Lots to do on holiday


There’s masses to do and see on a holiday based at Au Coeur de Rennes – Castles, dinosaurs, vineyards, caves, all sorts of sports and the great outdoors. You're also just minutes away from the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, the story behind Dan Brown's best-selling thriller The Da Vinci Code. You may just want to relax in the countryside of the Upper Aude Valley but you can also head off to Perpignan for the shops or go just a little further for the beach. There's a spectacular route from Rennes les Bains to the coast past Pic Bugarach and through the breathtaking Gorges Galamus. Local legend has it that Bugarach was part of the inspiration for the Steven Spielberg movie Close Encounters of The Third Kind. While we can't vouch for the truth of the tale, the moutain really does have a mysterious quality which makes the story seem plausible enough. Either way, the peak is a must for hillwalkers. If you carry on to the coast, one of our favourite seaside places is the village of Collioure, where Matisse went to paint during his Fauve period. It’s also easy to do a day trip high into the Pyrenees, to Spain or to Andorra, perhaps taking in a day's skiing during the winter months.

Cathar castles

The Languedoc region is justly famous for its many castles, testament to the 12th century struggles and martyrdom of the Cathar religious sect. There’s the ancient walled city in Carcassonne which appeared in the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

The castle at Puivert was also the great meeting place of the Troubadours, 11th century musicians and poets, while at Montsegur the Cathars were massacred in their last stand. Many of the castles are built high up on dizzy spikes of rock – you only have to imagine just how hard it was to build them to realise that the Cathars were remarkable people. You can also take in the Gorges Galamus en route to the châteaux at Peyrepertuse, Queribus and Puilaurens.The area is also notable for the exploits of the French Resistance during the Second War with the actions in 1944 involving Alet les Bains and the Maquis de Picaussel.

Rennes le Château - Da Vinci Code

The treasure mystery of Rennes le Château and its links with the legend of the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar, are just a few minutes' drive from Rennes les Bains. The story, which forms the background to the best-selling The Da Vinci Code, draws thousands of visitors every year from all over the world. There are hundreds of theories about how the village's penniless priest Berenger Saunière became incredibly rich overnight. If you want to know more just try some of the sites on our links page.

Prehistoric sites

But long before the Middle Ages, early Man was hard at work in the Pyrenees and you can visit sites like the caves at Tarascon and Tautavel where the prehistoric Tautavel Man was discovered. The Aude Valley itself is a world-class dinosaur site and new fossil bones are being found here all the time as excavations continue. You can see the results at the fascinating dinosaur museum at Esperaza – practically complete skeletons have been reassembled by its team of experts. During the main tourist season, the museum has workshops for children to learn about dinosaur hunting.

Water sports

The Aude today is also a world-class river for canoeing and white-water rafting -championship competitions have been held on it. If you want to try water sports for the first time you can always start on one of the gentler stretches while if all this messing about in boats seems too much like hard work, you can stay on the bank and enjoy a spot of fishing.

Caves and vineyards

Wine-lovers can head off down the valley towards the vineyards of Malapere, Corbière and Minervois and, of course, the Blanquette of Limoux is not to be missed. The story goes that the recipe for champagne was invented here but taken to the Champagne region by fair means or foul, depending who you believe. Limoux’s sparkling speciality has a distinctive bouquet all of its own but you can have a lot of fun testing the different varieties and comparing the blanquettes and cremants with their northern rival.

Markets

Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest like a drink or a meal in one of the town or village squares – especially on market days like the one at Esperaza on Sunday morning where the whole world arrives to shop, do business, play music or just talk.

It really is a market economy here so don’t miss out on a good deal and a big slice of French country life. If you love markets, then the medieal arcaded market at Mirepoix on Monday morning is a must while there's also a large market in Limoux on Fridays.

Links

That's just a quick glance at the possibilities for a holiday based at Au Coeur de Rennes. You can find out loads more about the area in our extensive links page