Getting to and around the Languedoc

Air

The two main international gateways to the area are Montpellier and Béziers. Montpellier Méditerranée airport is handily located between the city and the coast, just 8km south-east of the centre, with a €4.90 shuttle bus connection into town. The airport is served by Ryanair (0871 246 000; ryanair.com) from Stansted and Bristol and by easyJet (0905 821 0905; easyjet.com) from Gatwick, and, starting 7 July, Luton. Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport is served by Ryanair from Luton and Bristol. Alternative arrival points include Marseille, Nîmes and Perpignan, from which there are good rail and road connections.

Rail

Access from Paris Gare de Lyon is quick, thanks to the TGV services via Lyon and Nîmes. The service from Paris to Montpellier's Saint-Roch takes as little as three hours 15 minutes, while the continuation to Béziers – with around six direct trains a day – lasts just over four hours. Fast trains also call at Sète and Agde. Return tickets on Eurostar (08705 186 186; eurostar.com) from London St Pancras to stations in Hérault from around £100. On Saturdays from 11 July to 5 September, direct trains will run from St Pancras to Avignon-Centre, with easy connections to the Hérault.

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Road

The A9 motorway runs north-east to south-west from Orange, linking Montpellier and Béziers and allowing quick access to the Hérault coast. From the Channel ports, however, the most scenic approach is on the A75 motorway through the Massif Central; Dieppe and Le Havre are particularly well placed for avoiding Paris.

Getting around

Rail services run from Montpellier to Frontignan, Sete, Agde, Vias, Béziers, Bédarieux and Lunel. There are 68 local bus lines in the region: consult Hérault Transport (00 33 825 34 01 34; cg34.fr/herault-transport) for further details. From sea to mountains, a car offers the best means of exploring this immensely varied region. Car rental options, available from both airports and numerous other points, include Europcar (0870 607 5000; europcar.co.uk) which has a rate of £217 for a week. For route planning visit quelleroute.com.

More information

Hérault in Languedoc Tourisme, Maison du Tourisme, Avenue des Moulins, 34184 Montpellier Cedex 4 (00 33 4 67 67 71 71; languedoc.com).

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