A trip through Languedoc-Roussillon

Arrival at the hotel in the late morning, check-in to rooms.
Regional welcome aperitif with local produce, presentation of the stay by the team and your guide, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast.
Departure for a half-day at a manade (bull ranch), welcome by the manadier, presentation of the manade by the riders on horseback, explanation of customs and traditions.
Typical Camargue regional lunch in an old stone cellar.
Departure for Aigues-Mortes, stopping on the way at a wine cellar for a tasting of vin des sables (sand wine). Visit of the medieval city of King Saint Louis: its 13th-century ramparts, the Tour de Constance, its church and its Protestant temple.
Discovery of the Salins du Midi by little train, one of the largest salt works in Europe.
Return to the hotel via La Grande-Motte and its futuristic architecture.
Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, then departure for a visit of Roman Arles, a veritable open-air museum.
During the walk through the streets of the old town, you will discover beautiful private mansions built from the 16th to the 18th century in the golden stone of the Alpilles, the amphitheatre (visit of the arena), the ancient theatre, the town hall and many other architectural treasures.
Stroll through the largest market in Provence, dating from 1584, which is not only one of the most beautiful in Provence but also one of the largest.
With each trader occupying an average of 5 linear metres, the Saturday market offers more than 2.5 km of stalls. You will find everything there: fruit and vegetables, cheeses, flowers and spices, meat and fish, honey, all kinds of fresh produce and regional products such as olive oil, Arles sausage, Camargue rice and tellines, as well as fabrics, crafts…
Lunch. Departure for a visit of Les Baux-de-Provence and discovery of the Alpilles range.
On the way back, stop at the Carrières des Lumières: visit and contemplation of the show projected onto the walls of the underground quarry.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, then departure for Avignon.
Discovery and visit of the Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages, both fortress and palace; during the 14th century this papal residence was the seat of Western Christendom. Six conclaves were held in the palace of Avignon, each ending in the election of a pope.
Then a few dance steps on the famous Pont d’Avignon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lunch. In the early afternoon, visit of an olive grove in an old mill, discovery of the different stages of olive oil production & tasting.
On the way back to the hotel, discovery of the Pont du Gard, a masterpiece of ancient architecture; the aqueduct is one of the finest Roman constructions in the region. The fruit of extraordinary architecture, the Pont du Gard is one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world. It is exceptional for its size: at 49 metres high, it is the tallest Roman aqueduct bridge in the world. Finally, it is remarkable for its excellent state of preservation, which today earns it admiration as a masterpiece of human creative genius.
It is the only example of a three-tiered ancient bridge still standing today. Nearly a thousand men worked on this colossal project, completed in just 5 years.
Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast and departure by tram for a visit of Montpellier.
Discovery of the historic centre: you will wander through the maze of medieval lanes; let yourself be guided and discover the city through the ages up to the present day, between ancient and modern monuments:
cathedral, church, Arc de Triomphe, Promenade Royale du Peyrou and its aqueduct, the oldest faculty of pharmacy in Europe, theatre, Place de la Comédie and its esplanade – a city for all generations “where the sun never sets”.
Lunch at the hotel, then departure for Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, listed among the most beautiful villages in France and a “Grand Site”.
A medieval village on the edge of the Hérault gorges, spanned by the Pont du Diable, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the abbey dating from 804, which houses the relics of the Holy Cross given by Charlemagne.
A very important stage on the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela.
Discovery and exploration of the Grotte de Clamouse, ranked among the most beautiful caves in France.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast.
Departure for Sète, discovery of Mont Saint-Clair and its exceptional panorama. On the way down, stop at the fishermen’s cemetery, a place of pilgrimage to the grave of Georges Brassens.
On to the Thau basin. Arrival at the Mas Conchylicole in Bouzigues, welcome by the owner, discovery of the skills and work involved in farming the shellfish of the Thau basin.
Aperitif, shellfish tasting and lunch at the Mas.
In the early afternoon, boat trip on the Étang de Thau, the largest lagoon on the Languedoc coast: guided tour of the oyster beds, drifting with the waves among the farming tables where, day after day, the shellfish farmers hang their ropes of shellfish.
Back on dry land, on to a wine château devoted to the local aperitif, “muscat”, for a tasting.
Return to the hotel, “farewell” aperitif with local produce, to the sound of the guitar!
Regional dinner dance with Carlos (lively atmosphere and flamenco demonstration) and overnight stay.

It’s only “goodbye for now”…
Breakfast and return journey.