Printable destination guide
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Languedoc-Roussillon
France
- Countryside
- Med-side mountains and mediaeval marvels
- Country life
- Brocante browsing, aqueduct admiring
Sprawling from the chestnut-dotted Cévennes Mountains to a flamingo-flanked Mediterranean Coast, by way of magnificent ancient cities and rolling winelands, this region has reason to puff out its chest when declaring its geographical and metropolitan offerings.
Not only does Languedoc-Roussillon boast breathtaking sun-soaked landscapes and world-class eating and drinking, but each slice of this Provence-complementing province has its own distinct flavour. Soak up the vineyards of the Uzège, ogle the awe-inspiring Pont du Gard and take in superb Roman relics in Nîmes. Then spice up your time away by dipping into a calendar of cultural treasures old and new in Uzès and Montpellier.
Pictured: Jardins Secrets
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Languedoc-Roussillon. There are more Smith hotels nearby in Provence and Vaucluse.
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Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
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The best Languedoc-Roussillon has to offer, from picturesque picnic points to the best tourist tick-boxes…
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We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Languedoc-Roussillon.
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Here is the map of Languedoc-Roussillon; each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag; click it for more details.
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Local knowledge
- Taxis
- You’re unlikely to need a cab in the smaller cities, since the streets were made for strolling; in Montpellier there’s a shiny tramway linking the station, Place de la Comédie and the Eighties-built new town, Antigone. If you do want one, it’s not possible to flag taxis down; you’ll need to call them and, if it’s a late-night-returning-to-the-sticks scenario, book in advance through your hotel.
- Tipping culture
- A 15 per cent service charge is included in French restaurant and café bills by law; it is also usual to round up the bill or leave a few euros. Tip taxis 10 per cent.
- Siesta and Fiesta
- Most shops open from 09h–12h and 15h–19h and are closed on Sunday. Banks open from 09h–12h then 13h30–17h30. People usually go out to eat around 20h. Lunch service often ends at 13h30. There are no nightclubs – it’s a sleepy area.
- Packing tips
- Cobble-friendly sandals rather than stilettos; proper sunglasses; foldaway extra bag for all the cool old Pastis bottles, glassware and mid-century lamps you’ll find in the brocantes.
- Recommended reads
- The poems of Sète-born Paul Valéry, sometime surrealist and namesake of Montpellier’s university of arts and literature. The Incomplete Husband by Ben Faccini.
- Cuisine
- Look out for bourride de Sète, a local seafood speciality. Cassoulet is the regional dish of the Languedoc-Roussillon. The area is also well known for three foods: a zingy goat's cheese called Pélardon; garlic – which is grown in abundance here; and olive oil. Expect a combination of them in most restaurants, if not most dishes. All of these are best purchased from a local market (usually on Wednesday mornings and all day on Saturdays), or from speciality deli and grocer's Les Terroirs à Uzès, at 5 Place aux Herbes, in Uzès. Wash down with the region's plentiful supply of Rhône Valley reds and rosemary-tinged white wines.
- Currency
- Euro (€).
- Dialing codes
- Country code for France: 33. Languedoc-Roussillon: (0)4.
- Do go/don't go
- High season (July, August and early September) is the busiest tourist period, but it’s more buzzy than crowded. Late September is quieter, but there’s still some action to be had.
Getting there
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
- Planes
- Regular flights zip to Montpellier from all major UK cities, and Ryanair operates flights to Nîmes from Stansted, Luton and Liverpool (www.ryanair.com).
- Trains
- There are speedy TGV links with Paris (the journey takes about three and a half hours). Convenient stations include Arles, Avignon, Carcassonne, Marseille, Montpellier and Nîmes (www.tgv.co.uk).
- Automobiles
- You’ll definitely want one if you plan to explore the region, although if it’s a short city-break you have in mind, you’re better off on foot within the old towns such as Nîmes and Uzès: swaths have been pedestrianised, and one-way ruelles are maddening for motorists. For a jaunt to the coast or the countryside, hire cars or mopeds are a good alternative to the bus network.
