We are planning a home exchange with a French family, and currently, there are 2 families who are interested--one family lives in Vendargues, between Montpellier and Nimes. The other family is in Badarrides, closer to Avignon.
We are from Bethesda, MD, right outside of Washington, DC, and are planning our August vacation now because we want to use miles to make our plan reservations.
I%26#39;m trying to get a sense of these 2 destinations vis-a-vis other places to visit in Provence, and your email above was most helpful, since I know that Vendargues is between Nimes and Montpellier. We%26#39;re leaning towards the exchange w/this family because they have a pool, which would be very nice in August, and also AC, which we would very much like--we hate to sweat at night!
Any feedback from you about these 2 villages/areas would be most appreciated.
Thanks.
Barbara
|||
Vendargues is seen as a desirable residential area for people working in Montpellier.
It is close to the N terminus of Montpellier tram line 2, as well as the Cevennes hills and the beach resorts.
It is close to the A9 coastal autoroute, which (via A54 and A8) is the main road linking Italy to Spain.
Local places to visit :
Montpellier, regional capital of Languedoc Rousillon, and Herault is an old university town. Medical schools were established during the occupation by the Moors around the 9th century. The Moors, at that time, were the most advanced scientific culture in the Mediterranean basin. Today Montpellier has stunning modern architecture alongside an ancient centre. The tram makes it easy to visit the numerous art galleries and museums.
Nimes, the capital of Gard, was the Nemausus of Roman history. The arena (built AD or BC 0) is still in use. The old city and Maison Carre are worth visiting.
Arles is of interest for its extensive Roman remains and also it%26#39;s artistic history.
Narbonne, just outside Languedoc, has fine Roman remains.
Mountain areas include Mt Aigoual, Anduze, Florac, Ganges, Gorge du Tarn, Mt Lozere, Mende, Millau, St Guilhem le Desert, St Hippolyte du Fort, St Enimie, Sauve, Le Vigan,
Coastal towns include Beziers, Bouzigues, Camargue, Canal du Midi, Cap d’Agde, Grande Motte, Grau de Roi %26amp; Port Camargue, Maguelone, Marseillan, Meze, Sete.
Historical interest in Aigues Mortes, Beaucaire, Lodeve, Pezenas, Sommieres, Uzes, Pont du Gard, Lunel (inc Ambrussum).
There are many other towns, outside Languedoc, but within reach and worth visiting. The majority of these can be reached by car within less than 2 hours, but Barcelona is just under 3 hours from Montpellier. A small selection -Aix en Provence, Andorra, Avignon, Banyuls, Barcelona, Les Calanques, Carcasonne, Ceret, Collioure, Figueras (Dali museum), Girona, Gorge d’Ardeche, Larzac, Les Baux de Provence, Marseille, Martigues, Mont Ventoux, Orange, Perpignan, Tautavel, Toulon.
More information on this area : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/tourism
Peter
|||
Peter,
Thanks so much for your helpful reply! I cut and pasted it into my holiday plan document. I also looked at the excellent link on the Langueduc, but wondering, in your opinion--what are some %26#39;not to be missed%26#39; or %26#39;must see/do%26#39; places/things in the environs around Montpellier and Nimes? We%26#39;ve already go lots of places we want to visit, but would appreciate input from an %26#39;expert.%26#39;
Thanks so much,
Barbara
|||
Peter,
Thanks so much for your helpful reply! I cut and pasted it into my holiday plan document. I also looked at the excellent link on the Langueduc, but wondering, in your opinion--what are some %26#39;not to be missed%26#39; or %26#39;must see/do%26#39; places/things in the environs around Montpellier and Nimes? We%26#39;ve already go lots of places we want to visit, but would appreciate input from an %26#39;expert.%26#39;
Thanks so much,
Barbara
|||
Peter/p.s.
I think you gave us enough in your last posting, but if it were you--which ones would absolutely be sure to include from the great list of suggestions you already gave me?
Barbara
|||
Peter/p.s.
I think you gave us enough in your last posting, but if it were you--which ones would absolutely be sure to include from the great list of suggestions you already gave me?
Barbara
|||
My favourite from the list... the Pont du Gard.
|||
it%26#39;s on my list, too! Much thanks...
|||
Difficult to say without knowing your interests, but
I wouldn%26#39;t miss the following around Nimes %26amp; Montpellier:
History : Aigues Mortes, Pont du Gard, Pezenas, Nimes Arenes, Sommieres (Sat morning market), Lattes archeology museum, Avignon, Arles arenes, Sauve, Uzes.
Food : Bouzigues (fishing village), Sete (port), Sommieres (Sat market), Anduze / St Jean du Gard (Cevennol food), St Maries de la Mer (Spanish / Camarguais food).
Art : Arles, Lodeve, Montpellier %26amp; Nimes museums / galleries
Other : Millau bridge + roquefort cheese caves (about 1.5 hrs north of montpellier), Corniches du Cevennes (St Jean du Gard to Florac - Cevennol mountain views),
Might be worth asking other residents here : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/forum . They are all experts as as guides to their visitors and relatives.
You can get a feel for this places either reading about them on Wiki (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzes ) or using google image search (e.g. images.google.co.uk/images… )
Regards
Peter
|||
I%26#39;d like to put in a plea for a visit to St Marie de la Mer - nearish to Arles, at the tip of the Peninsula, sometimes hard to know if you are in Spain or France, The Atlantic or the Med, this town has loads of charm, it%26#39;s windy, rugged, the Texas of France, the place, legend has it that Mary Magdalene and some other Marys%26#39; came ashore, a bullfighting arena just on the shore line (no bulls killed) lots of outsdoorsey stuff nearby, horses, flamingoes, degustations..........
I%26#39;d say it%26#39;s a must go place, if you have a car, kids, looking for something a little different.
Bon voyage
|||
Peter/Baby 2
All your recommendations are in my itinerary on the computer. Thanks so much!
Barbara
No comments:
Post a Comment