The full list of Exceptional historical sites to visit in Languedoc include:

• The Millau Viaduct - when it was built, this was the tallest bridge in the world. It was designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster and was opened in 2004. The bridge is part of the A75-A71 autoroute from Paris to Beziers and I have to say that it is well worth a detour. It is not until you get on the bridge that you realise how high you are. At its highest point the road deck is 270 metres (890 ft) above the valley below.
• The Bambouseraie Bamboo gardens in the Cevennes - the first Oriental Plant garden in Europe and ranked amongst France’s most beautiful gardens, the Bamboo Gardens located in Anduze, Cévennes, offers visitors a chance to explore the largest collection of bamboo plants in the world. The Bambousseraie has just installed an extraordinary tree-top path high above the canopy of the trees.
• St Guilhem le Desert - the ancient village of St Guilhem, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, is widely regarded as the prettiest village in the South of France. Once a refuge for fleeing Protestants (Huguenots) during the 15th and 16th Centuries, St Guilhem's history dates back to 800 AD when the Abbey and village was founded by Charlemagne's counsellor Guilhem, who returned to Languedoc from Rome.

 

• Pont du Gard - this extraordinary Roman aqueduct located just north of Nimes is one of 6 UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the South of France. Complete with an excellent visitors centre and Mediterranean garden, the Pont du Gard, is a special place to visit in France.
• Oppidum d'Enserune - once the site of an important Roman fort and villa, recent archaeological excavations have revealed remnants from a Gaul settlement pre-dating the arrival of the Romans. The site offers a superb view over the Bassin de Montady - a wagon wheel pattern of fields - which it is believed was originally salt production site.
• Noilly Prat - this famous Southern France dry vermouth is the key ingredient for a Martini drink and has been produced in the coastal town of Marseillan for over 200 years. The tour of the former Noilly Prat distillery also includes a visit to the famous Cocktail bar where you can blend your own cocktail.
• Museum of Contemporary Art - situated in the town of Sérignan, close to the Mediterranean Sea, this modern art museum contains numerous temporary exhibitions and permanent collections of modern art.
• Pezenas - the historical capital of the Languedoc under Prince Conti and once the former home of the French playwright, Moliere. Wander on a guided tour round the ancient streets of this beautiful Southern France town.
• Maguelone Cathedral - located on the Mediterranean shore, close to Montpellier, this beautiful cathedral dates back to 533 AD. Built on a small island, the church was one of the most important sites of Christianity in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. The church was rebuilt in the 11th Century and further buildings were added in the 12th Century.
• Grotte des Demoiselles -  located close to the village of St Guilhem, these underground limestone caves are host to a wide variety of stalactites and unique mineral formations. The caves are a constant temperature of 14°C all year around.
• Chateau Cassan - a beautiful 18th Century Chateau that was built on the site of a former monastery. The 11th Century priory still stand next to the Chateau.
• Abbey Valmagne - a Cistercian abbey founded in 1139. The abbey houses an impressive Gothic Church and was an important location for wine making. The wines produced by the monks provided an important source of income and by the 14th Century the abbey was the richest monastery in south France.

 

 

• Nimes amphitheatre - the best–preserved roman amphitheatre in the world. The amphitheatre is one of the best examples of Roman engineering design and construction - the oval shaped arena has perfect symmetry: 68 meters in length and 38 metres in width. The exterior stone façade is 21 meters high and comprises two floors of 60 superimposed arches. At the top, specially-drilled stones were positioned to allow long poles to be hung over the arena to provide shade with a huge canvas canopy. In Roman times, the monument could hold 24,000 spectators spread over 34 rows of terraces divided into four separate areas.
• Carcassonne castle - Carcassonne is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in the South of France. It is the sheer scale of the castle at Carcassonne that blows you away. There is a full size village inside the walls of the castle. The castle was first established in the 11th Century and in 1209 it was taken by Simon de Montfort during his crusade against the Cathars.
• Canal du Midi - This Plane tree-lined canal that runs from Toulouse to the Mediterranean sea, is the largest UNESCO World heritage site on earth. The brain-child of Paul Riquet, a tax collector from Beziers, this mammoth civil engineering project was the most complex and greatest civil engineering undertaking since the time of the Romans.
• Arles - With its Roman heritage, complete with preserved Amphitheatre, Forum and Theatre; the beautiful 17th Century mansions and modern Museums and not forgetting the wide rolling river; Arles has it all. Arles was also the base for Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, during their ill-fated but successful partnership in the 'Studio of the South'. Here van Gogh painted some of his most famous masterpieces.