Kinry and Associates - French Property
Pack two vacations into one. Spend a week in Autignac to get that small French village experience. Spend an extra week in
Europe doing something else. The “something else” can be a “city” experience, such as staying in Paris, Brussels,
Barcelona, or any other large European city where there is shopping, museums, and plenty of sights to see. Or, the
“something else” can be a stay in the Cinque Terra in the Italian Riviera; or traveling through the low countries of Belgium,
Holland, and Luxembourg; or, traveling across Spain to Portugal; or, ????
THE VILLAGE EXPERIENCE.
When you awake in the morning, walk to the bakery to buy fresh bread and/or pastry. Mercedes is the lady behind the
counter. Mercedes doesn’t speak English, but if you can un, deux, trois, (1, 2, 3), and can point, you won’t go hungry.
If you need something to go with your bread, such as coffee, juice, cheese, fruit, or yogurt, walk down the block to the
general store (the tabac). Christian, or one of his children will be behind the counter. The tabac also sells toothpaste, soap,
shampoo, and postcards. The tabac also sells stamps, but if you are sending something to the States, walk to the post
office to get the correct postage and stamps. From the street, ring the doorbell at the postoffice. The lady behind the
counter will buzz you into the postoffice.
If it is Thursday, it is market day in the place across from the school, and the butcher and seafood man will have set up
shop. On Friday mornings, it is the cheese man and the produce couple.
Remember that, as you walk around the village, everybody you will see on the street says “Good morning,” (bonjour
monsieur, bonjour madam).
After breakfast, go sightseeing and shopping in one of the nearby towns:
Beziers - http://www.ville-beziers.fr/
Sete - http://www.tourisme.fr/tourist-office/sete.htm
Narbonne - http://www.mairie-narbonne.fr/
Carcassonne - http://www.carcassonne-tourisme.com
Nimes - http://www.tourisme.fr/tourist-office/nimes.htm
Pezanas - http://www.paysdepezenas.net/index.php?lang=uk
Nimes - http://www.ot-nimes.fr/
(Hint: When you come into a town or village for the first time, go the “centre ville,” (the center of town). This generally is
the oldest part of the town, and most towns grow from the center outwards.)
For a big city experience, Montpellier, (http://www.montpellier.fr/), is about 45 minutes to the east. The Place de la
Comedie is in the heart of the old part of Montpellier. An hour or so to the east is Provence. In Provence, you can visit
Arles, (http://www.arles.org/), where Van Gogh painted. Or, the papal palace in Avignon, (http://www.ot-avignon.fr/), and
the boulevards of Aix en Provence, (http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/), are a day trip away from Autignac. Or, you
can go west to the seaside resort of Collioure, (http://www.collioure.com/),about 1.5 hours from Autignac. Or, a little
further east are the Spanish cities of Gerona, and Barcelona, (http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/welcome.htm),
(about 2 or 3 hours away, depending on traffic). About 2 hours away to the northwest is the university city of Toulouse,
(http://www.justfrance.org/france/toulouse/), and an hour or so beyond Toulouse is Bordeaux, (http://www.justfrance.
org/france/bordeaux/). If you travel more than a couple of hours away from Autignac, consider spending the night and
returning to Autignac the next day.
If you decide to stay in the immediate vicinity of Autignac, visit some of the local wineries and some of the nearby
villages. The Restaurant le Bel Air in the village of Faugeres is only 5 minutes away from Autignac. The restaurant is on
the side of a hill. Stop by for lunch, or dinner...and watch the sun set over the hills and vineyards. If it is Monday, a lot of
restaurants will be closed. An exception is the Alsatian restaurant, Restaurant la Tramontane, in the center of the village of
Magalas, which is across the highway from Autignac. The food is exceptional. The prices are reasonable, and the couple
who run the restaurant are charming.
THE “SOMETHING ELSE” EXPERIENCE.
Consider a week in Paris, (http://www.justfrance.org/france/paris/). There are all of the great museums, (the Louvre, the
d’Orsay), landmarks (Notre Dame, the Eifel Tower, Montmarte, the Arc d’Triomphe, etc.), restaurants, and the shopping.
But, there are day trips out of Paris that are worth visiting: Versailles, Monet’s garden in Giverny, and Chantilly all are
within an hour or so by train from Paris.
Consider a week in the low countries. Belgium, (http://www.visitbelgium.com/), Holland, (http://www2.holland.
com/us/), and Luxembourg, (http://www.ont.lu/). Select a base in a city like Brussels or Amsterdam, (http://www.holland.
com/amsterdam/gb/), or a small town like Bruges, (http://209.213.221.5/bruges.htm), or Haarlem, and the rest of the low
countries is within 2 to 3 hours’ reach by train.
Consider a week on the French Riviera. Nice, (http://www.justfrance.org/france/nice/), is about 3 hours by train from
Beziers. Nice has wonderful seafood, and world class museums, (the Chagall and Cezanne museums). Use the on/off bus
and see all of the sights for one daily fare. Near by Nice are Monaco, St. Tropez, Cannes.
Consider a week in Italy, (http://www.enit.it/default.asp?Lang=UK). Ryan Air has daily flights from Gerona, Spain to
Rome. Or, take the train from Beziers to northern Italy. Genoa is about 3 hours by train from Nice. Rather than one 6
hour train ride, consider spending a couple of days in Nice or someplace else along the way, and then continuing on to
Italy. The Cinque Terra is about an hour from Genoa, and is well worth the effort of traveling there. To the south of the
Cinque Terra is Pisa and Florence.
