Holiday attractions near Couiza and Quillan in Aude, South France

Languedoc Roussillon in South France has an incredibly diverse geography and range of holiday attractions - it includes areas of the majestic Pyrenees mountains, miles of beautiful Mediterranean coastlines, Cathar castles including Carcassonne old city and walks through forests, valleys and mountains.

For winter holidays, there are several ski resorts including Puyvalador, Les Angles and Camurac, with a range of runs from beginner slopes to black runs. While some of the vacation attractions do shut for the winter, many remain open, such as Carcassonne old city (an ancient settlement all built within the walls of a castle, which is highly recommended to visit, particularly off season, as in the summer holidays it can get rather crowded). Most museums, theatres and restaurants are also open throughout the year.

If you're visiting over the summer holidays and enjoy swimming then you have a choice between staying close to the Mediterranean sea, where self-catering rentals and hotels can be more expensive, or staying inland, where rental prices tend to be cheaper and there are many rivers and lakes for swimming, as well as outdoor or indoor swimming pools in most of the larger towns.

Some lakes that are particularly recommended are Arques lake, which takes 40 minutes or so to leisurely stroll around and has plenty of seating and picnic tables and Montbel. There is also a lake very near Carcassonne (called Carcassonne plage, which means beach in French), which has 2 beaches and takes a good 2 hours to walk round - this is a smooth path so biking or roller-skating round the lake is also possible.

If you're looking for something more private, then there are plenty of rivers to swim in, including the river Aude, or one of its tributaries, such as the Salz.

In the department of Aude some of the best attractions include the dinosaur museum in Esperaza (which is actually one of three museums that are part of the same group, the others being a hat museum and honey museum (though the honey museum is more of a shop).

There are many excellent restaurants serving a range of local food, including an excellent restaurant in Couiza called the Carnotzet, which has a great selection of French cuisine. The Carnotzet is well signposted and is on the outskirts of Couiza near the Quillan side.

In August there is a week long Folklore Festival with musicians, dancers and singers from around the globe. The festival starts in Quillan, with all the performers singing and dancing around Quillan's town square and there are then regular shows in each of the nearby towns over the week (including Esperaza, Rennes-les-Bains, Couiza, Axat, Arques and Nebias).

Quillan is also recommended for l'Escalada - a practice climbing site where the river Aude has created an incredible cathedral of limestone in the mountains of the Pyrenees. There is also a Forest Grimp in Quillan, with ropes and cables suspended between a large area of trees to create many aerial games and rope pathways. You can also hire canoes and go white water rafting in Quillan.

Toulouse is one of the larger cities in Languedoc and includes the Space Museum, which is very interactive and has rockets you can explore, shows and cinema presentations about space and lots of other attractions - well recommended and is large enough that you can enjoy a whole day there.

If you enjoy walking we particularly recommend the walks around Laval, Rennes-les-Bains and the Labyrinth at Nebias - a natural mineral formation which has a magical feel with a rock formation forming a kind of maze in the middle of a beautiful forest. As well as the labyrinth itself, there are plenty of walks nearby, including a 5 or 6 hour circular walk.

If you’re flying to Aude in Languedoc Roussillon, there are 3 main airports – Carcassonne, Perpignan and Toulouse. The busses and train service in Aude tend to be punctual, however are only occasional. Car hire is available from a range of companies at the airports in Carcassonne, Perpignan and Toulouse.

In summary, Aude and Languedoc Roussillon have a wide range of vacation attractions for both winter and summer holidays – truly something to suit everyone!

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