Travelling Southern France

My definition of Southern France is what the French refer to as “le Midi”, which is (outside of Paris) the most popular tourist region in France. It consists of the French Mediterranean coastline and its borders both Italy and Spain.

The area includes the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur to the east of the Rhone, and Languedoc Roussillon to the west of the Rhone as well as areas you may have heard of including the Charente, Provence, The French Riviera and great cities such as Bordeaux, Toulouse, Narbonne, Menton, Lyon and Nice.

The Languedoc region is known for its long sandy beaches, its vineyards and the Mediterranean hills. The most historic city is Nimes with its superb Roman remains.

 The Pyrenees, are a border between France and Spain. The foothills of the Pyrenees are a beautiful mild part of France, famous for fruit and flowers. This area was frequently fought over in the Middle Ages, and the famous “Cathar castles” and the fortifications of the city of Carcassonne.

.