La Graufesenque

Millau viaduct holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower), 2460 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn valley in only 9 places. Conceived by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster, it fits perfectly into the naturally intact and grandiose landscape: a very thin slightly curved steel roadway supported by stays gives it the appearance of a huge yacht and the ensemble rests on 7 very slender pillars. This unique viewing area, created in the old cassonade farm of Brocuéjouls, is the ideal place for discovering Millau viaduct, the Aveyron, its cultural and natural heritage and the local gastronomy. Both a “viewing area” and “tourist information centre”, it also offers a “gastronomical area”. Take a few minutes to climb to the belvedere viewing point from where you can admire the sublime and panoramic view of the viaduct. You can then taste, amongst other things, the famous “capucins” made by the Michelin starred chef Michel Bras in the gastronomical area or learn all there is to know about the viaduct and its construction in the Eiffage company Expo/Boutique area. https://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/en/millau-viaduct/discover-millau-viaduct

In the centre of Millau, a town hotel from the 18th century houses the museum: 30 exposition rooms dedicated to palaeontology, prehistory and regional archaeology, as well as traditional activities of leather craft and glove-making. Palaeontology: diverse fossils including the famous skeleton of an elasmosaur. Pre-history: furniture from the palaeolithic to the monolithic. Archaeology: the most important collection of vases from the Roman Empire with the production of the Graufesenque workshops. Leather and gloves: a DVD film retraces the specific savoir-faire, rich of ancestral traditions and modern techniques enabling skins to be worked on. A recreated workshop shows how gloves were made. Free for the individuals the first Saturday of the month. https://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/en/diffusio/sites-visit/musee-de-millau-et-des-grands-causses-millau_TFO18801517986

Square tower from the end of the 12th century, erected for the king of Aragon Alphonse II, surmounted in the 17th century by an octagonal tower intended to receive the communal drone and the clock. 42 meters high, 210 steps to climb to reach the summit and admire the panorama of the city and the surrounding causses. Last climb, 1/2 hour before closing. Out of season open for groups by reservation. https://www.millau-viaduc-tourisme.fr/planifier/voir-et-visiter/toutes-les-visites/beffroi-de-millau-tour-des-rois-d-aragon-185431

Probably built on the site of an ancient Roman villa, constant attacks led to the fortification of the village in a circular form. http://uk.beziers-mediterranee.com/beziers-uk/principal-uk/discover/countryside-and-vineyards/boujan-sur-libron

When one gets to place Sainte-Anne (Sainte Anne square), one is surprised by the majestic Sainte-Anne Church (whose bell tower can be seen from anywhere in the city). http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/place-sainte-anne/PCULAR034V50LMS4

The Fabre museum itself is an astounding work of art, an innovative combination of classic and contemporary architecture. Today, the museum offers over 800 works, 900 engravings and 3,500 drawings in its 9,200 m² exhibit area. http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/fabre-museum/PCULAR0340000045

Place de la Comédie is Montpellier's central square. Also known as l'OEuf (the Egg) because of its original oval shape, it is one of the largest pedestrian areas in Europe. http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/place-de-la-comedie/PCULAR034V50LIGI

Ranking World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO December 7, 1996 has given a soul to one of the oldest still operating channels, now dedicated to tourism. Built during the reign of Louis XIV, from 1667 to 1681, called the Royal Canal to the French Revolution, a distance of 240 km. Large 20 to 24 m, 2 m deep on average, there are 69 locks and 350 works spanning his course and facilitate its airworthiness. http://uk.beziers-mediterranee.com/discover/the-canal-du-midi

Over the centuries, the river Orb and the Mediterranean have shaped the history of Sérignan. As a direct result, the town now covers four distinct areas with different activities that can be all reached by bike. http://uk.beziers-mediterranee.com/beziers-uk/principal-uk/discover/the-coastal-littoral/serignan

The Maison Carrée – the only fully preserved temple from Antiquity – has recently been restored. Inside you can watch the film the “Nemausus, the birth of Nîmes”, that presents the Imperial cult and the heroic past of Nîmes and its surroundings. http://ca.france.fr/en/discover/amphitheatre-nimes-maison-carree-tour-magne

