Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Silicon Valley, CA (SJC, SFO)
Programs: UA 1P, AA, *A Gold, Hyatt GP, HHonors, SPG, Priority Club
Posts: 172
Languedoc, near Carcassone
We just returned from 2 weeks in Languedoc, staying at a house near the town of Narbonne. There are plenty of rental villas/cottages in the area; and we found enough to keep a 4 and 6 YO happy (YMMV with slightly older kids.) We flew in/out of Barcelona (coming from US), which was <3H drive, but closer airport options are Toulouse, Perpignan and Carcassone. The area is known for wine, so if that's your thing you can't drive 500m (so it seemed) without running into a vineyard or winery. Places we visited:
- Carcassone, a 45-minute drive - probably my kids' favorite of the trip
- Narbonne beaches (plenty of them - nice if the weather cooperates)
- Narbonne town (fine if you're nearby, probably not worth a special trip)
- Walking and biking (rental) along the Canal du Midi - There are multiple companies that do canal boat rentals too, incl. houseboats.
- Abbaye de Frontfroide, for history, food and wine
- Avignon and Pont du Gard (a couple more hours drive - worth an overnight stay). Near Uzes there is a Haribo (i.e. Gummy Bears) "museum" that DH and I hated, but the kids loved (our concession after too many dark churches).
- Gorges du Tarn: spectacular area for sightseeing, hiking and canoeing/kayaking (a couple hours north, definitely needs an overnight stay.)
There are many Cathar castles and also Roman ruins in the area, in case your kids would enjoy that. And the food/wine are hard to beat.....
Hope that helps!
p.s. I haven't been there yet, but if I were your daughter I'd personally be voting for Crete!