Worth getting out of bed for
The best Languedoc-Roussillon has to offer, from picturesque picnic points to the best tourist tick-boxes…
Literally Languedoc-Roussillon
Centred on the carte-postale-parfait Place aux Herbes, mediaeval Uzès’ fruits aren’t just the ones available at its acclaimed twice-weekly Provençal market. Harking back to a 17th and 18th-century silk-production heyday when it was home to the Duchy of France, Uzès promises magnificent mansions and glorious churches – spectacular spots that regularly enjoy a new lease of cultural life when they play backdrop to events throughout the summer.
- Viewpoint
- Les Cévennes provide a healthy climb with incredible views, accessed from the Parc du Duché gardens in Uzès.
- Arts and culture
- If you want your breath stolen by some ancient sites, visit the 20,000-seat Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, which doubles as a bullring and theatre venue. Then check out the Maison Carrée temple that occupies the site of the old Roman forum. To gen up on the town’s art and history, hit Musée D’Uzès on Georges Borais (+33 (0)4 66 22 40 23). For a more frivolous excursion, the sweet-toothed will drool over the Musée du Bonbon on Pont des Charettes (+33 (0)4 66 22 74 39; www.haribo.com), curated and owned by those purveyors of pocket-money favourites, Haribo.
- Something for nothing
- Bus shelters aren’t usually an obvious sight to earmark on the tourist trail –unless they come courtesy of designer du jour Philippe Starck; located on Avenue Carnot in Nîmes.
- Shopping
- Pick up the tastiest local produce on market days. Uzès has a Saturday market selling home-made goodies, from honey to linen quilts. Brocantes and antiques litter the streets around Place aux Herbes in Uzès. Rue de la Madeleine in Nîmes is great for window-shopping. For labels, head to Rue Saint-Firmin and marble-paved Rue de l’Ancien-Courrier in Montpellier; other upmarket boutiques can be found among the high-street names around Rue de la Loge and Place de la Comédie. At the east end of the same is the Polygone centre, with Zara, Sephora and Galeries Lafayette, plus a supermarket. Regional foodie treats can be had on Rue de l’Argenterie (we like the sweets at Pinto, number 14), and at Les Arceaux market; for second-hand French literature, try the Rue de l’Université.
- Daytripper
- Pont du Gard, the famed triple-decker aqueduct built by the Romans to deliver drinking water from Uzès through the hills of the Uzège to Nîmes (and now featuring on the Unesco world heritage list) is a feat of engineering to be marvelled at. Pont du Gard (0820 903 330; www.pontdugard.fr) is free to view, but bring some change to pay for parking.
- Best beach
- One of Languedoc-Roussillon’s best beaches is just south of Montpellier at La Grande Motte, though the city’s summer playground of Palavas-les-Flots is another option, with good bus links. Great day trips include flamingo-watching in the Camargue, where gypsies and cowboys congregate at Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer; and ramparts make for great photos at the walled town of Aigues-Mortes. A hidden treasure of a beach, Beauduc is near Porte de St Louis du Rome in the Camargue: if you can find the right path, a 20-minute walk will take you to a beach you’re likely to have all to yourself.
- Perfect Picnic
- Green year-round, the Jardins de la Fontaine in Nîmes were once hailed as the grandest in Europe. In Uzès, the gardens of the Parc du Duché are comparably beautiful. For something a little further away, there’s a small cave (La Grotte de la Baume) half an hour’s walk away, towards Pont St Nicholas.
- Activities
- Float around in a wicker basket propelled by fire: go hot air ballooning. A one-hour flight across the region costs €220 an adult, with Les Montgolfièrs du Sud (+33 (0)4 66 37 28 02, www.sudmontgolfiere.com). Paragliding is available at the nearby village of Seynes (+33 (0)4 66 83 17 07, www.parapentesud.com). If the water’s warm, take a canoe out at Gardon (45 minutes away) – try ABC Euro canoe (+33 (0)4 66 22 45 33) or Kayak Vert (+33 (0)4 66 22 80 76; www.canoe-france.com/gardon).
