Location: Dions
Day 1 - 21 Aug 2021
Spélonque de Dions
Content: For our 1st day in the south more precisely in Nîmes! We wanted to see greenery outside the city. We head by bus to the Gorges du Gardon for the short hike. We get off at the terminus and there we wait for the correspondence for the rest of the journey and we learn that summer is on request only 😫 We are not discouraged, we still go on foot towards the gorges at 1 hour walk and passing we cross the village of Dions and we see on the GPS the possibility of visiting a chasm ! And that's how we visited the abyss, a really incredible site, but to go down there is no approved path, you have to be very careful ⚠️ It's not a basic tourist site so if you go there show some respect there are bats that live in the cave.
Complice
Content: After exploring the abyss, we stop at the only pastry-bakery in the village to enjoy a delicious fresh sandwich.
Location: Sainte-Anastasie
Day 1 - 21 Aug 2021
Russan
Content: After having explored the chasm of Dions we resume the walk towards the gorges of the gardon for a departure from the town of Russan. Arrived on the spot, we go to the house of the gorges (which is also a museum) we learn that in summer the part that we wanted to cross is completely dry 😅 So we decide to return to Nîmes by booking a "taxi bus" with the company Tango (which manages the buses in Nîmes) a big surprise for us when we are told that the taxi will be at the same price as the bus ticket 😳
Location: Nîmes
Day 1 - 21 Aug 2021
Amphitheatre of Nîmes
Content: Once back in Nîmes (we go back to take a shower) and as it is still early, we take the opportunity to visit a must-see: the amphitheater of Nîmes, dating from the 1st century AD, is one of the best preserved in the Roman world.
Location: Aigues-Mortes
Day 2 - 22 Aug 2021
Aigues-Mortes
Content: Day 2: Direction the medieval town of Aigues Mortes in the Camargue. First port of the kingdom of France on the Mediterranean, Aigues-Mortes is today surrounded by land. When you arrive, you will be struck by the state of conservation of the monumental ramparts with a length of 1.6 km. Go around it in its entirety, taking the walkway. Nice view of the salt marshes and the Camargue. In summer, hat recommended. Visit the majestic Tour de Constance where King Saint Louis resided and from where he went on a crusade. Then stroll through the city animated by numerous workshops of artists and craftsmen.
Salin d’Aigues-Mortes
Content: the unmissable pink saltworks of Aigues-Mortes 😍 To explore the salt marshes, we opted for the 1h30 walking tour. The walking tour was the best option (cheapest also €8) for us as it allowed us to take pictures while taking our time. During the visit, we climbed a mountain of salt (called a camel) offering a view of the salt marshes and the town of Aigues-Mortes (go swipe) Our recommendations: come very early or very late because the sun is very strong 🥵, take water and a cap and forget your drone at home (it's forbidden)⚠️⛔️
Bateau Iris - croisière en camargue
Content: After visiting the pink salt marshes of Aigues-Mortes, we embark on a commented Camargue getaway with @bateau.iris 🛥 Departing from the port of Aigues-Mortes, we walk for 2 hours with a passage to the salt marshes, in the Camargue park and a stop at the Saint-Louis manade. Special mention for the guide who gave us a magnificent account of the history of the medieval city, the fauna and flora of the Camargue. The price is 13 € / pers you can book online on their website 😉
Location: Montcalm
Day 2 - 22 Aug 2021
Manade Saint Louis Mas De La Paix
Content: In the afternoon, we embark with Bateau l'Iris - Croisière en Camargue for a cruise during this trip, we stop to meet the herdsmen of the Mas de la Paix - Manade Saint Louis in the Camargue park 🦩 A great experience that allowed us to learn more about Camargue bulls and horses, as well as their roles (The herdsmen) within the herd, in particular through a sorting demonstration, but also the difference between races. camarguaises and bullfighting! The Camargue race is a sport in which participants attempt to catch award-winning attributes (strings, cockade, tassels) attached to the browband and horns for 15 minutes. The bulls are neither beaten nor put to death in the arenas. The bulls and horses live in semi-freedom on several hectares and they move them according to the climatic conditions for better quality pastures.
