Getting here

Getting to the Languedoc By Air

Air travel to the Languedoc has become affordable since low cost carriers like Ryanair, Flybe and EasyJet entered the market a few years ago. You can find return flights to the region for as little as £30 return including airport taxes. There are many airports in the area served by low cost carriers:-

Montpellier
Beziers
Nimes
Perpignan
Carcassonne
Toulouse
and even Girona, just one hour over the border in Spain

For the cheapest currently available flights check out Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert site :- www.moneysavingexpert.com where he has regularly updated news on cheap flghts (as well as how to save money in other ways).

Links to Airline Web Sites

FlyBe
BMI BMIbaby
British Airways
EasyJet
Ryanair
Below is a list of flights from UK airports to airports in and around the Languedoc.

FROM	TO	AIRLINE
Aberdeen	Toulouse	BMI
Belfast	Perpignan Toulouse	FlyBe FlyBe
Birmingham	Toulouse Perpignan	FlyBe FlyBe
Blackpool	Girona	Ryanair
Bournemouth	Girona	Ryanair
Bristol	Girona Beziers	Ryanair Ryanair
Doncaster (Sheffield)	Girona	Ryanair
Dublin	Carcassonne	Ryanair
Durham (Tees Valley)	Girona	Ryanair
East Midlands	Carcassonne Nîmes	Ryanair Ryanair
Edinburgh	Perpignan Toulouse	FlyBe FlyBe, BMI
Glasgow	Perpignan	FlyBe
Toulouse	FlyBe	BMI
Guernsey	Toulouse	FlyBe
Jersey	Toulouse	FlyBe
Liverpool	Carcassonne Nîmes Girona	Ryanair Ryanair Ryanair
London Gatwick	Marseille Montpellier Toulouse	British Airways British Airways British Airways
London Heathrow	Nice	British Airways
London Luton	Nice Nîmes Beziers	EasyJet Ryanair Ryanair
London Stansted	Carcassonne Beziers Montpellier Nîmes Perpignan	Ryanair Ryanair Ryanair Ryanair Ryanair
Manchester	Perpignan Toulouse	BMIbaby BMI
Southampton	Béziers Perpignan Avignon Toulouse	Ryanair FlyBe FlyBe FlyBe

By Rail

Eurostar.com Channel Tunnel and onward services
SNCF.com The official French railways website
RailEurope Comprehensive rail information/booking site

Car Hire Companies at Beziers Railway Station

Rhino Car Hire - Rhino guarantees the best deals online!
ADA is open :- Monday to Friday: 8.00 - 12.00 and 14.00 - 18.00
Saturday: 8.00 - 09.00 and 17.00 - 18.00 Tel 04 67 62 65 39
AVIS is open:- Monday to Friday: 8.30-12.00 and 14.00 - 18.30
Saturday: 8.30 - 12.00 Tel 04 67 28 65 44
EUROPCAR is open:- Monday to Friday: 8.00 - 13.00 and 14.00 - 18.00
Saturday: 8.00 - 14.00 Tel 04 67 62 09 89

By Road

We recommend the A75 autoroute which is free south of Clermont Ferrand and there is no longer a bottle-neck at Millau since the spectacular Millau viaduct has been opened.

Because there are generally tolls to pay the motorways feel much less busy than the UK. They are well serviced with frequent rest areas with toilets and telephones as well as bigger, fully equipped service areas with fuel, food and in many cases lodging. The speed limit in good weather is 130 kph (approx 80-85 mph) so you get there quicker too.

Check out the South France Autoroutes website ASF.fr for route planning and infomation on tolls.

Approx driving distances from channel ports:	Caen	Calais/Boulogne
Perpignan	1100 km	1150 km
Carcassonne	850 km	1060 km
Beziers	980 km	1050 km

Crossing the Channel

Eurotunnel - channel tunnel rail-link
Speedferries.com - the only ferry operator into Boulogne, avoiding the traffic at Calais, and it's usually the cheapest too...
Sea France Routes include Dover-Calais
P&O Ferries Routes include Dover-Calais, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth and Cork to Brittany.

Planning your Route:

ViaMichelin.com Michelin's website with route-planner, hotels and restaurant information
Multimap.com and Google maps are also good for maps and location finding, and offer satellite photos of your destination
Maporama.com route-planner & maps
Mappy.com route-planner & maps

Where to stop on the way:

Accor.com for information and bookings for several of it's hotel brands: Formule 1, Etap, Ibis, Novotel, Mercure and Sofitel
Envergure.fr who have among their brands the Premiere Classe and Campanile budget hotels

You can usually find the hotels grouped near the Autoroute exits. In peak season booking ahead is recommended.

