The Pyrenees National Park covers a mountainous strip of land along the border that is 1-15km wide and 100km long, between the Aspe Valley to the west and the Aure Valley to the east. It takes in six valleys, four of which are in the Hautes-Pyrénées:..

Aspin Pass offers a sweeping panorama in spite of its lower altitude compared to the three other major passes on the Route des Pyrénées between Eaux-Bonnes and Bagnères-de-Luchon (Aubisque, Tourmalet, Peyresourde). The position of the massifs, and th..

The flora and fauna in this nature preserve at the entrance to the Gaves Valley are really interesting: Corsican mountain sheep and izards sharing their habitat with nesting birds of prey on the high limestone cliffs covered with moors and meadows. T..

This spectacular cable-stayed viaduct was designed by English architect Lord Foster. The elegant structure has seven concrete supports, a metallic roadway and seven steel pylons. At 2 460m long and 343m above the Tarn at its highest point, the viaduc..

The treasury of Conques Abbey houses a major collection of church plate from the 9C to the 16C, the most comprehensive display in France. It includes a particularly remarkable reliquary statue of St Faith (10C), made of gold and silver-gilt plaitin..

Montpellier-le-Vieux is not a town but the amazing result of erosion and rainwater over the Causse Noir dolomite rock. Explored during the late 19C, this mass of rocky outcrops has gradually been freed from dense undergrowth, to the delight of nature..

The biggest and most beautiful Romanesque church of the Midi. It holds the largest number of relics in France, particularly, the sepulchre of Saint Saturnin, first bishop of Toulouse. The chevet, partly made of stone, and the five story eight-sided c..

Old Toulouse boasts a number of truly beautiful buildings, starting with St-Sernin Basilica and Place du Capitole , two of the town’s emblematic places, the Musée Saint-Raymond , the Hôtel d’Assézat and Bemberg Foundation , the Musée des Aug..

This crevice in the plateau of Thaurac dominates the Hérault Valley. Right from the entrance, visitors are struck by the size and number of the concretions. Narrow corridors lead to a sort of platform overlooking the central part of the cave, an imme..

Discovered in 1945 when an exceptional summer drought enabled explorers to get past the source of the Clamouse, this cave is renowned for its number and variety of delicate white crystalline formations. It has two types of concretions: classical stal..

This amazing subterranean cave was discovered in 1897 by locksmith Louis Armand. At the time, he had to descend a 75m-deep well-shaft to the cave. Nowadays, a 200m-long tunnel leads to the foot of the same chimney and to the entrance to the cavern. A..

The Aigoual mountain range is crisscrossed by a number of scenic roads, cutting through young forests or running along ridges which offer splendid views. Even though the summit is lost in cloud more often than not, on fine days it commands a tremen..

Set in a magnificent site , this bridge in fact owes its name to an ancient mule track leading to Spain. Several footbridges and viewpoints offer breathtaking views of the tumultuous waters of two mountain streams forming a series of cascades as the..

At the end of the village of Gavarnie, take the dirt track and follow the left bank of the gave (mountain torrent). Suddenly the superb Cirque de Gavarnie comes into view: three layers of snow-covered strata, peaks gleaming curiously white against ..

This granite mountain massif, culminating at Pic Long (3,192m), displays numerous examples of glacial relief. Before climbing up, take the time to visit the wooded Rioumajou valley, lined with waterfalls, and Aubert Pass. On the way up, you pass by m..

Revered by Catalonians, Canigou was long held to be the highest peak in the Pyrenees, and it can be seen for miles around from the peaks of the Corbières, Conflent, Cerdagne, the Perpignan plain and even the beaches of Roussillon. At an altitude of 2..

The Cathédrale Ste-Cécile is a veritable fortress of brick, a striking building opening through a canopy porch. The chancel is enclosed by a rood Screen made of lace-like stonework and decorated with magnificent statues; the fresco of the Last Jud..

Built on the right bank of the River Aude, the City is made up of a fortified centre, the chateau Comtal and a double surrounding wall. The outside one, with 14 towers, is separated from the interior wall, with 24 towers, by the lists. Abandoned when..

This high-perched citadel (780m) comprises two adjacent but separate castles. The lower, château bas was built in the 11C when the Corbières were part of Aragon. A gaping hole in a watchtower near the lower keep commands a splendid view of Quéribus..

Hollowed out by the River Vis, the cirque forms an immense meander deeply embedded in almost vertical walls of rock. It can be seen in its entirety from three spots: Baume-Ariol farm, the village and the north belvedere. The first (alt 618m) offers a..