Climate:
The climate is excellent, it is not uncommon to have 300 days of sunshine in a year the maximum for France; clear mountain air gives stunning blue skies, hot days with pleasantly cool nights, swim outside from Spring to Autumn, the winter may give a little snow, cloud & rain, but usually 1 cloudy day to 2 blue sky; Languedoc - Roussillon.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average F.
54 54 55 64 68 79 82 82 79 70 61 55
Temp. C.
12 12 13 18 20 26 28 28 26 21 16 13
Active & Theme:
RECREATION- historical villages, towns & castles (many mystical sites-Cathare, Templar, Christian, Visigoths etc), museums, theatre, painting, potteries, music concerts, village fairs & fetes, weekly markets including monthly antiques, language courses, collect wild fruits like almonds, chestnut & champignon, Roman thermal baths + therapy in Spa towns of Alet-les-Bains & Rennes-le-Bains;
ACTIVE- swimming (sea+rivers+lakes), tennis, horse riding, hiking, biking, fishing, sailing, wind surfing, canoeing, rafting, canyoning, go-carting, skiing, golf at Carcassonne, many marked & wild lanes, streams & waterfalls to explore & visit, the rivers of Aude, Orbieu, Verdouble are wonderful for swimming, sandy beaches, lagoons & coves, little villages & ports;
THEME- Canal du Midi (Atlantic to Mediterranean), Narbonne water park, Sigean safari reserve, Tautavel + Espéraza dinosaur dig & museums, pre-historic cave paintings;
HIistorical & Cuisine:
HISTORICAL centre of Templar & Cathare country with a castle, abbey or mill attached to almost every town & village; Rennes le Chateaux a village of mysteries, possible site of the Holy Grail & Visigoth treasures, mentioned in books holy blood holy grail & de Vinci Code, Carcassonne, principle city of the Aude splendid citadel needing little introduction; a stunning walled city; ABBEYS Lagasse on the Orbieu, Alet-les-Bains on the Aude & St TOWNS Narbonne - Moors Castle & Palace of the Kings of Menorca, pedestrianised street shopping & canal du midi? a calm atmosphere; Perpignan, the 2nd town of Catalonia a bustling dynamic place;
CUISINE as rich & varied as the region itself; fresh sea food abounds & its charcuterie is renowned RESTAURANTS&cafes- many local with plat du jour from about 10Euro for a 5 course lunch offering unsurpassed value; MARKETS antique, day & some night markets WINE tasting a must, so many inexpensive fine wines, Limoux & its Blanquette predating champagne.
Other Activities:
swimming canoeing, canyoning, fishing in SEA + RIVERS + LAKES Natue at its best, walking, horse riding, biking, picnicking, villages, wine, food, musi
