Many of our holiday homes for rent in the South of France can be found in Languedoc-Roussillon, the ' alternative' South of France, stretching along the Mediterranean coast from the Camargue to the Spanish border. The region boasts over 200km of sandy beaches, most sloping gently into the water and so ideal for families. The coastline is studded with modern, marina resorts and old picturesque ports such as Sète, with its maze of canals or Collioure, the pretty harbour where Matisse and Picasso painted. Although there is a wealth of tourist facilities, the region remains less crowded than the Côte d’Azur.  It's now easier than ever to get to our properties in the Languedoc, especially in the Beziers, Carcasonne, Montpellier or Perpignan regions:

Inland from the coast is an undulating plain of vineyards and olive groves, then hills with chestnut, pine and oak forests, lakes, gorges with rockpools and spectacular undergound caverns.

To see a comprehensive list of flights from UK airports to southern France's airports - click on the link:

http://www.southfrancevillas.com/flights.htm

***A new Ryan air flight Bristol-Beziers Cap D'Agde will be operating from 31st March 2008 on a Monday, Thursday and Sunday.

***Ryan air will also be operating a flight from Stansted to Beziers Cap d'Agde in July and August 2008!

Nimes is famous for one of the best preserved classical arenas. The Romans used it for gladiatorial combats and chariot races, while today’s programme includes bullfights, tennis and opera. The Maison Carrée is a temple built in 20BC is regarded as one of the most graceful and finely proportioned of all extant Roman temples.

Montpellier. Languedoc-Roussillon’s fascinating capital is France’s fastest-growing city, and has changed dramatically from sleepy old wine town to trendy modern metropolis. It is elegant and classical rather like a Paris of the South.

Sete With its picturesque canals, Sete brings a touch of Venice to the Languedoc, and is one of the most lively and pleasing towns in the region. The port is famous for its nautical jousts: young men dressed in white stand on platforms fixed to large rowing boats and each team tries to knock the other into the water.

Pezenas. An attractive market town with a warren of medival streets and a fine rennaissance quarter.

Beziers. Busy colourful market town, the principal centre of the Languedoc wine trade. The lively Feria in August has bull-fighting, paellas, flamenco dancing, and partying in the streets until the early hours.

Narbonne. the Roman capital of Gaul. Its 13th century cathedral is one of the tallest Gothic buildings in France. Its cloister leads to another mighty edifice, the fortified Palace of the Archbishops.

Carcassonne has the largest fortified citadel in Western Europe. It has seen more than its fair share of battles: Simone de Montfort, the Cathars, and later the Dukes of Toulouse all fought for control of this stronghold. The so-called "new town" of Carcassonne, much of it 17th and 18th century, also has an old-world charm.

Pont du Gard This marvellous three-tier Roman bridge was built in 19BC as part of the aqueduct carrying water to Nimes.

Uzes In the heart of this lovely distinguished little town stands a massive feudal castle, home of the Dukes of Uzes.

Aigues-Mortes This small medieval walled town stands 5km inland amid salty marshes and lagoons. The French kingdom’s first Mediterranean port and the departure point for the Orient and the Crusades.

Sommieres. Characterful little town on the edge of the garrigue, with ruined feudal chateau, fortified gates and arcaded streets.

St Guilhem-le-Desert Charming old village and its abbey, tucked away in a ravine off the Herault gorge. Guilhem, a loyal lieutenant of Charlemagne, discovered the site after fighting battles with the Saracens. Closeby is the remarkable Grotte de la Clamouse.

Lac Salagou. Lake surrounded by volcanic hills.

Cique de Moureze. Extraordinary “chaos” of dolimitic toers and ravines, amonst which nestles a medieval village.

Caroux Mountains. Craggy granitic mountains with deep gorges and rockpools.

Cap d’Agde. Modern beach resort with every kind of watersport; sailing, scuba-diving, shark fishing. The children will love aqualand with its huge water-slides.

Minerve is a tiny remote village stuck on a narrow rocky spur between two gorges. Down below, there are natural stone bridges in the bed of the gorge.

The Corbieres hills are dotted with hill-top forts dating from the 10th century Saracen invasions. They became the last strongholds of the heretic Cathars in the 13th century.

There are also many interesting unspoilt villages to visit, notably Lagrasse with its old Abbey.