The Roman amphitheatre (or arena) in Nîmes is the best-conserved of the Roman world. It was used for hunting wild animals and for gladiator combats from the end of the first century AD onwards. Many events are held there today. http://www.ot-nimes.fr/index.php?id=40&L=1

The architects Elisabeth and Christian de Porzamparc won the 2012 international competition for the design of a building worthy of its exceptional position. Facing the Roman amphitheatre, the Museum of Romanity will set up a perfect dialogue with the Roman town. http://www.ot-nimes.fr/index.php?id=824&L=1

A fine example of Languedoc Gothic with a wide nave (20.25 m) and an imposing vault (23,5m). A square-based, 54 m high octagonal tower houses a 47 bell carillon. Public access is free (232 steps), and offers a breathtaking view of the entire town of Carcassonne. http://www.tourism-carcassonne.co.uk/detail/007a1d2be4f167c8e8cdfe8407287873/358021

The paintings and ceramics make this museum a splendid panoramic survey of European art from the 17th century to the present day. Educational tours throughout the school year. http://www.tourism-carcassonne.co.uk/detail/007a1d2be4f167c8e8cdfe8407287873/358254

The work of Pierre-Paul Riquet carried out in the 17th century to link the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the Midi Canal has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage since 1996. http://www.tourism-carcassonne.co.uk/detail/007a1d2be4f167c8e8cdfe8407287873/462861

The Bobbin Lace Education Centre was set up in 1974. Its two main missions are to pass on the tradition and practice of bobbin lace-making and to preserve the lace heritage. The earliest records of lace-making in Velay date from the 16th century. The art briefly declined in the 17th century, after the Toulouse Parliament prohibited it. The Jesuit Jean-François Régis helped to revive lace-making and today is the patron saint of lacemakers. Over time, the Centre has acquired an international reputation. Its correspondence courses are followed all over the world, making it a reference in the field. A themed exhibition is organised in the exhibition rooms each year. https://www.lepuyenvelay-tourisme.co.uk/monuments-puy-en-velay/centre-denseignement-de-la-dentelle-aux-fuseaux/

The Puy-en-Velay Cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, ranks as the 2nd favorite monument of the French in the show presented on France 2 by Stéphane Bern in 2015. After a first church built in the fifth century, the cathedral was built on Mount Anis. In the twelfth century, the influx of pilgrims led to sit four spans above a vaulted porch, to compensate for the slope of Mount Anis. The entrance was made by a staircase which opened in the middle of the central nave. In the nineteenth century, the building was considerably transformed, but the six cupolas and beautiful painted decorations were preserved. From 1994 to 1999, an overall restoration allowed the restoration of the central staircase closed in the eighteenth century, the repair of interior facing and the winding of the organ with its double-sided buffet of the seventeenth century. A new altar was placed at the crossing of the transept, while the altar of the "pilgrims", against the wall, carries the "Black Virgin" who replaced the primitive statue, burned to the Revolution. https://www.lepuyenvelay-tourisme.fr/monuments-puy-en-velay/cathedrale-notre-dame/

North of the town of Le Puy-en-Velay, Aiguilhe is famous for its rock (a dormant volcanic pipe) with an astonishing and magnificent chapel dedicated to St Michael built in the 10th century. This is one of the most important pre-Romanesque and Romanesque monuments in Auvergne. Prosper Mérimée included the building in the first list of Historic Monuments drawn up in 1840. More recently, it came fourth in the list of French people’s favourite monuments in 2014. Godescalc, the Bishop of Puy, and Truannus, the dean of the chapter of Puy Cathedral, commissioned work on a chapel devoted to St Michael in 961. Godescalc was also the first French pilgrim to follow the Way of St James in about 950, inaugurating the "Via Podiensis" trail to Santiago de Compostela. The original oratory in this imposing structure was limited to today’s choir area. It was enveloped in a larger monument in the 12th century, built to follow the outlines of the rock’s summit. The extended chapel was built without foundations, and contains a nave, an ambulatory and a tribune, along with a remarkable polychrome and trefoil-shaped facade. https://www.lepuyenvelay-tourisme.co.uk/monuments-puy-en-velay/rocher-et-chapelle-saint-michel-daiguilhe/

