When driving north from Barcelona, Spain, after crossing the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees, you enter France and The Languedoc-Roussillon Department. The glistening Mediterranean is to the East, and an immense concentration of vineyards roots the hillsides.  Unknown to many, the Languedoc is the largest producer of wine in France, and the process is in evidence everywhere you look.

Not as popular or as pricey as Provence, and still relatively undiscovered by tourists, those in “the know” are finding The Languedoc and its varied topography attractive for A Change of Lifestyle.

Beach towns stretch from Perpignan in the South to the border of Provence and the rugged Camargue, Western Europe’s largest river delta, encircled by reed marshes and home to thousands of pink flamingos.  Medieval villages are the norm rather than the exception. And the French people you meet in the Languedoc are friendly and helpful. 

It is not recommended that you research the Languedoc by visiting in the winter months.  Stone houses can get chilly.  Frost forms on your windshield.  And many businesses close between January and March.  The area comes alive again in April, and until you’ve settled into a routine of your own, this is when exploring for a long-term situation will be of most benefit.

A day-trip in the Languedoc may find you exploring the 1,000 year-old coliseum in Nimes; or visiting a vineyard, making cheese, tending to your olive trees that will produce your own olive oil, sitting in a field and having a two-hour lunch, or simply lying on a Mediterranean beach. 

Charming villages like Caux, or Pezenas, are arty, exuberant, welcoming and offer every convenience you need, including everything from open air markets to a large supermarket! 

In the hills of the Languedoc, numerous wine-making villages dot the horizon.  It is here that you stop and sip each vintners production before selecting your evening's wine.  Olive oil cooperatives are also a part of the scenery and many offer tours and samples.

The Languedoc is also home to Noilly Prat Vermouth.  Toulouse-Lautrec.  Europe’s majestic walled fortress, Carcassonne, which was under siege for many years by a conqueror named Charlemagne. The Canal du Midi, built in the 1600s to open the south to trade between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean.  Olive groves, almond trees, figs, Roquefort cheese, and wine.  The Languedoc is lush, vibrant, historic, delicious -- and welcoming.