Occitanie

• 🌍 Toulouse — the capital of the region is a vibrant and youthful city with a large student population and correspondingly hectic nightlife, and a palpable atmosphere that can feel more Spanish than French. The spiritual home of French rugby and of the Airbus, Toulouse is above all known for its warm brick and terracotta architecture that have given the city its nickname - la ville rose (the pink city)
• 🌍 Albi — although it often looks like a film set from Game of Thrones, Albi's character is very much grounded in south-west France. Its UNESCO World Heritage listed old city is based around a fortified cathedral, and it serves as an excellent accommodation base for exploring the Tarn department. The painter and illustrator Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born here, and his legacy is ever-present.
• 🌍 Béziers — in the heart of Languedoc sits a hilltop warren of medieval streets that offer brilliant views over the landscape. All around, there are day trips to suit any taste, from beach days to vineyard tours and pouring over Roman relics in the dust. In August, travellers are drawn to the drama and spectacle of the feria (bullfighting festival), which as an arena bloodsport is in many ways a living Roman relic.
• 🌍 Carcassonne — this fortified medieval town is iconic in France. Though it is a genuine citadel from the 13th century with walkable ramparts and many period towers and rooms to explore, its distinctive fairytale look of conical roofs comes from a series of 'corrections' made by the 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. These days, it's a little bit like Disneyland minus the mouse, but is nonetheless a must-see for anyone visiting the region.
• 🌍 Montpellier — second city of the region and another lively university town, with many fine old streets and landmarks to discover, including one of Europe's oldest botanical gardens. Mere minutes from the beach, Montpellier is Mediterranean in climate and feel, while the drinking and dining scenes are cosmopolitan and internationalist.
• 🌍 Narbonne — to the Romans, it was known as Narbo Martius, and today's archaeology buffs won't be disappointed with what they left behind, including the Via Domitia. Nor will the bulky (and forever unfinished!) cathedral and tightly packed Medieval quarter let you down. For relaxation, a stroll along the canal, café on the square, or trip to the beach are at the top of any local's list.
• 🌍 Nîmes — probably the finest Roman remains outside Italy. The amphitheatre is second only to the Coliseum in terms of sheer splendour, while the Maison Carrée ("Square House") temple looks as though it hasn't aged in 2000 years. Even the local parks have statues and other ruins, while there is a trio of museums documenting different facets of the city's long life.
• 🌍 Perpignan — a slice of Catalonia in France that has kept many of that nation's traditions - the Festa Sant Joan is a bigger deal than the Fête nationale, while paella is on more menus than cassoulet. Numerous narrow streets and squares make exploring the city's churches and monuments a real pleasure, while a trek up to the palace of the kings of Majorca is rewarded with panoramic views.

• 🌍 Cévennes — This national park is a fine area of chestnut-wooded low mountains, where the reintroduced griffon vulture can be seen soaring overhead, and where you might just hear the howling of wolves. To the west is France's only desertscape, while there is a great meteorological exhibition on Mont Aigoual. As well as natural wonders, there is plenty of human heritage - stone hamlets and traditional crafts and trades.
• 🌍 Cévennes National Park
• 🌍 Pyrénées National Park — Boasting a huge array of fauna and flora (including the critically-endangered brown bear), this national park will suit a wide range of visitors from climbers to naturalists, and is a perennial favourite among mountain bikers and skiers. The Pyrénées-Mont Perdu UNESCO world heritage site straddles the Franco-Spanish border, and the summit itself is in the neighbouring region of Aragon.
• Pech Merle — a cave near Cahors featuring prehistoric cave paintings

French is the main language of Occitanie, though many people in rural areas have rather strong accents, influenced by the regional languages (see below). If you do speak French and have an appreciation for that sort of thing, there is a lot to like about the local accents chantants - "singing accents", describing the melodious rhythm to their speech and Mediterranean vowel sounds. In the main cities and tourist spots, you won't have trouble communicating with limited or no French, though basic politeness should prompt you to at least say "bonjour" before launching into any other language.

As with most of France, English proficiency is not widespread. You will be able to come across people with passable English skills in expat magnet Toulouse and student city Montpellier. However, in the countryside, knowledge of English is a lot more limited, and though there is a large resident British population, you shouldn't rely on them. So pick up a phrasebook, and start learning French!

The language that used to be spoken in the whole south of France, called Occitan (or langue d'Oc), is still spoken in some villages and is actively promoted by some associations in the big cities. Catalan is also spoken in Pyrénées-Orientales, and on the border you may even encounter the occasional low-level resistance to speaking French (for instance having your "bonjour" rebuffed with a Catalan "bon dia"). In Occitanie you will often see bilingual French/Occitan (or Catalan) signs, including on information boards and street signs, and the announcements on the Toulouse metro and the Montpellier tram system are also given in Occitan!

The charm of Occitanie is captured in hundreds of villages, each with a unique character. Predominantly a wine-growing region, this is in fact the most productive viticultural area in France; expect to see many hectares of vineyard stretching ahead of you! Many villages are famous for excellent individual wines.

