discover the region

The Midi-Pyrénées is made up of eight departments set in the heart of South Western France and is the largest region in the country. It's made up of eight departments set in the heart of South Western France.

Midi Pyrenees

The departments of the Midi-Pyrénées

Ariège (09) - Foix
Aveyron (12) - Rodez
Haute Garonne (31) - Toulouse
Gers (32) - Auch
Lot (46) - Cahors
Haute Pyrénées (65) - Tarbes
Tarn (81) - Albi
Tarn-et-Garonne (82) - Montauban

It's the largest region in the country covering a massive 45,348 km² and is on the same latitude as Nice, so truly in the South of France. The summers stretch into long hot days, when the shady oak trees of Le Pourtaou can be especially welcome. Eating out and sunbathing can start as early as April and continue well into November, although there can be dramatic changes of weather in spring and autumn which sometimes spices things up a bit! In summer the heat brings with it the occasional spectacular electrical storm. The area has so much to offer throughout the year, it isn’t just a spot for summer sunbathing, there's winter snow sports too!

Snowy mountains

Snowy Spanish mountains

St Bertrand

St Bertrand du Comminges

Toulouse

The Midi-Pyrénées is also a region that is crammed full of ideas for your visits.

Toulouse "The Pink City", capital of the region.
Luchon for winter skiing or a visit to the thermal baths.
Marciac for the annual Jazz festival.
Lourdes in the Hautes-Pyrénées for a pilgrimage to shrine of Ste Bernadette.
Albi to discover the artist Toulouse-Lautrec.
Spanish border, we're only a 45 minute drive away.
Ariège to find out about the history of mankind and the Cathars and maybe do a bit of hiking.
Gers for a gourmet outing: the homeland of one of Alexandre Dumas' three musketeers, d'Artagnan.
The 'canal du Midi', the Lot or the Baïse for a cruise.
The road to Santiago de Compostela may be more to your liking.
Rocamadour, Conques, Cordes sur Ciel, Figeac may take a little longer to visit but St Bertrand de Comminges or the Roman ruins at Monmaurin are more local.

Taste the local gourmet produce such as foie gras, cassoulet (meat and bean stew), Roquefort cheese, the wines of Cahors or Gaillac and Armagnac. You could also take to the road to discover the fortified medieval towns like Carcassonne, enjoying the stories of historical events and typical village markets on the way. What about a trip to the seaside? Both the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts are within driving distance. Why not spend a day by the seaside?

No tour of the region would be complete without a wide choice of spas for the health and fitness enthusiast. The Midi-Pyrénées offers a wide range of sports for the athlete too, such as rafting, canoeing and skiing, as well as adventure sports: canyoning, not forgetting discovery sports with hiking, horse riding and bicycle riding among others.

A whole new world to discover…

To find out more, why not have a look at these websites?

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