Just an hour‘s drive from Montpellier, discover Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, a typical Languedoc village, a stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela (classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO). This village, classified among the “most beautiful villages in France“ has only 300 inhabitants but more than one million tourists each year. You will discover its prestigious religious past with its thousand years old romanesque church hosting the relics of St Guilhelm, Charlemagne‘s first cousin, and a piece of the real cross of Jesus Christ. Stroll along this path to St Jacques and enjoy its sumptuous landscapes over the village, le cirque de l‘Infernet, the mountains of St Guilhelm, the flora of the garigue (juniper, thyme, lavender, rosemary,..). Free time at the end of the day in the village; stop at the famous Pont du Diable (Devil‘s Bridge) over the Hérault gorges, one of the oldest medieval bridges in France.
OPTION 1: CLAMOUSE CAVE
Visit of the famous cave of Clamouse, classified among the most beautiful. It is a real Ali Baba cave with the greatest diversity of crystals (aragonite and calcite) in France, a sumptuous lighting of this fragile environment, an original and magical show (pullover and shoes recommended). Discover a secret place hidden until 1945 when the team of the speleology-club highlighted this cave and enter the legend of „Clamouse“ which means “howling“ in local dialect. Free time at the Pont du Diable, the oldest romanesque bridge in France (1000 years old), world heritage site and pilgrimage route to St Jacques de Compostelle. In summer, swimming is possible at the river.
OPTION 2: RIVER CANOEING (JUNE TO SEPTEMBER)
Canoe trip (2 or 3 places) in the gorges of the Hérault river (about 1 hour). Very calm, for beginner level. In the heart of the nature, the extraordinary landscapes of the Languedoc hinterland will be revealed to you. Unsupervised activity. It is supposed that you are able to swim