Product Description

The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon is your essential handbook to one of France’s most beautiful and intriguing regions. The full-colour section introduces the area's highlights from the picturesque beach town of Collioure and the Orb Valley mountain river to swimming at the Pont Du Gard - an extraordinary Roman Aqueduct. For every town and village, there are comprehensive and opinionated reviews of all the best places to stay, eat and sample the local wines, whatever your budget. There is plenty of practical advice on exploring hiking trails, boating on the Canal du Midi and experiencing the Catalan dances of Roussillon. The guide also takes a look at the region's best festivals and comes complete with maps and plans for every area. The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon is like having a local friend plan your trip!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104845 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

About the Author
Brian Catlos  is a contributor on Rough Guides to Barcelona, Europe, France and Spain.

Customer Reviews

Just okay - no appetite appeal!
I'm in the process of planning a trip to the Languedoc and I've been reading several guides to the region. This is not a terrible guide, but it's the one I liked the least.

This book would be good if you already know exactly where you want to go and what you want to do. For example, there is plenty of specific information on things like opening hours and places to stay. It's very well researched. But if you're earlier in the planning stages than that, it doesn't really do it. The chapters leap about from place to place and it gets confusing trying to work out where they are in relation to one another. Moreover, nowhere sounds particularly enticing! (Apart from Montpellier: clearly a favorite of the author). Several towns that are singled out as highlights in other guidebooks rate only passing mentions here.

To me, part of the enjoyment of a holiday is reading and thinking in advance about where to go and what to see. After reading this book, I half-felt like I'd be better off going somewhere else. It just doesn't make Languedoc and Roussillon sound very appealing. Sort of the equivalent of a recipe book with no appetite appeal. I would recommend instead the Lonely Planet guide to this region, which is a better book.

Post script: Having now returned from visiting the region, I would urge you not to miss Collioure which is a very charming little town by the sea, not far from Perpignan. My profile photo was taken in Albi, which is also worth visiting.

disappointing guide to fabulous place
disappointing guide
1) text unfairly negative - eg places "uninteresting"
2) omitted assorted sights/villages/activities in the area that more than merited a visit
we realise a guide can't include everything, and tastes vary, but we did feel it didn't do the area justice - or help us make the most of our holiday

Looking forward to going
The book is well written as you would expect. As I haven't been to the area yet I am yet to see how useful it actually is but I have had their publications before (India) and they have proved invaluable. Would have liked to have had a few more colour photo's of the main attractions that's why I have only given it four stars. I have read large sections, overview of area, culture and specifically where I will be staying and it has wetted my appetite even more. One minor niggle for me personally is the section on travellers reducing their carbon foot print but we wont go into that here. A good book I would recommend it.