What to do in East Occitania: 5 ideas for Millau and surroundings
What to do in East Occitania

What to do in East Occitania: 5 ideas for Millau and surroundings

Until 2016, the eastern part of the Occitanie region was a separate Languedoc-Roussillon region.

I lived here for three months — an internship near Millau — and traveled around the region on my free days. Local buddies took me to the most beautiful places and helped me plan independent trips, told me village legends and served me French beer (Grimbergen is the best).

Occitania impresses with its rugged and simple beauty — steep gorges, mountain serpentine and villages made of stone. Here you will find an airy and at the same time imposing bridge-viaduct, medieval castles-hotels and sights created by nature itself. The locals are not snobbish and try to help and give advice — even if they don’t speak English and your knowledge of French is limited to the word Bonjour! (Bonjour!).

I’ll tell you which places in eastern Occitan are worth a visit. It is convenient to take Miyo as a starting point and build a new route every day.

Millau would be a good starting point for traveling
Millau would be a good starting point for traveling

The easiest way to get around the region is by car. This way you can visit several places in one day and make an unlimited number of stops to admire the views of the mountain roads. We visited most of the villages by car — very convenient when you have a person with a license in the company.

  • The cost of rent for a day — from 3 000 rubles.

The villages can also be reached by bus (tickets from 1.5 €), but there are no trains. During school vacations, buses to some villages run only once or twice a week, but during the school year, the schedule changes and there are flights every day. Don’t repeat my mistakes, check the schedule before every trip. Summer vacation, for example, starts in the middle of June.

Eastern Occitania Attractions

Overnight in a 12th century monastery

The Château d’Ayres hotel and restaurant near the village of Meyrueis is housed in a former Benedictine monastery. It was founded in the 12th century, rebuilt and restored several times, and since the beginning of the 20th century has been a vacation home.

It is now a 4* hotel and restaurant run by a couple. The chateau is adjacent to a 6-hectare plot of land, which is part of the Cévennes National Park.

I definitely advise you to stay in the hotel for a night — it is a very good combination of historical heritage (though there are no ghosts) and all modern amenities — billiards, swimming pool, tennis court, horseback riding. Most of the rooms are decorated in a la rococo style, like in the movie «Marie Antoinette» by Sofia Coppola. Chancellor Adenauer and President Charles de Gaulle stayed at the hotel in the 1960s — you can rent a presidential suite. Rooms from 99 €.

Much of the facade is densely covered with ivy and vines
Much of the facade is densely covered with ivy and vines
In good weather, lunch and dinner are served al fresco
In good weather, lunch and dinner are served al fresco
The hotel halls are decorated in different styles
The hotel halls are decorated in different styles
On the mantelpiece is a photograph of Charles de Gaulle during his visit to the hotel
On the mantelpiece is a photograph of Charles de Gaulle during his visit to the hotel

The hotel restaurant serves local cuisine from the Cévennes region. One of the main local specialties is Pelardon cheese. Heads of cheese made of goat’s milk are aged in willow baskets for 2—3 weeks, so that the crust gets its characteristic bright orange color.

Local cuisine combines meat and vegetables, and there are always confit and pâtés of duck and lamb on the menu. For dessert, have a flavorful citrus tart with a scoop of ice cream.

The region produces a record amount of red dry wines — the second highest volume in the entire country. The most popular red dry wines for lunch are Saint Chinian and Faugeres.

Dinner is served in the former fireplace room
Dinner is served in the former fireplace room
There are still decorations on the walls, reminiscent of the restaurant
There are still decorations on the walls, reminiscent of the restaurant’s past
The local cuisine includes vegetables and meats
The local cuisine includes vegetables and meats

Descend to the grotto of Aven Armand

In 1897, Louis Armand discovered a large cave with huge stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is 110 meters long, 60 meters wide, and the vaults are 45 meters high. Notre Dame could fit here (even before the 2019 fire). The cave opened to the public 30 years later.

To see the grotto with your own eyes, you used to have to climb down 208 meters of steps to the observation deck, but since 1963, visitors have been taking a cable car down in 2 minutes.

Stalactites and stalagmites grow in the cave — water penetrates here both from above and below. The average size of a stalagmite in the cave is about 1 m, some of them have grown to 15—20 m, and the growth is still going on. The highest stalagmite in the grotto is 30 m, and it is the largest specimen in the world.

The forest of stalactites and stalagmites during the tour is beautifully illuminated by multicolored lights, and from this in the grotto creates a sense of fairy tale.

Aven Armand occasionally hosts concerts, see website for schedule.

  • The cave is open to the public from April 1 through November 3, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm.
  • The ticket is €12.50.
  • The duration of the tour is about 50 minutes and the observation deck stretches for about 450 meters.
During the tour, excerpts from Jules Verne
During the tour, excerpts from Jules Verne’s novel Journey to the Center of the Earth are played
Sometimes concerts are held here, with a maximum capacity of 300 people
Sometimes concerts are held here, with a maximum capacity of 300 people
Some of the formations in the cave weigh up to 8 tons
Some of the formations in the cave weigh up to 8 tons
The observation deck stretches along the entire length of the cave
The observation deck stretches along the entire length of the cave
The growths in the cave continue to grow
The growths in the cave continue to grow

See the Viaduc de Millau (Millau Viaduct)

The cable-stayed bridge over the Tarn River valley broke several records at once — it is the highest and most complex highway bridge in the world. The viaduct was included in the list of 18 great sites of the South Pyrenees region (now the Occitania region).

