Make sure the holiday home or B&B accommodation you choose is in an area of Languedoc that's right for you...

Languedoc's a huge and very varied region of France, so if you're looking for Languedoc accommodation, a holiday home or a bed & breakfast, then it's really worth finding out which part of Languedoc to look in.

Not all of Languedoc is Mediterranean, for example. Three mountain ranges ensure that there's plenty of mountainous zones that offer a cooler, wetter climate, superb views and great walks. These areas are also less commercial, however, and it can take much longer to reach the beach.

The 'foothills' (shown below in mid-green) are really pretty, and a little warmer. They offer lots of great walks, and good sightseeing opportunities. Plenty of rivers and lakes mean you'll never be far from somewhere to swim, should you not want to venture down to the beach.

The coastal areas of Languedoc are the most popular, so Languedoc accommodation in these areas is more expensive. The coast is flat and more commercial, and gets very crowded in the summer months, as millions of tourists descend from Northern France, Holland and Germany (the British tend to stay inland). These areas are more lively in the evenings, but you won't find as many pretty walks or untouched villages.

Lastly, the area west of Carcassonne becomes slightly wetter and cooler, with huge fields of sunflowers. It's also flatter and more open here.

More on where to look for Languedoc accommodation

Languedoc is enormous, so you may find yourself driving a lot (for example, driving from Carcassonne to Beziers takes about 1 hour). With that in mind, you might want to look for Languedoc accommodation near good sightseeing sites, near a river or canal, or near good kids' activities.

Your can use the two search functions above to look for either holiday rentals or B&Bs in particular sectors of Languedoc.

In our '5 Departments' page, we outline the major traits of, and differences between Languedoc Roussillon's 5 departments (Lozere, Gard, Herault, Aude and the Pyrenees-Orientales). Their strengths and weaknesses. Their vital statistics. Because you'll find the very Catalan Pyrenees-Orientales is a world away from the sleepy dairy farms of Lozere.