Occitanie, from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees.

Which part of Occitanie should you choose?

Occitanie begins where Catalonia ends. It runs from the Mediterranean at Perpignan, Sète and Montpellier to the central Pyrenees, and north to the limestone plateaux of the Massif Central. It is an enormous region, so think of three different trips: coast, medieval cities and mountains.

• The coast and the Étang de Thau, for eating seafood with the water in front of you. At Bouzigues you eat the lagoon's oysters at the producer's mas, with Sète and Mont Saint-Clair in the background. Montpellier, half an hour away, is the big city of the area.
• Carcassonne, the double-walled citadel with 52 towers, an hour and a half from the border. It can be seen in a day, but sleeping inside or at its foot lets you see it without groups in the morning and at night.
• The French Pyrenees, for walking. Cauterets is the gateway to the Pont d'Espagne and Lac de Gaube, below the Vignemale. Gavarnie has the glacial cirque with the highest waterfall in France, an hour's walk from the village.
• The Gorges du Tarn, for canoeing, swimming in the river and villages hanging in the canyon, between the causses, the plateaux of the Causses and Cévennes area.

For a first five-day visit, join Carcassonne with the coast, from Collioure to Sète. If you are going for the mountains, base yourself in Cauterets or in Gavarnie and stay put: there are paths for a week.

How do you get there from Spain?

By car, via La Jonquera and the A9 motorway, a toll road: Perpignan is about 35 km from the border, Montpellier about two and a half hours from Girona and Carcassonne an hour and a half from Perpignan. For the central Pyrenees, cross by the Aragon passes: the Bielsa tunnel or the Portalet leave you near the valleys of Gavarnie and Cauterets.

By train, Renfe's AVE from Barcelona to Lyon stops at Perpignan, Narbonne, Béziers, Montpellier and Nîmes, and the one from Madrid to Marseille goes via Zaragoza and Tarragona before crossing. It is the most comfortable way to reach the coast without a car.

By plane, Toulouse-Blagnac has direct flights from Madrid with Iberia and Volotea and, depending on the season, from Seville, Palma, Valencia, Alicante or Málaga. For the coast, from Barcelona the train or car is usually better.

How do you get around?

Along the coast, the regional train and the AVE link the big cities, from Perpignan to Nîmes. For everything else, a car: Carcassonne inside is explored on foot, but reaching the villages, the Tarn or the Pyrenees requires a road.

In the Pyrenees, the valley roads are mountain roads: slow, with bends and sometimes cut by snow in winter. You can drive up to the Pont d'Espagne from Cauterets, about 7 km, or take the shuttle that leaves from the village bus station. Parking costs €8 a day and in 2026 the gondola and chairlift to Lac de Gaube ran from 14 May to 27 September.

When to go and what does it cost?

May, June, September and October are the best months for almost the whole region. On the coast the water is usable from June; in July and August there are lots of people and strong heat inland. In the Pyrenees the high paths clear of snow in early summer and September has the best weather for walking. In winter skiing rules in the mountains and many beach villages are half closed.

Occitanie has mid-range prices, lower than Provence or the Côte d'Azur. Eating at a mas on the lagoon or at a farm in the Pyrenees costs little, and the inland villages have simple hotels and campsites at good prices. Carcassonne and Collioure are the most expensive in season.