The Viaduc de Millau is located on the new highway that connects Paris and the city of Béziers on the Mediterranean coast. The construction of the bridge has reduced traffic jams on the old highway and increased the flow of tourists to Millau, who specifically come to see this engineering marvel.

The bridge was opened in 2004. It is 32 meters wide, almost 2.5 kilometers long and has a maximum height of 343 meters. Strong winds constantly blow in the gorge, so for the stability of the bridge the supports have different diameters: the thickest one is 25 meters. Scientists have even developed a special formula for asphalt concrete to ensure that the bridge will last as long as possible without repair.

The bridge has become one of the most photographed objects in the region. Beautiful photos of the Tarn Valley are taken from the bridge, especially when it is foggy, as the bridge seems to float in the air. There are several viewing platforms in the vicinity of the bridge, from which you can take photos of the viaduct itself.

  • There is a toll on the bridge: 6 €.
The viaduct is clearly visible when leaving the town of Millau
The viaduct is clearly visible when leaving the town of Millau
A thick fog often lays down in the valley
A thick fog often lays down in the valley
From the observation decks you can get this view of Millau
From the observation decks you can get this view of Millau

In Millau, visit the fish market (Halle de Millau). The building was built in the mid-19th century and the entrance gates are decorated with wrought iron in accordance with the architectural fashion of the time. Nowadays you can buy not only fresh fish, but also cheeses, fruits and vegetables.

In the twelfth century, a city palace for the Aragonese kings was built here. During the French revolutions, the walls of the bell tower were used as a prison. The bell tower (Beffroi de Millau) is partially preserved from those buildings — part of the spire and stairs were damaged by lightning and fires. There is a viewing platform on the roof of the bell tower, which is one of the most visited places in Millau.

  • Open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For lunch, I recommend Feng Wok, located next to the train station. It is a cafe of pan-Asian cuisine, which is the second most popular in France after the native French croissants. It works on the principle of a buffet — you pay 17 € per person and eat as much as you want.

If you don’t want to be distracted from French cuisine, go to any cafe in the city — the menu and the level of service are about the same everywhere.

Wrought iron gates of the fish market
Wrought iron gates of the fish market
Very tasty Asian cuisine
Very tasty Asian cuisine

Eat the most delicious ice cream in Sainte-Enimie.

This small village (only about 500 people live here) is included in the association of the most beautiful villages in France.

The village was named after Enimia, the daughter of a Merovingian king. She lived around the 5th century, took care of people with leprosy and contracted it herself. She could not be helped, but the Burle spring near the village healed her. To prevent the disease from returning, she stayed in the village and founded a monastery on the mountain above the settlement. This legend has come down to us in Bertan’s poem «The Life of St. Enimia», written in the thirteenth century.

In the 6th century, the monastery of St. Enimier was founded above the village. After a couple of centuries, the novices abandoned it, but in 951 the Benedictine monastery was rebuilt — a chapel survives from it to this day. On the first Sunday in October, the supposed date of her death, pilgrims go to Mount St. Enimieux.

A distinctive feature of the village are the limestone buildings. Originally, the houses were built of white limestone without the use of bonding mortar. During restorations, the walls were reinforced with cement, which is why today the village no longer looks like a settlement from the Middle Ages.

Most of the houses here are built of limestone
Most of the houses here are built of limestone
Many of the Tarn Gorge trails begin in St. Enimi
Many of the Tarn Gorge trails begin in St. Enimi
Wooded cliffs loom over the village
Wooded cliffs loom over the village

Check out the Romanesque church of Notre Dame (Église Notre Dame du Gourg). It was completed in the fourteenth century, and inside the cathedral there are ceramics from the life of St. Enimia and a fourteenth-century gilded sculpture of the Virgin Mary.

  • Open to the public from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The village sells one of the most delicious ice creams in the entire region. This is an unofficial rating, but people in other villages and in Millau mention St. Enimi every so often when asked about quality ice cream. So go to any café and get two or three ice cream balls — one ball costs about 1,5 €. I loved the citrus and mint ones.

Many people in the surrounding communities recognize the local ice cream as the best
Many people in the surrounding communities recognize the local ice cream as the best

Spend an active weekend in the Gorge

The Gorges du Tarn is one of the deepest gorges in France: its cliffs sometimes reach a height of 600 meters. It stretches for 53 km through the Lozère and Aveyron departments.

The gorge is rafted by kayak and the route passes along the natural landmarks of Cirques des Beaumes, Pougnadoires, and Saint-Chély-du-Tarn.

The Gorges de la Jonte gorge is conquered by kayakers and climbers. Compared to Gorges du Tarn, the height of the cliffs here is lower — no more than 450 meters, so climbers train over local cliffs.

A scenic road with dizzying views runs through the Tarn gorges — even a simple drive along the serpentine will provide vivid photos and light-headedness. There are many public viewing points on the trails.

More information about activities in the gorges is available from the tourist office in S ainte-Enimie.

The highways here look like a mountain serpentine highway
The highways here look like a mountain serpentine highway
Along the way, views of the villages
Along the way, views of the villages
In the mornings, the fog hangs over the gorge
In the mornings, the fog hangs over the gorge
And in sunny weather, these same mountains are transformed beyond recognition
And in sunny weather, these same mountains are transformed beyond recognition
The mountains are covered with forests
The mountains are covered with forests
There are so many hiking trails in the gorge for any distance
There are so many hiking trails in the gorge for any distance

What you need to know about East Occitania

  • Bring a windbreaker on your trip through Occitania — the winds here are fresh.
  • The cafes and restaurants are open from about 12:00 to 14:30, and dinner is served from 19:00 to 21:30.