Location: Carcassonne
Day 3 - 23 Aug 2021
Carcassonne
Content: For those who don't know, Carcassonne is the largest medieval city in Europe 🤩 Also classified by unesco since 1997, it has a double enclosure, consisting of 3 kilometers of fortification and rampart, and 48 towers. It hosts within it a real village, a castle, a basilica...
Maison du Cassoulet
Content: A little history ! Here we prepare the authentic Cassoulet de Castelnaudary according to the strict rules of the art. Cooked and served in its typical "cassole", we only insert the traditional ingredients: lingot beans from Lauragais, meats such as shank, confit and sausage as well as the garlic essential to Occitan cuisine. It is then during the cooking in the cassole that the alchemy takes place and that all the nobility of the dish is revealed. The crust that forms is pierced at different times so that the beans are melt-in-the-mouth… Do you like the recipe? find it on the huge blackboard at the back of the room. The origin of cassoulet dates back to medieval times during the siege of Castelnaudary by the English. the inhabitants in the grip of famine, pooled all they had to feed the soldiers of the city. Bacon, pork, beans, sausages, meats were gathered in a large bowl and thus the legend of the recipe took shape. Prosper Montagné, famous chef in Paris, native of our beautiful city, proclaimed in his work entitled Le Festin Occitan A God in three persons: Cassoulet is the god of Occitan cuisine, a God with Three Heads: Castelnaudary the Father, Carcassonne the Son, Toulouse the Holy Spirit, Cassoulets be they. So come and meet the prodigal son!
Location: Villefranche-de-Conflent
Day 4 - 24 Aug 2021
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Content: DAY 4 Villefranche-de-conflent [🇬🇧 Road Trip: What to do in Villefranche de Conflent in the Pyrénées Orientales? 👇] We share with you the essentials and the good plan 🤑: ➡️ The Village ➡️ Fort Liberia ➡️ The Ramparts ➡️ The Romanesque church of Saint-Jacques ➡️ The Cave of the Canalettes ➡️ Cova Bastera Cave ➡️ The Yellow Train ⚠️ Of course, the sites are not free but the trick is to buy a "Pass Partout" for sale on the @tourisme_conflent_canigo website 😁
Location: Corneilla-de-Conflent
Day 4 - 24 Aug 2021
Grotte des Canalettes
Content: Any caving enthusiasts among us? We visited on the same day this other nugget which is 300 meters from the medieval city of Villefranche de Conflent! This visit is both spectacular and educational. Indeed we took advantage throughout the course of the application provided for this purpose to learn more about the cave and speleology! Another advantage in the middle of summer under these strong heats of the South we took a breath of fresh air at 14° underground. It's a family outing without difficulty but which hides a lot of surprises but 🤫
Location: Villefranche-de-Conflent
Day 4 - 24 Aug 2021
Pizzeria Força Real
Content: Quite simply one of our top 3 pizzerias that we have been able to eat in the world!
Location: Fuilla
Day 5 - 25 Aug 2021
Grotte Notre Dame de Vie
Content: To access the cave: - Head towards the Notre Dame de Vie chapel located in the mountains - Take a path through the woods from the road (not indicated) - Follow the Stations of the Cross! Arrived at the chapel, you will see the cave from there more path and you have to manage to climb! ⚠️ the ascent is not so complicated for people who practice a little hiking, count 1h 30 round trip. Above all, bring water, a cap and your camera 📸
Location: Villefranche-de-Conflent
Day 6 - 26 Aug 2021
Train jaune
Content: Did you know that "the canary" takes the highest metre-gauge railway in Europe?! Both a tourist attraction and Ter de la @sncf, the yellow train is another nugget we discovered in the Pyrénées Orientales! We showed up 1 hour before at the station to have the seats open to fully enjoy the landscape because the train crosses the Catalan natural park and an incredible environment 😍 ⚠️ We took advantage of the €5 / one-way price and the group bonus (4 people) for the return if it can help you in your organization. The train took us to our next destination in the Pyrenees Orientales
Location: La Llagonne
Day 6 - 26 Aug 2021
Lac de Calvet
Content: It is on the edge of this charming little mountain lake that our road trip this summer in the south of France ends ☀️
Location: Nîmes
Day 7 - 27 Aug 2021
Nîmes
Content: For the last day. We returned to the city of Nîmes to take the train to Paris! We take the opportunity to visit the last must-sees of the city such as the Jardins de La Fontaine or the Maison Carrée!