5th September 2008

Holidays in the Midi-Pyrenees

Welcome to our section on the Midi-Pyrenees

With our regional information, Holiday Directory and hotel listings, we hope you can find your ideal Pyrenean holiday here. And in order to explore this historic part of France, you might also pick up some tips, to ensure you enjoy your holiday to the full.

Gemma Driver
Editor
FrenchEntrée Holidays

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Skiing in he French Pyrenees - Try Something Different

Resorts reviewed by Benn Coley, star of C4's No Going Back.

You may have watched Benn and Amy Coley's French adventure on No Going Back. Many months down the line, their ski holiday business is thriving. Benn lets FrenchEntrée readers in on his local knowledge, and gives us his views and crucial information for the resorts in his region... Pyrenees skiing...

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You are here: FrenchEntrée > Holidays in France > Midi-Pyrenees Regional Information

The Midi-Pyrenees Region

Ariège, Aveyron, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Lot, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne

About the region

The Region: Midi-Pyrénées is huge - it’s the largest region in France, and bigger than Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. It is generally mountainous, with the Pyrenees in the west, and the Massif Central in the East, and each department has its own identity.

Our regional site, FrenchEntrée Lot & Quercy, is spread over 2 French regions, Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine, and includes the departments of Lot, Lot et Garonne and Tarn et Garonne.

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The remote, rocky, mountainous area of the Pyrenees, adjacent to Spain, is the home of the Basque people. To the east of the Basque country is Toulouse, the large capital city of the Midi-Pyrénées, and then further north the landscape turns to rolling hills and castles bordering the Dordogne, with yet more remote mountains to the east. Consequently, the diverse scenery of the Midi-Pyrénées is stunning. It’s economy is largely agricultural, too, so most of the countryside is unspoilt farmland, rivers and forests.

Being on a natural border, this region has had an interesting history of Cathars and other religions, the troubadours and invasions. The past has left behind castles, medieval towns, abbeys, cathedrals and regional dialects.

In the north of the Midi-Pyrénées, far from the Pyrenees and the Spanish border, the many châteaux resulted from the English occupation of parts of Aquitaine, the next region up, during the Middle Ages.

Weather: Generally, the summers here are hot, the winters long and cold, but the size and diverse geology of the landscape means that there are a great many micro-climates in this region. Lowlands are milder in winter, the north can be a little cooler in summer, and the mountains cause snow or rainfall.

© MAISON DE LA FRANCE - Danièle Taulin-Hommel

Gastronomy: Midi-Pyrénées is the home to a lot of the most reknowned French cheeses: Hard Basque cheeses made with goat’s, ewe’s or cow’s milk, Roquefort - the famous blue ewe’s milk cheese - and little, soft, round, gooey Rocamadour goat’s cheeses, from the cliff-clinging village of Rocamadour.

In addition to cheese, there are many traditional regional dishes and cuisines; Cassoulet, foie gras, lamb, hearty soups, and pastries and breads, such as ‘gâteau à la broche’, which is a spit-roast cake.

Finally, a huge variety of wine is produced in the numerous Appellations d’Origine Côntrolées of the region, and there is also, of course, the amber nectar of Armagnac.

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Midi-Pyrenees Guidebooks and Bookstore

Visit the FrenchEntrée Midi-Pyrenees guidebooks store for tourism and travel guidebooks on the Midi-Pyrenees region and the Pyrenees Mountains.

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