The Saint Bénezet bridge, a major witness of the history of Avignon, is known throughout the world thanks to the famous song. Built from the 12th century, it was washed away several times by the floods of the Rhone, and finally abandoned in the seventeenth century. Classified World Heritage by UNESCO. http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615600-2.html

Avignon has a magnficent urban landscape. The Rocher des Doms overlooks the city and the Rhône. Here there is an exceptional architectural group which includes the Pont d'Avignon (also known as Pont Saint Bénezet, the Ramparts, the Petit Palais, the Doms Cathedral and the massive walls of the Palace of the Popes, with four impressive towers in each corner. This unique architectural ensemble has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The biggest Gothic palace in the world: tour 24 rooms! Museum space, priceless frescoes. Audioguide in 11 languages http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615596-2.html

Access to the gardens at the Place des Carmes. This public square and garden closes at different times depending on the season. https://www.provenceguide.co.uk/cultural-heritage/avignon/the-garden-at-place-des-carmes/provence-4761234-1.html

Walking on the moon, stepping aboard the Mir Space Station, gazing at the Ariane 5 rocket, dreaming with your head in the stars… You can do all of this at the Cité de l’Espace, a short hop from the centre of Toulouse. The Cité offers 2,500m² of interactive exhibitions to help you become an expert on the Earth and the Universe as you learn everything about space flight and even find out how to predict the weather. You can train like a genuine astronaut thanks to the moonwalk simulator and explore the life of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Try on a space suit, jump into a lunar rover… Its 5 hectares of gardens, which are home to life-sized replicas of spacecraft and a giant telescope, its IMAX® cinema with giant screen, its interactive planetarium and countless activities for young and old alike make this journey into outer space even more fun. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/cite-de-l-espace/toulouse/loimid031fs00969

A short hop from the Pont Neuf, a monumental stone doorway hides a masterpiece of the Classical Renaissance. You can even take tea here in the summer, if you are brave enough to face the lions and warriors… The sumptuous courtyard of honour is the backdrop for two façades punctuated by antique columns and linked by a stairway tower. Everything matches the level of ambition of the man that commissioned it, Pierre d’Assézat, merchant and Capitoul of Toulouse, who made his fortune from pastel in the XVI Century. Bequeathed to the city in 1895, it was then home to the academies and learned societies where the Floral Games were created in 1323. It was this exceptional venue that was selected by the Argentine Georges Bemberg in which to display his collection of art, which you can explore at the foundation that shares his name. Beneath the loggia, you can quench your thirst as you contemplate the courtyard and façades of the most beautiful Renaissance mansion house of Toulouse. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/hotel-d-assezat/toulouse/pcumid031v5015wt

A museum rich in sculptures, the Musée des Augustins has a unique collection of Roman sculptures and also masterpieces from the area’s Gothic era as well as numerous 19th Century sculptures representing the vitality of Toulouse’s artistic creation. http://www.toulouse-visit.com/offre/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/musee-des-augustins-musee-des-beaux-arts/PCUMID031FS00061

The largest church (115 metres in length), a jewel of Roman art begun in 1075 and consecrated in 1096. Pilgrimage church, designed to receive the crowds of pilgrims walking towards Compostela, and to shelter a religious community. One of the symbols of Toulouse, this basilica of brick and stone is certainly imposing. Majestic and luminous, it was built between the XI and XIV Centuries in honour of St Saturnin (or Sernin), the first bishop of the city. An important stop along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it inspires reverence and its vast proportions are ideal for strolling past the numerous reliquaries. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/la-basilique-saint-sernin/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a1

In Toulouse there is no Mairie, but rather a majestic Capitole! An emblematic building, it is home to the town hall, a theatre and rooms of state where you can bump into celebrities from the city. The seat of municipal power since its construction, commissioned by the Capitouls in the XII Century, transformed and embellished in every era, La Capitole shows its majestic Neo-Classical façade to the unmistakable square that shares its name. Its walls could tell of the great moments in the history of Toulouse: from the Cathar episode to the creation of the Floral Games, from the Counts of Toulouse to the siege of the city. On the first floor, you cross magnificent reception rooms that are decorated with the Allegories of Love by Paul Gervais, 10 giant canvases by Henri Martin and, notably, the Salle des Illustres whose paintings retrace the history of Toulouse and whose busts bring back to life the personalities that have defined the city. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-capitole-hotel-de-ville/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a3

