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Places to Visit
A brief guide to all the major towns and
cities near to Mazamet
Visit
the things to do
page to find out about more places to go and see.
Carcassonne |
Albi |
Castres
|
Béziers
| Foix
Gaillac
|
Millau
|
Montpellier |
Narbonne |
Perpignan |
Revel |
Toulouse
Gaillac
Although it is the
commercial centre for North West Tarn, Gaillac is best known for it’s wine
production. Wines have been produced in Gaillac since Roman times (around
125BC) and have turned a small market town into a world-renowned area for wine
production.
Gaillac has three weekly
produce markets and has remained unspoilt and slightly unsophisticated, which
makes it all the more charming and unique. With vineyards situated on the
rolling hillsides either side of the River Tarn, the scenery around Gaillac is
really spectacular.
Gaillac is 70 km from Mazamet
Millau
Recently made famous with
the opening of the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, Millau has a
population of around 22,000 people.
Designed by
British
architect
Lord Foster in
collaboration with French bridge engineer
Michel Virlogeux,
Viaduc de Millau as the tallest viaduct in the world -
with one pier's summit rising to an impressive
341 metres
(1,118
ft).
Opened in December 2004, it bridges the valley of the River Tarn, replacing the
bridge that crossed the River Tarn in the actual centre of the town of Millau.
Viaduc de Millau has provided a
clear and more cost-effective solution for the A75 motorway from Clermont-Ferraud
South to Beziers and, has shortened the journey by up to 4 hours (in Summer peak
traffic), or some 100km. It is a truly remarkable feat and features and
impressive steel deck as opposed to the more conventional concrete roadbed.
N.B.
The
Eiffage Group operates the viaduct as a
toll bridge,
with the toll currently set at
€4.90 for
light automobiles (€6.50 during the peak months of July and August).
As Millau is in the heart of
the Natural Regional Park of the Grands Causses, it’s a wonderful place for
sports-enthusiasts to visit – paragliding, canoeing, rock climbing,
mountain-biking and horse-riding are just some of the exciting things to do.
Other things to see and do in
Millau include visiting the cheese caves of Roquefort, taking in the sites of
the Larzac plateau and the Tarn Gorges. Don’t forget about shopping too –
previously a centre of leather manufacture in France, there are numerous leather
good stores selling anything from jackets to gloves in a wonderful array of
colours and styles. Well worth a visit is the Millau Museum with its history,
geology and leather-making sections.
To find out more about Millau,
visit: www.ot-millau.fr/
Millau is 120 km from Mazamet
Montpellier
Located at the crossroads of the
Mediterranian, Montpellier is wonderfully placed geographically. It’s town
centre has lived through medieval times and successfully combines both modern
architecture and a vast array of 17th and 18th century
private mansions.
The Faculty of Medicine – the
oldest in the Western world, is in Montpellier, together with a wealth of other
educational facilities with enviable reputations, including The Universities of
Law and The Arts.
A highly interesting place to
visit with wonderful weather throughout most of the year, Montpellier is well
worth the two hour drive from Mazamet, although we do suggest that you consider
staying overnight to allow maximum time to enjoy this history and culture-rich
part of France.
To find out more about
Montpellier, visit:
www.montpellier.fr
Montpellier is 150 km from Mazamet
Narbonne
Founded as a Roman port in 118 BC, Narbonne is
now located about 15km from the Mediterranean Sea.
Narbonne has a population of around 40,000 people
and is, as with many French towns, built around a river - the Canal de Robine,
which joins the Canal du Midi, runs through the centre of the city. A daily
covered market is held at les Halles, next to the canal and there are also open
air markets held on a Tuesday and Thursday.
The Saint-Just cathedral, dating from 1272, is
worth a visit, as is the ‘Palais des Archeveques’ (or Archbishop’s Palace).
Narbonne Plage is a short drive away and well
worth the effort – enjoy the beautifully kept large beaches at the foot of the
limestone massif, Montagne de la Clape.
Narbonne is 75 km from Mazamet
Perpignan
With it’s geographical positioning and the fact
that a large percentage of its population is of Spanish origin, it’s not
surprising that Perpignan is as much Catalan as it is French. Perpignan also
benefits from other southern influences from North Africa.
Perpignan enjoyed its heyday in the 13th
and 14th centuries when the kings of Majorca held their court there –
their kingdom spread north as far as Montpellier and included the Balearic
islands. Today, Perpignan is still a major commercial centre and the third
largest Catalan city in existence.
The 13th century castle of the
kings of Majorca
sits on the high citadel, surrounded by ramparts making for a wonderful photo
opportunity – it’s also visitable daily between 10am and 6pm June to September
and between 9am and 5pm October to May.
Based at the foothills of the Pyrenees, this is a
wonderful place from which to travel into the mountains.
Perpignan is 160 km from Mazamet
Revel
The provincial town of Revel
is renowned for it’s market, held on a Saturday.
The town itself is a bastide
dating from 1342. It has an attractive arcaded central square with a superb
wooden-pillared halle in the centre.
Revel is 35 km from Mazamet
Toulouse
Situated between the Atlantic
and the Mediterranean, Toulouse is home to some 740,000 inhabitants and with
it’s growing greater urban district, Toulouse is among the biggest cities in
southern Europe. It is also the 4th largest French city and the
capital of the great Midi-Pyrenees region.
With over 24 centuries of
history, Toulouse is full of fascinating sights, buildings, monuments, museums
and galleries. It is host to a wealth of art and culture made easily accessible
for all to enjoy.
As the European leader and
world’s number one in aeronautical activities, and Europe’s leader for space
activities, it’s no surprise that Toulouse is also home to both the
Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace and the
Cité de l'Espace Space Museum.
Toulouse
has no less than 160 parks and gardens and 800 hectares of leisure and sports
areas – making this the ideal place to visit if you love outdoor pursuits.
This is
also a fabulous area for shopping with lots of individual boutiques, set
alongside all the designer shops!
Toulouse is 80 km from Mazamet
We offer
holiday accommodation (vacation accommodation) in Mazamet, France.
We also
offer Chambre d'hôte (Bed & Breakfast)
accommodation.
Mazamet is
in South West France 50km from Carcassonne and 80km from Toulouse.
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