Diary
Uzès has a hectic calendar, with a festival to suit all tastes: 1 May May Day Flower Festival in Uzès. 2–29 June Printemps des Comédiens (www.printempsdescomediens.com) brings global theatre and circus performance to Montpellier. June Artists and choreographers from all over the world arrive in Uzès for its Modern Dance Festival (www.Uzès danse.fr) and Festival Internationale Montpellier Danse in the region’s capital. July Nîmes Festival is a colourful celebration of culture, contemporary and classical (www.festivaldenimes.com). Late July Classical Music Festival (http://nuitsmusicaleuzes.org). September It’s all about the bullfighting at the Féria de Pentecôte, which lasts for five days in Nîmes. October The Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival is an important date on the global-cinema calendar. November The Festival d’Abrivado – a Camarguais bull race at Ste Marie de la Mer – sees dozens of kamikaze cowboys charging across the beach.
Eating, drinking and dancing
A selection of Mr & Mrs Smith's favourite restaurants, bars and cafés in Languedoc-Roussillon. There are more Smith favourites just across the border in nearby Provence and Vaucluse, so check out our eating and drinking recommendations in those destinations, too.
Cafés
Les Terroirs
Delicious olive oils, tapenades, terrines, spices and sweets are even available to order online from this top-notch deli-café and shop on the main square of mediaeval duchy Uzès (www.enviedeterroirs.com). Stop off for lunch or a light, super-casual summer supper and try a tartine or two…
5 Place aux Herbes, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 03 41 90)
La Cour de l’Eglise
A coffee and light lunch stop at the rear of an antiques shop, with an outside terrace. Home-made ice-cream, cakes, sharing platters and sandwiches. Closed Mondays.
30 Boulevard Charles Gide, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 22 25 65)
Le 80 Jours
Traditional French fare at a great value bar-café. Outside tables have a view of the Mairie; inside, beer is on tap under vaulted ceilings. Lunch 12–1.30pm; dinner 7.30–9.30pm.
2 Place Albert, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 22 09 89)
Café at Trois Salons
A pretty paved café under the arches, perfect for a coffee and pastry pit-stop.
18 Rue du Blanchard, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 22 57 34)
Restaurants
Le Jardin des Sens
A celebrated Michelin-starred showcase in Montpellier for the cooking of the Pourcel brothers, where foodie pilgrims are nourished spectacularly by brilliant reinventions of Mediterranean flavours.
11 Avenue Saint Lazare, 34000, Montpellier
(+33 4 99 58 38 38)
Le Tracteur
Keep an eye peeled for the rusting orange vintage tractor that marks the location of this unpretentious and intimate restaurant in a converted farm building. Tabletops are made from old wine-cask ends, and an open kitchen serves a simple three-course menu that changes daily depending on what the chef finds in the local markets. Two choices for each course include seasonal comfort food such as velouté of squash with cep mushrooms and duck’s liver.
Sanilhac, near Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 37 19 31)
Les Trois Salons
A charming white-linened restaurant with three rooms (as the name suggests) – each with differing decor and ambience; the middle room is panelled with an open fire. There’s also a stunning courtyard for alfresco dining. Closed Mondays.
18 Rue du Blanchard, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 22 57 34)
Le 9
This courtyard restaurant in Nîmes has a relaxed, romantic atmosphere, and serves excellent fish dishes.
9 Rue de L’Etoile, 30000 Nîmes
(+33 (0)4 66 21 80 77)
Le Grain de Soleil
This terraced farmhouse restaurant in Nîmes is a top choice for organic and vegetarian food.
16 Avenue de l'Ecluse, 3000, Nîmes
(+33 (0)4 66 38 97 94)
Les Fontaines
For a vaulted ceiling and stripy tablecloth experience, with earthy honest dishes of the season and fantastic wine recommendations, book yourself into this Uzès gastro-treat. Lunch: 12h–14h30; dinner 19h–20h. Closed Mondays.
6 Rue Entre les Tours, 30700 Uzès
(+33 (0)4 66 22 41 20)
Bars and clubs
L’Exaequo
This inventive bar-restaurant in Nîmes is perfect for late-night mojitos and flamenco.
11 Rue Bigot, 30900, Nîmes
(+33 (0)4 66 21 71 96)
©2008 Mr & Mrs Smith