Perpignan. Once the seat of the kings of Mallorca, today the capital town of the Roussillon region, the French part of Catalonia.

Collioure. A little seashore town of great charm. Its Majorcan castle rises from the very edge of the water.

Ceret, like Collioure, was a favourite spot with many great modern artists including Picasso and Braque, and there is a surprising Museum of Modern art in the town.

Massif du Canigou is the first large large mountain of the Pyrennees and it dominates the whole coastal plain of Roussillon. At the foot of the mountain is the impressively fortified town of Villefranche-de-Conflent. From here the ‘Petit Train Jaune’ winds its way up the spectacular Tet valley upto the high Pyrennees. High on the slope of Canigou is a fine Romanseque abbey, St Martin-du-Canigou Abbey.

Vallespir valley. The fertile valley south of Canigou which leads to the Spanish border. Near its head is the fortified town of Prats-de-Mollo and the surrounding summits bristling with medieval watchtowers and fortifications.

Aix-en-Provence. Capital of Provence from the 12th to 18th centuries. Beautiful avenues lined with cafés and lively medieval streets nearby. The town hosts a big classical musical festival during August. The town is set on the edge of the Rhone plain with Cezanne’s hills rising up to the east.

Arles, on the edge of the Camargue has an exceptionally rich and varied ensemble of Roman and early Christian splendours: the Roman arena (still used for bull-fights today), Theatre Antique, and the lovely former cathederal, St Trophime. The town is also famous as the home of Vincent Van Gogh during his most productive period.

Avignon. In the days that the Popes ruled here in the 14th century and built their mighty palace, Avignon was briefly one of the great capitals of Europe. Today it is one the most sophisticated and fashionable towns of France. The shops are smart, and life goes on well past midnight in the cafés and bistros around the Place de l’Horloge – especially in July, during the theatre festival, one of Europe’s great cultural events.

Carpentras. A prosperous old market town. Music and opera festival mid-July to mid-August.

Cavaillon. A leading market centre for fruit and vegetables; its melons are famous.

Marseille. France’s oldest town founded in 600BC. Hemmed in by bare limestone hills, the city sprawls around its beautiful bay, but its focus is the narrow inlet of the Vieux Port, where the ancient Greeks built their colony. Opposite is the fortress island, Isle d’If –home of Alexander Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo.

Orange. Has the finest and best-preserved of all Roman theatres, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Toulon. France’s leading naval base after Brest is a big commercial city, third largest in Provence. It occupies a superb setting around a deep natural habour sheltered by a ring of high bare hills crowned by old forts.

Les Alpilles. South of Avignon the parched and craggy Alpilles hills rise dramatically out of a broad plain. They contain a number of famous little towns and villages that are the very quintessence of Provence, including St Remy-de-Provence, with Roman Glanum at its gates, and the most renowned of all the hill villages, the 11th century Les Baux-de-Provence.

Beaucaire. Historic medieval town with an imposing 12th century ruined castle overlooking the river Rhone. There is a delightful river marina which is bordered with restaurants and bars.

The Luberon. A beautiful range of limestone hills and a fertile plateau with vineyards and lavender fields. Numerous picturesque hill-top villages such as Gordes, Menerbes, Saigon and Bonnieux.

Vaison-la-Romaine. The “French Pompeii”. Excavations provide a vivid insight into what daily life was like in Roman Gaul. Across the river, terraces of narrow cobbled streets line the hillside below the castle.

Isle-sur-Sorgue. The river Sorgue divides into 5 branches, making this delightful market town into a place of waterways with numerous watermills. The town has no fewer than 300 antique shops, making it France’s second biggest antiques centre after Paris.

The Callanques. A wonderful bit of wild rocky coastline between Marseille and the pretty fishing port of Cassis. The ‘callanques’ are the narrow inlets flanked on either side by high limestone cliffs.

The Camargue. A wide expanse of lagoon and marshy plain, within the Delta of the Rhône. Herds of black bulls and half-wild white horses roam the salty marshes, where there are few buildings save the lonely the lonely thatched cottages of the gipsy-like herdsmen, the gardians. At dusk a flock of flamingoes may suddenly fly up from the reeds of the lagoon.

St. Maries-de-la-Mer is like Mediterranean seaside resorts were 70 years ago; quiet and gentle with unspoilt and uncrowded beaches.