Europe doing something else. The “something else” can be a “city” experience, such as staying in Paris, Brussels,
Barcelona, or any other large European city where there is shopping, museums, and plenty of sights to see. Or, the
“something else” can be a stay in the Cinque Terra in the Italian Riviera; or traveling through the low countries of Belgium,
Holland, and Luxembourg; or, traveling across Spain to Portugal; or, ????
THE VILLAGE EXPERIENCE.
When you awake in the morning, walk to the bakery to buy fresh bread and/or pastry. Mercedes is the lady behind the
counter. Mercedes doesn’t speak English, but if you can un, deux, trois, (1, 2, 3), and can point, you won’t go hungry.
If you need something to go with your bread, such as coffee, juice, cheese, fruit, or yogurt, walk down the block to the
general store (the tabac). Christian, or one of his children will be behind the counter. The tabac also sells toothpaste, soap,
shampoo, and postcards. The tabac also sells stamps, but if you are sending something to the States, walk to the post
office to get the correct postage and stamps. From the street, ring the doorbell at the postoffice. The lady behind the
counter will buzz you into the postoffice.
If it is Thursday, it is market day in the place across from the school, and the butcher and seafood man will have set up
shop. On Friday mornings, it is the cheese man and the produce couple.
Remember that, as you walk around the village, everybody you will see on the street says “Good morning,” (bonjour
monsieur, bonjour madam).
After breakfast, go sightseeing and shopping in one of the nearby towns:
Beziers - http://www.ville-beziers.fr/
Sete - http://www.tourisme.fr/tourist-office/sete.htm
Narbonne - http://www.mairie-narbonne.fr/
Carcassonne - http://www.carcassonne-tourisme.com
Nimes - http://www.tourisme.fr/tourist-office/nimes.htm
Pezanas - http://www.paysdepezenas.net/index.php?lang=uk
Nimes - http://www.ot-nimes.fr/
(Hint: When you come into a town or village for the first time, go the “centre ville,” (the center of town). This generally is
the oldest part of the town, and most towns grow from the center outwards.)
For a big city experience, Montpellier, (http://www.montpellier.fr/), is about 45 minutes to the east. The Place de la
Comedie is in the heart of the old part of Montpellier. An hour or so to the east is Provence. In Provence, you can visit
Arles, (http://www.arles.org/), where Van Gogh painted. Or, the papal palace in Avignon, (http://www.ot-avignon.fr/), and
the boulevards of Aix en Provence, (http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/), are a day trip away from Autignac. Or, you
can go west to the seaside resort of Collioure, (http://www.collioure.com/),about 1.5 hours from Autignac. Or, a little
further east are the Spanish cities of Gerona, and Barcelona, (http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/welcome.htm),
(about 2 or 3 hours away, depending on traffic). About 2 hours away to the northwest is the university city of Toulouse,
(http://www.justfrance.org/france/toulouse/), and an hour or so beyond Toulouse is Bordeaux, (http://www.justfrance.
org/france/bordeaux/). If you travel more than a couple of hours away from Autignac, consider spending the night and
returning to Autignac the next day.
If you decide to stay in the immediate vicinity of Autignac, visit some of the local wineries and some of the nearby
villages. The Restaurant le Bel Air in the village of Faugeres is only 5 minutes away from Autignac. The restaurant is on
the side of a hill. Stop by for lunch, or dinner...and watch the sun set over the hills and vineyards. If it is Monday, a lot of
restaurants will be closed. An exception is the Alsatian restaurant, Restaurant la Tramontane, in the center of the village of
Magalas, which is across the highway from Autignac. The food is exceptional. The prices are reasonable, and the couple
who run the restaurant are charming.
THE “SOMETHING ELSE” EXPERIENCE.
Consider a week in Paris, (http://www.justfrance.org/france/paris/). There are all of the great museums, (the Louvre, the
d’Orsay), landmarks (Notre Dame, the Eifel Tower, Montmarte, the Arc d’Triomphe, etc.), restaurants, and the shopping.
But, there are day trips out of Paris that are worth visiting: Versailles, Monet’s garden in Giverny, and Chantilly all are
within an hour or so by train from Paris.
Consider a week in the low countries. Belgium, (http://www.visitbelgium.com/), Holland, (http://www2.holland.
com/us/), and Luxembourg, (http://www.ont.lu/). Select a base in a city like Brussels or Amsterdam, (http://www.holland.
com/amsterdam/gb/), or a small town like Bruges, (http://209.213.221.5/bruges.htm), or Haarlem, and the rest of the low
countries is within 2 to 3 hours’ reach by train.
Consider a week on the French Riviera. Nice, (http://www.justfrance.org/france/nice/), is about 3 hours by train from
Beziers. Nice has wonderful seafood, and world class museums, (the Chagall and Cezanne museums). Use the on/off bus
and see all of the sights for one daily fare. Near by Nice are Monaco, St. Tropez, Cannes.
Consider a week in Italy, (http://www.enit.it/default.asp?Lang=UK). Ryan Air has daily flights from Gerona, Spain to
Rome. Or, take the train from Beziers to northern Italy. Genoa is about 3 hours by train from Nice. Rather than one 6
hour train ride, consider spending a couple of days in Nice or someplace else along the way, and then continuing on to
Italy. The Cinque Terra is about an hour from Genoa, and is well worth the effort of traveling there. To the south of the
Cinque Terra is Pisa and Florence.
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR TRIP TO AUTIGNAC
Montpellier
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