Languedoc walking tours - Languedoc bike tours

See all our tours in Languedoc region

Languedoc and Roussillon comprise 5 departments, and is now part of the Occitania region (former Midi-Pyrénées). It is bordered on the one side by Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.

The region is made up of the following historical provinces : province of Languedoc, province of Gévaudan : today's Lozère department and a collection of five historical Catalan pays : Roussillon, Vallespir, Conflent, Capcir, and Cerdagne.

The Languedoc-Roussillon region is dominated by 740,300 acres (2,996 km2) of vineyards, three times the combined area of the vineyards in Bordeaux. The region has been an important winemaking centre for centuries. Grapevines are said to have existed in the South of France since the Pliocene period - before the existence of Homo sapiens. The first vineyards of Gaul developed around two towns: Béziers and Narbonne. The Mediterranean climate and plentiful land with soil ranging from rocky sand to thick clay was very suitable for the production of wine, and it is estimated that one in ten bottles of the world's wine was produced in this region during the 20th century. Despite this enormous quantity, the area's significance was often overlooked by scholarly publications and commercial journals, largely because very little of the wine being produced was classified under an appellation contrôlée until the 1980s.

The French side of Catalonia, with Perpignan as the main city, includes the famous COLLIOURE CADAQUES walking trail aslo called the Col Cad trail. It starts from Collioure and ends on the Spanish side of Catalonia in Cadaques. Both cities were frequented by famous painters because of the unique light that can be enjoyed there.

The Cathar Castles Trail is also another attractive area for those fond of History and medieval castles.

The Canal du Midi also crosses the area since it goes through in Carcassonne and follows up to  Montpellier

Carcassonne, the Unesco World Heritage medieval fortress, is also the departure point of our walking tour on GR78 also called the Foothill or Pyrenean Piemont Route. This is a Way of St James itinerary along the foothill of the Pyrenees up to Lourdes and St Jean Pied de Port, the starting point of the Camino Frances.