Sète, France, a set on Flickr.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Tired of big city life?
Paris, as any capital in the world, has lots of pros and cons. Some people can't imagine themselves living anywhere smaller and calmer than the capital, some - another way round - can't stand being in the rush of big city life.
But, of course, even being a real big city life fan, sometimes you can catch yourself on the idea of dreaming of a small trip to some small cosy place where you can have a rest and "se changer les idées". The advantage of France is that you can easily find a destination that is small, really small or even almost deserted - just pick a region and visit a few different places (a smaller one than Paris and even smaller one).
How to choose a region? In my case it was actually simple. In winter the first reaction is to go south - closer to the sun. Another point is that during this period, if you're lucky enough, you can find some really cheap train tickets called "prems" - this will help you choose your final destination.
As the period isn't warm enough to go to the beach, a good option is to visit the Languedoc-Roussillon region situated in the middle between big city life and the Mediterranean Sea.
Only a 3h30 trip from Paris by TGV and you find yourself in Montpellier, one of the fastest growing cities in France with over 1000 newcomers per month. Montpellier is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The Mediterranean Sea is just in a 10km way, the air is fresh, the sun is shining with a yearly level of 2 617 sunshine hours (comparing to Paris with only 1 748 hours). The city is smaller and less touristy than its neighbors Nice and Marseille. So how to resist temptation? Just don't!
If you are staying in Montpellier for a few days, add a quick refreshing trip to Sète to your to do list.
Sète, the so-called Venice of Languedoc, is a wonderful place within a 20min reach by train from Montpellier. Here you don’t need to visit anything and make a tourist plan – just walk and enjoy the Mediterranean Sea! And don’t forget to stop by for a lunch in one of the restaurants situated just near to the port. Various fish menus accompanied by a glass of white wine on the terrace will absolutely make your day!
Il you want to discover the real life "à la française" - don't stop on just one region - go ahead and discover them all!
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