go holiday france offers guided or independant trips & tours in the Languedoc-Roussillon South of France
architecure & cultural trps • wine tours • cathar castle tours • tour de France • art • mountains • sea
‘Go Holiday France’ offer wine & vineyard tours, culture & history tours of the tragic history of the Cathars, Roman history & architecture tours & of course wine tours, mixed with activities & creative courses.
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We create bespoke tours that can include visits to food markets,
vineyards & mountain gorges. We follow the Cathar trail, through the ‘rugby’ region of the South, exploring the castles of Carcassonne, Montsegur & Rennes le Chateau & visiting the Greco-Roman culture at Pont du Gard, Arles & Sete next to the beautiful Mediterranean sea.
If this is too frantic you can take a sleepy barge trip along the canal du midi.
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For events & weddings with a difference www.gomarryinfrance.com
To enhance your holiday with us, ‘Go Holiday France’ can generate individual itineraries that can be booked on a daily or weekly basis for small groups & individuals.
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Tours can be combined with creative courses & activity holidays Wine & cooking, painting & language, photography & castle tours.
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Experience the amazing peaceful countryside & charming people in this
forgotten corner of the south of France.
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There is a choice of accommodation from a Napoleon 3rd Chateau, B&B’s, a luxury hotel & self-catering cottages, we cater for all budgets.
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corporate entertaining • individual tours • combination tours • holidays
There are plenty of exhilarating activities for children in the area.
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Water parks, the Sea, Safari park, golf, Australian park, ice skating & go-kart racing.
The Languedoc-Roussillon is the large department between Provence & Spain.
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After visiting the Cathar castles on the old Spanish border you can take the children down to the Mediterranean sea for some simple beach fun. Not being restricted to the coast or the mountains means that your holiday can be varied & interesting for the kids as well. Explore pre-historic caves, swim in rock pools high in the mountains, cycle through the miles of vineyards, take a trip on the canal du midi, there is tons to do here & then there is more!
‘Go Holiday France’ wine tours help you discover superb wines direct from the vignerons themselves; regions visited are Corbiéres, Limoux, Coteaux de Languedoc & Minervois. Languedoc is now creating the most exciting wines in France, we take you to meet some small producers that we have built a special relationship with & whose vineyards you would otherwise be unable to visit.
For more information about our ‘Wine & Gourmet food tours’ please scroll down to view some sample itineraries that you can enjoy whilst holidaying in the Languedoc-Roussillon.
Culture tours are based on Occitania, the land of the Cathars, killed in the Albigensian crusade. The region is a mix of vineyards, castles & Medieval villages, built into rock faces or next to the banks of clear, mountain rivers. Queribus, Carcassonne, Gorge de Galamus, Canal du midi & Rennes le chateau are included in tours that reach to the Spanish border. The nature of the region is diverse with caves that date back to the beginning of man.
Horse-back trekking is an ideal way to explore the region than on horseback. Treks are organised in the mountains, throughout the vineyards, from the coast to the Pyrenees, the river Aude & along the canal du midi.
Self-drive tours are taken by guests exploring by themselves, but who want more options on holiday, who can also join courses & trips as well as being given researched routes to follow, with the best choices of cultural sites to visit, to suit all of their interests.
Hike & Bike trips are for both gentle & challenging walks & rides; we offer great routes in the Montagne Noire & the Corbiéres hills, with visits to the medieval cité of Minérve & wine vineyard trails. Walks incorporate visiting the Cathar castles in the Pyrenees, built on the top of rocky ridges overlooking the old border with Spain. There are also lovely local routes for those wishing to relax & are ideal for all levels. We have stunning routes for those who want to explore & extend themselves or just enjoy the beauty of the Languedoc.
Language tours are combined with tuition & visits to markets & wine caves. A journey of discovery alongside tuition through the region; to practice language skills & learn the dialect, grammar & colloquial French.
Canal boat trips are taken on the magnificent World Heritage Site of the Canal du Midi, built by Pierre-Paul Riquet, which meanders through the region. A small canal boat can be hired on a weekly basis. Take it slowly & sleepily on a passage through the green countryside, passing the medieval villages & wine Domaines. The experience is unique & such a fantastic opportunity for artists to sketch & paint or for photography enthusiasts to take many stunning photographs of people & the tree-lined canal.
Hunting trips are available ‘in season’; experience the French love of “la chasse” we have hunting trips for individuals or for groups to hunt in the mountains for wild boar, deer & a variety of wild fowl on private estates.
Trips & tours, some ideas for a sample itinerary :
choose what you want to do, your holiday is designed just for you, these are some ideas.
1st Day: Arrive & relax. In the afternoon, explore the immediate local area & we will show you maps where best to explore. Basically a relaxing afternoon in the sun followed by a four-course gourmet meal in the evening.
2nd Day: A visit to St Chinion in the black mountains & lunch at Rocobrun, overlooking a mountain gorge with a river flowing through it. After, we walk Gorge D’heric, higher in the mountains & swim in one of many rock pools.
3rd Day: We take a wine tour into the Corbiéres visiting wine producers & lunching in the medieval village of Lagrasse visiting a cistercian abbey. We return home through Mount d’Alaric & walk along an ancient wine route.
4th Day: An excursion to Spain takes you over the Spanish border to the Salvador Dali museum. We drive back along the exquisite Vermillion coast visiting Collioure, Banyuls sur Mer & other little artist’s villages.
5th Day: We visit the Roman viaduct, “Pont du Gard” in a magnificent gorge, spanning limestone cliffs. After, we travel to Arles & the Roman amphitheatre & coliseum exploring the myriad of tiny shopping streets.
6th Day: A barge trip along the Canal du Midi, picnic with wines & regional delicacies. We pass villages on our way, a book & hat museum, art gallery & we visit wine caves for afternoon sampling wine “degustations.”
7th Day: An early morning train trip beside sea lakes & the Cote de Vermillion to Barcelona to visit the strange architecture of Gaudi & enjoy the bustle of this international city. We take a late lunch on tapas in las Ramblas.
8th Day: A trip to explore the medieval Cité of Carcassonne & learn about the tragic history of the Cathars & the Albigensian crusade. We lunch in the cité & in the afternoon we visit the castle at Lastours.
9th Day: We visit the Roman town of Narbonne & the 100-year-old food market, buy fresh local foods & visit the cathedral & Roman horreum. Lunch is a feast of the regional foods bought at the market.
10th Day: We explore the medieval Cité of Minerve sacked in 1210 in the Albigensian crusade. We go to the wine region of La Laviniere & Mont D’Aleric visiting wine producers & ancient villages in the Corbiéres mountains.
11th Day: A visit to the fishing port of Guissan & an artist’s fishing village of Bages; walks are taken on wooden platforms built out above the sea lake over ancient salt beds & there is wind surfing & other water sports.
12th Day: A spectacular trip to the mountains, visiting castles perched high above harsh, seemingly unapproachable rocky outcrops looking towards Spain, Queribus, Perypeteuse & the Gorge de Galamus.
13th Day: We drive through the Black mountains towards Toulouse & visit the proud city of Albi, where the Albigensian crusade started in the 1200’s. We visit the cathedral as well as the Toulouse Lautrec museum.
14th Day: We visit a producer of Cremant (Champagne) at St Hillaire near Carcassonne followed by a visit to Rennes le Chateau, learning of the mysteries of Rennes. We return through the D’Aleric mountains.
15th Day: The day of departure. We try to pack a lot into a short time, tired but also relaxed, we hope that your stimulating stay with us will make you want to return.