Driving in France versus UK

If you have never driven abroad before, you may think that it is simply a case of remembering to drive on the `wrong` i.e. the right side of the road. However, before you embark on a motoring holiday, you`ll find that researching the other differences there are, will not only save you from potential embarrassment and legal action, but could also save your life.

Aside from driving on the other side of the road, many people would believe that motoring in France, for example, is very similar to driving in the UK. However, France has many laws governing motoring there that are quite different to those at home. For example, they have stricter laws ruling acceptable blood alcohol levels in cases of drink-driving and speeding offences are subject to on-the-spot fines. It is also worth mentioning that in cases where a driver exceeds the speed limit by more than 40 km/h, any holder of an EU driving licence will have it confiscated on-the-spot.

There are certain regulations that are weather dependant, for example, in poor visibility, you must use dipped headlights. Speed limits vary according to area, vehicle and weather and in wet weather all speed limits are reduced. Drivers who have passed their driving test within the last two years are also limited to lower speeds on all roads. In addition it is now compulsory to use snow chains on snow covered roads and to carry a warning triangle and a reflective jacket, in case of accidents. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of all these details in full. It is not acceptable, for example, to carry your reflective jacket in the boot; it must be kept in the body of the car so that, in the case of an accident, you can put it on before leaving your vehicle.

Whilst you may have considered the necessity for carrying your driving licence while motoring in France, did you know that you are also required by law to carry the vehicle registration document and a certificate of motor insurance, as well as, more surprisingly perhaps, a spare pair of spectacles if you wear contact lenses?

If the details and requirements of motoring in France cause you any anxiety, it is worth considering car rental. You may find it easier to fly to the nearest airport to your chosen destination and pick up a hire car, particularly if you are going to be holidaying in the south of France.. With car rental concessions for all the major car hire companies located at the airport, it couldn`t be easier. For example, if you are holidaying in the south west of France, for car rental Toulouse airport offers a great choice of car hire companies. Not only will you have the advantage of not having to drive the whole length of France, nearly 1000 kilometres, but on arrival you will be driving a left hand drive car, which may make driving on the right hand side of the road feel more natural and therefore a little easier.

Car-Hire

Don't assume that you will get the best deal with your airline's car-hire partner, by shopping around you can get better deals and miss the queue at the "partner" car hire desk!

Discount Sites Major Brands

Or try our partners:-

enquiries@southfranceholidayvillas.co.uk

01252 85 6464

3 different ways to find your ideal holiday property:

BY CRITERIA:

TYPE:

SLEEPS PEOPLE

FROM:

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Available for ALL of this period

CLOSE To:

PROPERTY MUST HAVE:

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VIEW OUR AVAILABILITY CALENDAR

Other ways to search


VILLAS + POOL	LAST MINUTE DEALS
w/ SHARED POOL	ON A BUDGET
NO POOL	FURTHER AFIELD
NEAR A BEACH	GOLFING
	CAMPING / CHALETS

Testimonials

" Thank you for your always so prompt response and support during our very interesting stay at Nissan and once again a big thank you for all the provisions you left for us. I would like to say, that in all my travels around the world, I did not find an agent nicer, more co-operative and more efficient and professional than you. Congratulations and my sincere thank you for your efforts in our first France holiday. With kind regards, George "

CRU103

"The property was well equipped and in a good location for town and the lake. There was plenty of information in the house and we enjoyed our stay. We would like to return to the area. "

John D

"Our expectations exceeded quality of equipment in property was very good. Cleanliness on arrival was very good also."

Annette K

"The property was lovely and it was good value for money. Cleanliness and house equipment was very good. Booking procedure was good. "

Rick W

"Exceptionnally high standard on website and expectations really exceeded. The property was excellent value for money. Superb."

Don D

"My expectations were exceeded and it was good value for money. Quality of equipment and cleanliness of arrival was excellent. The booking procedure was fantastic. We may consider going back if the property is rented again. Thank you so much. "

Kay SG

"Photo descriptions were accurate and exceeded our expectations. No problems booking. Juliana provided a very good service. She gave us lots of local info before travel which was very useful. "

Catherine M

"The standard and quality along with the house’s excellent position and the fact that it is a very well equipped property meant it had everything we needed. I think the price was fair and the booking procedure was very straightforward, quick email responses on our enquiries."

Ben A

"Photo description, if anything understated. Our expectations exceeded. Definitely good value for money. Best equipped rental we have ever had. Website easy to use and communication always very prompt. If holidaying again in the Languedoc would consider rebooking the villa."

Tim M

"Property photos were accurate and expectations exceeded. The contact with Juliana was very nice. She’s friendly and cooperative. "

Tsanko M