Languedoc-Roussillon, France

The two distinct provinces of Languedoc and Roussillon stretch from the foothills of the Pyrenees on the Spanish border to the mouth of the Rhône. The flat beaches and lagoons of the coast form a purpose-built sunbelt accommodating millions of holiday-makers every year.  In between is a dry, sunburned land producing half of France's table wine and the season's first peaches and cherries.

In parts, the region remains wild and untamed: from the high plateaux of the Cerdagne, to the wild hills of the Corbières or the remote uplands of Languedoc. But it also has the most youthful and progressive cities in France: Montpellier, the ancient university city and capital of the region, and Nîmes with its exuberant feria and bullfights.  The whole area is typified by a insouciant mixture of ancient and modern, from Roman temples and post modern architecture in its cities to solar power and ancient abbeys in the mountains.

• See the Canal du Midi.

• Visit Montpellier, Carcassonne, Nimes.

• General information on Languedoc-Roussillon.