Excursions

A selection of tours and activities no more than 150 km from the house. Some are full day excursions. Some will fill an afternoon. Some will only last an hour.

What tempts you?

Terra Vinea	Just south of Narbonne is a fascinating wine cave in an old gypsum mine. You could have lunch in the village and tour the cave.
Le Salin de L'Île St-Martin	Visit a sea salt enterprise and learn how they make salt.
Mirepoix, Camon, Fanjeaux & Montréal	Four ancient towns. Mirepoix has an excellent market on Mondays. Camon is walled town, Fanjeaux is connected to St. Dominic and Montréal is the centre of the Malepère wine district
Narbonne	Original Roman capital of the region. A beautiful town with a great history.You could also take a detour to its great beach at Narbonne-Plage.
Minerve & Azillanet	Minerve was a stronghold of the Cathars, the first Europeans to feel the sting of a crusade. Azillanet is home to a very good vineyard and the wine-tasting is excellent.
Albi	The home of Toulouse-Lautrec, including a museum dedicated to his drawings and sketches. The Basilica of St-Cecile is incredible, too.
Carcassonne	The nearest major town to the house, Carcassonne consists of not one but two ancient and walled towns. It has a good market 3 times a week, too.
The Royal Marble Quarry	Up the hill from Caunes, the quarry is a fascinating spot, a pleasant walk and a spectacular view.
Rieux Minervois & Notre Dame du Cros	Rieux, one of the neighbouring towns has an amazing heptagonal church. Notre Dame du Cros is a gorgeous romanesque chapel set in spendid scenery.
The Roman Bridge	Just north of the village on the river Argent Double is one of two surviving Roman bridges. A very scenic walk with fresh figs to savor along the way.
Lastours Chateau	Just 10 to 15 km from Caunes is the impressive site of the castles of Lastours, a complex of four chateaux that stood up to the crusade against the Cathars. Go in the morning to benefit from cooler weather for the climbing required.
Amphoralis	In Sallèles d'Aude, this museum is on the site of an ancient Roman wine jug manufactory.
A Picnic by the Canal	One of the pleasures of the region is to picnic beside the Canal du Midi
Homps for lunch and a cruise	Homps is a port on the Canal and offers some good restaurants for a leisurely lunch and a chance for an afternoon's cruise on the 300 year old canal.
Dolmen des Fades	A dolmen is a neolithic burial site constructed with large flat stones. They appear to be shrines to the ancestors. This one is between Siran and Cesseras on the south side of the D168. Well worth a stop.
Grotte de Limousis	An enjoyable tour of amazing limestone caves not far from the village
Toulouse	The Capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region of France, Toulouse is a beautiful, thriving city.
Cassoulet lunch	Cassoulet is one of the glories of the southwest of France. You can sample this creation in many very pleasant settings.
Drive through the Pyrénées to Perpignan	A full day excursion driving west from the village, south through the buttresses of the Pyrénées and visiting the old palace of the Kings of Majorca
Oppidum d'Unsérune	This pre-Roman habitation is fascinating to tour and provided incredible views of the surrounding countryside
Bize-Minervois	The ancient town of Bize is a great walk. The drive to it through the gorge of the Cesse is breathtaking. Their olive oil is delicious!
Moulin à Papiers & St-Papoul	Visit to the old paper mill and learn how paper was made in the past. Visit to St-Papoul, an 11th century monestary just recently restored.
Béziers	Perched on a cliff over its river, this town is the birthplace of the builder of the Canal du Midi. It also has beautiful ancient monuments and great views, as you could imagine.
Gruissan & Gruissan Plage	Gruissan in an old fishing port on the Mediterranean. Now it is a hub for the surrounding resorts. Also home to the Les Salins salt company.
Collioure	Almost to the Spanish border, this former fishing village is a stylish mix of local colour and and scenery. The drive down the coast is breathtaking.
The Village café	Hang out with a pastis on the terrasse of the main town café
Caunes	Caunes has lots to see including an abbey started by Charlemagne and some beautiful Renaissance houses. Well worth exploring. The Abbey reception also has a computer for public use to go on the internet. Very handy.
Food Markets	Almost every town and village has a regular market day or days. It's well worth the time to visit them to buy a picnic lunch, staples or things for dinner. The prices are always excellent and you're getting local produce and handcrafted products like cheese, wine, sausages, honey, butter, and locally grown meats and eggs.
Noilly Prat Vermouth	Visit the Noilly Prat Vermouth production facility by the Mediterranean. They have a fascinating tour and a delicious tasting.