Ever since we moved to Europe, seeing the pink flamingos of the Camargue has been an item high on my travel bucket list.
We finally fulfilled our goal of seeing flamingos in the wild while at the same time exploring Languedoc, a fascinating part of southwest France with the baseline of excellent food and wine you expect in France, but also steeped in history and with a slightly wilder side.
Both the places themselves and the experiences we had in those places (20 in all described below) made for an epic French road trip.
1. Montpellier
We based ourselves in an Airbnb in Montpellier and used this as a home base to explore the region.
Montpellier features narrow cobbled streets, expansive squares, and a large university which amps up the energy. Unfortunately for us, it rained nearly the entire time we were in Montpellier.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…When life gives you rain, make a rainbow. That’s what I did. See below for a photo tour through Montpellier in all the colors of the rainbow.
2. Ready, Sète, Go
Having a car is essential for exploring Languedoc, the most efficient and flexible way to reach the many fascinating places spiraling out in all directions from Montpellier.
Our first sojourn took us to Sète, a quiet port town situated on a series of canals connecting the Mediterranean to a network of étangs (saltwater estuaries) nearby. The town features a sprawling central market that looks like it’s covered in chainmail and atmospheric streets to explore.
3. Aigues-Mortes – If these walls could talk!
As we approached Aigues-Mortes by car and the intact medieval wall came into view, our jaws dropped. This town looks like one bad-ass fortress. We enjoyed exploring the shops and cobbled streets nestled inside the walls, but also dipping out into the more modern area outside the wall.
4. Camargue and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
The Camargue! That was our reason for planning this trip in the first place. This wetland region is known for flocks of greater pink flamingos. Parc Ornithologique de Pont de Gau is home to thousands of flamingos and other bird species including egrets, herons, and night herons.
We hung around for hours no more than 10-15 feet away from the flamingos, in some cases, watching them go about their day. Simply awesome.
We continued on to Saintes Maries de la Mer, the nearest town to Parc Ornithologique de Pont de Gau. There is one way in and one way out of the town, and it felt like we’d reached the end of the earth when we arrived at this seaside village.
It was quite blustery when we visited, but we steeled ourselves for a quick walk through the town streets shopping for local specialties like Esprit de Camargue jam. We ducked into a quiet bar for a glass of wine before retracing our route back to Montpellier.
5. Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard is another awe-inspiring day trip by car from Montpellier. We marveled at this feat of ancient Roman engineering from several vantage points.
We climbed trails on both sides of the aqueduct to view Pont du Gard from above. We got down low and viewed it from the riverbank while sampling a picnic lunch. Finally, we sidled up close to have a look at the stones and arches.
6. Nîmes
Nîmes is just a short drive away from Pont du Gard and is an ideal spot to stop and explore on the return trip to Montpellier. Nîmes dates back to the Roman Empire and features several prominent Roman-era landmarks, including Nîmes Arena and the Maison Carrée.
We also discovered that Nîmes is obsessed with crocodiles. A chained crocodile features prominently in the modern town crest. Four stuffed crocodiles hang from the ceiling of the town hall and were acquired between the 16th and 18th centuries.
This fascination with our scaly friends seems to have been a ‘thing’ for several hundred years.
7. Dining al fresco
Throughout Languedoc, we took advantage of the spring sunshine to dine al fresco. This included tielles (a seafood-filled pie) and mussels in Sète. The seagulls definitely wanted in on the action!
We also dined inside the walls of Aigues-Mortes, but outside in the open air at Chez Coco. Steak and frites taste better in the fresh air.
8. Kite surfing
Languedoc is a windswept place. Driving back from Sète to Montpellier, we encountered kite surfers taking advantage of the breeze and associated waves going to new heights with their surfing moves.
Every few minutes, the wind would catch the kite and lift the surfer out of the water where they’d twist and turn in the air as if it were the most effortless thing in the world.
9. Étangs and coastal drive
The road between Sète and Montpellier threaded the needle in places along narrow strips of land between saltwater lakes, making for a scenic coastal drive.
10. Birdwatching
Given the preponderance of wetlands, it’s no surprise that Languedoc is a great place for birding. Even beyond the Parc Ornithologique de Pont de Gau described above, we spotted plenty of birds in the various étangs dotting the landscape.
Shelducks, egrets, herons, night herons, black-necked stilts, and, our favorite, the pink flamingos made an appearance.
11. Wild horses
Languedoc also features plenty of happy-looking horses. The most common are the white stallions of the Camargue with their flowing manes. We also saw horses in other colors, too, grazing near the vineyards outside of Sète. They are such amazing and graceful creatures!
12. Wine tasting
We found that Languedoc offered so much more than just nature. We stopped to taste fine regional wines at Chateau de la Peyrade just outside of Sète, including the specialty dry Muscat.
13. Sating a Sweet Tooth
My regular readers know that I have a voracious sweet tooth. Throughout Languedoc, we found all sorts of tempting treats at local pâtisseries and candy shops.
14. Sculpture and Street Art
I loved the street art and sculpture in Languedoc, particularly in Sète. My absolute favorite was this giant, menacing octopus that was situated in a random parking lot in the center of the town. I could imagine him saying: Let your parking meter expire and face my fury!
15. Pinwheels
The quaint details are really what made Languedoc special for me. Colorful pinwheels spun in the breeze along many a balcony.
16. Distressed Doors
My regular readers know that I love door photography, and the distressed doors in the various towns also added to the shabby-chic atmosphere.
17. Picturesque squares
As in many other parts of France, Languedoc also features its share of picturesque squares, ranging from Place de la Comédie in Montpellier to the tiny tree-lined squares of Aigues-Mortes.
18. Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ markets abound in France. In Languedoc, the market just outside the imposing walls of Aigues-Mortes captured our imagination. It was asparagus season when we visited, and white and green varieties were everywhere!
We even saw a potbellied pig happily chilling at the market. Adorable!
19. Shopping for salt
This part of the world is known for sea salt. In addition to being served routinely in restaurants, we also picked up a pot of Camargue salt to take home.
Buying souvenirs like this doesn’t take up a lot of space and helps the trip live on in our memories for weeks and months to come.
20. African-inspired cuisine in Montpellier
Staying in Montpellier, we had the opportunity to sample the restaurants in this university city. We were particularly impressed with the African-influenced cuisine.
L’Instant Gourmand offers a value-priced lunch menu (mostly local cuisine), but it was so good that we went back for dinner to try the Moroccan side of their menu.
A huge bowl of couscous with a mixed plate of meats left us stuffed. We delved deeper into the continent at La Palmeraie with a meal of fiery Congolese dishes.
Languedoc has something for everyone: food, wine, nature, and wildlife. Montpellier is the ideal home base from which to explore the region by car.
