Places of Interest

By Car

Within approximately 30 to 40 minutes there are many fascinating places to visit and explore, including ‘arty’, historic Mirepoix with its picturesque central square and markets, Pamiers highlighted by the Tour de France in 2010, Foix with its panoramic hilltop castle, and the last Cathar stronghold - the much photographed Montsegur.

At the heart of Cathar history, and with its increasingly dramatic landscape on approaching the Pyreneés, the region is also renowned for its gastronomic delights and excellent wines. Vineyards to be visited, wines to be tasted …

The nearby circular village of St Martin d’Oydes, and the hilltop Carla Bayle – especially lively in the summer with music festivals and art exhibitions – are ideal for leisurely short days strolling, picnicking…

Domaine des Oiseaux – a bird sanctuary and staging post for migratory birds - is just 15 minutes from Domaine de Roudeille and has 6kms of walking tracks, an agricultural museum, and – in our opinion and at the time of writing – a jolly good restaurant! There are invariably lots of storks nesting and flying around there – great to see!

The ‘Rose’ city of Toulouse, the magnificent Carcasonne, the Ariège-Pyreneés, Andorra, and Spain are all easily accessible for day trips. There are lots of equally impressive shorter options for half-days out before coming back to enjoy the pool!

Saverdun	St Martin d’Oydes

Let the train take the strain

If you feel like a rest from driving, we can give you a lift to Saverdun station. There are frequent comfortable trains between Toulouse and the Midi-Pyrenées French / Spanish border – Latour de Carole / Puigcerda. There are trains from the border to Barcelona and beyond.

If you wish to explore Toulouse, the train station connects with an excellent metro network. We can supply maps and tourist information.

Heading south towards the Pyreneés, it depends how far you wish to go. Maybe just to Pamiers (15 mins), Foix (30 mins), or a little further afield to luxuriate in the thermal spas of Ax-Les-Thermes (just over an hour); this is also the nearest winter ski-station should you wish to enjoy the occasional day cross-country or downhill skiing.

Maybe to the French / Spanish border (2 hours +); we can suggest places to stay and assist with reservations should you wish to have a couple of nights or more in the mountains – thus offering the option of a two-centre holiday. We recently enjoyed a couple of nights sleeping on the French side, and daytime exploring (and dipping into tapas) on the Spanish side!

The Local Railway	Foix