• Bastides are a particular sort of medieval town built during the 12th and 13th centuries. They are generally walled towns built from local stone along a grid plan of streets (unusual for the European Middle Ages), with a central market square, which is often covered. Many of Occitanie's towns and villages are considered bastides.
• Côte Vermeille (Vermillion Coast) — the southernmost stretch of coast in mainland France is 20 km of beaches, coves and cute harbour towns.
• The Grotto at Lourdes — where the spirit of the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared eleven times to a young girl, who became Saint Bernadette. Now one of the major Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, second perhaps only to the Vatican itself; expect crowds.
• Mountains — the Pyrenees are second in height only to the Alps in all of western Europe, and in this region run west to east through Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Pyrénées-Orientales. Generally, the mountains' highest peaks mark the border with Spain and Andorra. The Massif Central is a lower range that dominates Occitanie with rocky, almost arid landscapes, as well as forests. It runs north to south through Lot, Aveyron, Lozère, Gard, Tarn, Hérault and Aude.
• Roman ruins in Occitanie are many and varied, and can be found all over the place. That said, the most intact (and most famous) are all in the Gard.

• Mountain sports — the Pyrenees are obviously great for climbing and mountain biking, but they also have a ski season in the winter, with quite a few resorts, especially in Ariège and Hautes-Pyrénées. Hiking, paragliding, kayaking and canoeing are practised in the Cévennes. Kayaking the Gard river is an original way to see the Pont du Gard. The Cèze is a quiet river ideal for a family trip.
• Windsurfing — Gruissan, about 10 km away from Narbonne on the coast, offers both sea and lake windsurfing options. Overall, this coast is a hotbed of windsurfing opportunities.

See also: French cuisine

The region's gastronomy is as diverse as its landscapes. Broadly speaking, the western half (corresponding to the old Midi-Pyrénées) has a typical south-western French cuisine, while closer to the sea (the former Languedoc-Roussillon) tastes are more Mediterranean.

Traditional south-western meats include duck, goose and pork. The Toulouse region is known for its cuisine based around specially fattened duck, or canard gras raised in the rural regions of Gers and Landes, west of Toulouse. There is no denying the deliciousness of this duck, just as there is no denying the cruel force-feeding that fattening the birds up involves. If you are in any way reluctant to support these practices, you should stay clear of any duck- or goose-based foodstuff, just as you might avoid a bull ring during the Feria. Traditional dishes include:

• Cassoulet, a slow-cooked casserole dish that includes sausage, goose or duck, pork skin, and lots of white beans. The Cassoulet triangle is between the three towns of Carcassonne, Castelnaudary and Toulouse.
• Magret de canard, a very tender cut of duck breast pan-seared, usually rare
• Confit de canard, a leg of duck fried and roasted in its own fat
• Foie gras: duck or goose liver
• Saucisse de Toulouse: Toulouse sausage

Languedocian cuisine is based around beef and lamb, as well of course on the bountiful produce the Mediterranean yields. Some typical dishes to highlight are:

• Agriade saint-gilloise, a hearty stew mixing choice cuts of beef with anchovies, capers, gherkins, garlic and Mediterranean herbs.
• Brandade de morue: cod and milk come together with plenty of herbs and lemon to create a dish that's popular all over eastern Occitania and as far afield as Catalonia and Liguria.
• Soupe de poisson à la sétoise, a fish soup named after Sète, and cooked with vegetables in white wine and olive oil.
• Any number of fish grilled whole with some garlic and herbs, as well as smaller species such as sardines and anchovies

Into Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales), the food becomes characteristically Catalan. Expect tomato bread, rice dishes such as paella, chicken, rabbit and plenty of alioli! Anywhere along the coast is also good for olives, and many towns have their own preferred varieties and methods of stuffing and cooking them.

Much like the rest of France, everywhere you go will have its own bread, pâté, charcuterie and cheese specialities, and available varieties vary widely. More famous examples of the latter include bleu des Causses, cantal, pélardon (and indeed many different goat's cheeses) and roquefort.

It's safe to say that this is a meat and fish eater's paradise, and indeed on most plates vegetables are a bit of an endangered species. Even local salads tend to be on the meaty side of things! Vegetarian and vegan travellers will have an even harder time finding decent restaurant fare than elsewhere in France. However, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding suitable restaurants in the larger student cities, particularly Montpellier and Toulouse, and the Mediterranean cuisine is much more vegetarian-friendly in general.

Aside from restaurants, a trip to any local market will see you inundated with a bewildering variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as so much meat, bread and cheese produce that cooking for yourself will become a very tempting prospect.

The region is popular with tourists, so the accommodation base is extensive and even small towns usually have at least one hotel and a variety of B&B (chambres d'hôte) and self-catering options (gîtes). There are lots of campsites too, in keeping with the rest of the country.

Pickpockets operate in all of the major tourist destinations and larger cities in this area of France. Be vigilant of your surroundings and keep your belongings out of sight and tucked away safely.

Forest fires are common in late summer, especially August and September. The local authorities are very well geared-up to deal with fires, and so the risk is minimal as long as you are sensible. If you see a forest fire (or more likely its smoke), and haven't been evacuated you are most likely safe where you are, but it is still beneficial to keep abreast of the local news during this time. This can be difficult without a knowledge of French, so if in doubt ask an English-speaking local.

In the remote Pyrenees and Cévennes, there are small numbers of wild animals (wolves and brown bear) with the potential to harm humans, though attacks on people are unheard of in the 21st century. Both creatures are very elusive and keep out of the way of people; European brown bears in particular are much warier of humans than their American cousins, and due to their rarity your chances of seeing either animal in the wild are sadly very low. If you do have an encounter, the best thing to do is to retreat slowly and calmly to a safe distance with your gaze averted (staring eyes are the mark of a predator), perhaps while speaking in soft, non-threatening tones. Pyrenean folklore recommends humans politely pass the time of day with any bear they meet before withdrawing, to avoid offending and thus angering the bear into an attack. Another excellent reason to master conversational French! For more practical information, see Wikivoyage's guide to dealing with bear encounters.