Our villas for rent in the Côte d'Azur, especially around Cannes, are very luxurious and will ensure you discover the beautiful magic that the Riviera has to offer.

These would be perfect to rent during the International Film Festival and all the other congresses that take place in the Cannes area.

The Côte d'Azur, or “Riviera”, is one of the most popular French destinations and there are many very good reasons why – the sun, coastline, fantastic beaches, the glamour, the shops, the hotels and cafés where you can sit outside and enjoy a refreshing aperitif.

Antibes- Juan les Pins. The Côte d’Azur’s third largest town, faces Nice across the bay. The Grimaldi’s 13th to 16th century castle on the sea-front now houses one of the world’s finest Picasso collections.

Cannes. Set along a lovely bay, backed by wooded hills, it claims to be the most glamorous and sophisticated of Europe’s larger resorts – and certainly its famous palm-lined sea-promenade, La Croisette wears all the trappings of glamour. But away from this super-elegant façade, it also has an old quarter full of character. The Cannes film festival attracts international celebrities as well as Hollywood stars.

Grasse. Known as ‘the balcony of the Côte d’Azur’, Grasse lies terraced along the southern slopes of a rocky plateau. It is the centre of the perfume industry; until recently some 85% of the world’s flower essence for scents was treated here.

Menton. With its mellow old-fashioned charm, it is the prettiest and gentlest of the major resorts on the Côte, also the warmest in winter hence the luxuriance of sub-tropical fruit and acres of lemon groves.

Monaco. A Lilliputian sovereign state, wealthy, glamorous and dynamic squeezed onto a small strip of land between sea and mountains. Monaco is also the ‘Old Town’ where the Royal Palace stands. Beyond the port is the newer district, Monte Carlo, where the Casino opened in 1865.

Nice. Côte d’Azur’s capital looks a big place, as indeed it is – not just a tourist resort but a busy and diverse commercial city, the fifth largest in France. The sophisticated seafront hotels along the Promenade des Anglais, and the expensive boutiques in the streets behind seem a world away from the teeming medieval alleys of the Vieille Ville.

The Esterel Massif. A single mass of red volcanic rock fills the whole coast from La Napoule to St Raphael. The coast road, or ‘corniche’, is a lovely scenic route past coves and cliffs, with contrasts in colour of red rocks, blue sea and green foliage. The area is reknowned for its golf courses. Take one of the narrow hill roads up into the wild heart of the of the Esterel and trek on foot to the main peaks or explore the grandiose rocky gorge, Le Mal Infernet.

Ste Maxime on the Gulf of St Tropez is an attractive traditional resort with long sandy beaches.

Port Grimaud A little venice on the riveria. Actually built in the 1960’s, but in the style of an old medieval port.

St Tropez remains a charming fishing port, long beloved of artists, cradled by green hills. It attracts a sophisticated high society, but it has also become a honeypot beseiged by the tourist crowds in the height of summer, and is best to visit in May or September.

Le Lavandou. An old fishing port which has expanded into a biggish holiday resort, but the animated harbour area still has charm.

The Mercantour National Park (68 500 hectares of protected land). 4000 km of hiking and rambling paths, 65 mountain bike tracks, 30 rock-climbing sites, 325 km of navigable rivers, 200 potholing sites and 70 canyons…for a huge variety of exciting activities (Canyoning at Breil-sur-Roya, potholing, fishing, climbing, hang-gliding…).

For a truly breath-taking experience drive inland to the Gorge de Verdon, the deepest gorge in France; wonderful rafting and canoeing, and some very airy walking!

Tende: magnificent cave-paintings.

La Colmiane (Valdeblore) The Riviera's Adventure centre.

Interested in the aquamarine? You can enjoy Marineland in Antibes, the oceanographic museum of Monaco, sea museum in Cannes, and the marine museum in Nice.

Take a look at the many beautiful castles: La Napoule castle, Mouans-Saroutx castle, Gourdon castle, Cagnes sur Mer castle, Roquebrune Cap Martin castle…

In Monaco, see how the other half live, visit the prince's palace.

Esterel Massif	Esterel Corniche	Cap Esterel Golf
Grimaud Château	Le Lavandou	St Tropez
Santa Anna Sanctuary, Mercantour	Lac Negre, Mercantour	Verdon

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