central square, the Place de la Comedie, the Polygone (a smart new shopping complex), a fine old quarter, the Arc de Tromphe and the Jardin de Plantes, the oldest botanical garden in France.

Perpignan is a pleasant southerly city with palms and plane trees lining it’s promenade and lies about 1 ¼ hours away from Autignac. Between it and Beziers is Narbonne, a quiet town with one of the tallest gothic cathedrals in France.

Inland, Carcassone can be reached in about 1 ¼ hours and is renowned as Europe’s largest medieval fortress and one of the best preserved (La Cite). Horse drawn carriages provide guided tours or you can explore on your own. La Cite lies just outside the present city which has an impressive old quarter too. Also well worthy of note is a birds of prey centre on the edge of La Cite where there are superb daily flying displays of falcons, eagles and vultures.

Other attractions recommended for a day out include :

Sete, at the Mediterranean end of the Canal du Midi is France’s largest Mediterranean port after Marseille and the Languedoc’s leading fishing port, mainly sardines and tuna. Excellent outdoor fish restaurants and cafes line the canal banks where famous nautical jousts are held several times each summer.

Pezenas, formerly one of the leading towns of Languedoc, has a fine ensemble of 15 – 17 century houses, still largely intact, which bear witness to it’s proud past. Visitors can explore the old quarter to view the finest of these buildings, on foot. There is a large Saturday market and various traditional events throughout the year.

Minerve, N.E. OF Carcassone, a fascinating old hamlet built on a limestone cliff which dominates the vineyards of the Minervois that stretch for miles below and produce some of the best Languedoc wine. There are ramparts and 11C church and small museum of pre-history.

St. Guilhem le Desert 42 km N.W of Montpellier is another fascinating old village, remote, historic and very picturesque, together with adjacent grottos well worth a visit.

The Canal du Midi, constructed 1666 by up to 12,000 men and women runs through the region and it’s 235 km and 100 locks link the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It was created and funded by Paul Riquet a tax farmer from Beziers. It is lined throughout it’s length by majestic plane trees which become a spectacular golden colour in the Autumn. The towpaths offer superb cyling and walking opportunities and you can hire a boat or take a cruise between various centres from Sete to Carcassone.

Roquebrun - a fine old village perched on the banks of the river Orb, in the Regional Parc du Haut Languedoc; you can picnic on the plage or canoe on the river. It has a supposed micro-climate, enabling a Mediterranean garden, open the public, to thrive on slopes above the town. It’s weekly market is on Wednesday and there are various events throughout the year, including a mimosa festival in February.