In this building entirely made of bricks, the contrast between its massive or even austere aspect of the exterior and the extraordinary lightness of the interior architecture where the famous palm-tree ribs thrust upwards. http://www.toulouse-visit.com/offre/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/couvent-des-jacobins/PCUMID031FS0009F

This museum that brings together works from the Renaissance and Impressionist masterpieces can be found in the most beautiful mansion house of the city: a feast for the eyes. This foundation housed in the Hôtel d’Assézat and created by Argentinian collector Georges Bemberg brings together numerous works of western art from the Renaissance to the early XX Century. In the Renaissance-style salons, the first floor brings back to life the interiors of different eras by combining period furniture, tableaux and objet d’art. The 2nd floor is given over to modern paintings and it is important not to miss the 35 tableaux by post-impressionist Bonnard. Among the artists on display we find Guardi, Cranach the Elder, Veronese, Titian, Fantin-Latour… In order to fully appreciate this visit, lift your gaze and admire the well-preserved XVI Century ceiling on the 1st floor. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/fondation-bemberg/toulouse/pcumid031fs0004c

If you would like enjoy a journey to the Orient, treat yourself to a Zen promenade in the Japanese Garden, which is labelled a Remarkable Garden. Situated in the heart of Compans-Caffarelli Park, this garden’s exotic feel is a surprise. A veritable invitation to meditate and relax, it is a synthesis of the gardens you can find in Kyoto, Japan, constructed between the XIV and XVI Centuries. It is made up of all the characteristic elements: a showcase of the worlds of minerals and plants and the aquatic world complete with traditional decorative features. You can discover a rock garden with islands devoted to the crane and the turtle, nine rocks, a lake, a tea pavilion and a landscaped garden featuring a dry waterfall, Japanese stepping stones, a lantern, a red bridge, an Island of Paradise, a Mount Fuji and the headstones of three saints. http://www.toulouse-visit.com/offre/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/jardin-japonais/PCUMID031FS0007F

The Institut du Grenat (1901 law) is currently dedicating itself to the preservation of the traditional making as a cultural legacy so that this jewel becomes again a symbol of modernity, while conveying the values of a noble tradition. http://www.perpignantourisme.com/gb/decouvrir/perpignan-catalane/grenat-catalan#sthash.5A04MzpJ.dpbs

One of the legends attributed to Sant Jordi, which rapidly became the most famous, tells of a dragon who scared the inhabitants of a city. To calm it down, a lamb and a young girl chosen at random had to be offered every day. http://www.perpignantourisme.com/gb/decouvrir/perpignan-catalane/sant-jordi-et-sant-joan#sthash.x611XTzR.dpbs

Stroll along the water in an electric boat, drive yourself on the Bass, in the heart of Perpignan! Up to 4 people per boat. http://www.perpignantourisme.com/decouvrir/nos-visites-guidees/individuels/barques-catalanes#sthash.N1c4WA1t.dpbs

The Castle of Gordes is a monument in the municipality of Gordes (Vaucluse, Provence-Alps-French Riviera). It is an attraction for holidaymakers staying in the region. https://www.france-voyage.com/cities-towns/gordes-33700/castle-gordes-13216.htm

Near The Rosier agency and Gordes Castle, in the village center towards the theater terraces and the 'belvedère', a monumental church is found devoted to San Fermin, a bishop of the sixth century. http://uk.rosier.pro/details-saint+firmin+church+in+gordes+walking+distance+from+rosier+real+estate-2723.html

Cave dwelling-like halls, cisterns, underground stairways, olive oil mills, etc, built up and fitted out over the centuries in a big house called the "Palais Saint Firmin". Listed as a Historic Monument. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/monuments/cellars-palais-saint-firmin

The Cathedral Saint-Apollinaire is a monument in the municipality of Valence (Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alps). It is an attraction for holidaymakers staying in the region. https://www.france-voyage.com/cities-towns/valence-7592/cathedral-saint-apollinaire-14577.htm