Foix, former capital of the County of Foix, is the capital of the department of Ariège. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of south western France. It is the second least populous French departmental capital. Foix lies south of Toulouse, close to the borders with Spain and Andorra. At the time of the 2009 census, the city had a population of 9,861. It is only the second biggest town in Ariège, the biggest being Pamiers.

Perched on a rocky outcrop, the medieval castle of Foix dominates the roofs of the old town. Foix old town is a particularly lovely place for a stroll, with its narrow shopping lanes and pretty squares peppered with café terraces. The imposing former fortress was property of the Counts of Foix. It now houses the Ariège departmental museum, which traces the history of the county of Foix and the castle. This hilltop site offers a stunning panorama of the town, Ariège valley and the surrounding mountains from the top of the round tower.

Foix, former capital of the County of Foix, is the capital of the department of Ariège. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of south western France. It is the second least populous French departmental capital. Foix lies south of Toulouse, close to the borders with Spain and Andorra. At the time of the 2009 census, the city had a population of 9,861. It is only the second biggest town in Ariège, the biggest being Pamiers.

Perched on a rocky outcrop, the medieval castle of Foix dominates the roofs of the old town. Foix old town is a particularly lovely place for a stroll, with its narrow shopping lanes and pretty squares peppered with café terraces. The imposing former fortress was property of the Counts of Foix. It now houses the Ariège departmental museum, which traces the history of the county of Foix and the castle. This hilltop site offers a stunning panorama of the town, Ariège valley and the surrounding mountains from the top of the round tower.

Nîmes is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 150,610 (2017).

Nîmes has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire when the city was a regional capital, and home to 50,000–60,000 people. Several famous monuments are in Nîmes, such as the Arena of Nîmes and the Maison Carrée. Because of this, Nîmes is often referred to as the French Rome.

Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château fort de Lourdes, a fortified castle that rises up from a rocky escarpment at its center.

In 1858 Lourdes rose to prominence in France and abroad due to the Marian apparitions claimed to have been seen by the peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous, who was later canonized. Shortly thereafter the city with the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes became one of the world’s most important sites of pilgrimage and religious tourism.

Mirepoix is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Mirepoix is situated in the Hers valley between Carcassonne and Pamiers.

The town, originally on the right bank of the Hers-Vif, was destroyed by a violent flood in 1289. It was rebuilt by Jean de Lévisin 1290, on an elevated natural terrace on the other side of the river. The layout of the town center has not changed since the 13th century.

At the heart of Mirepoix is one of the finest surviving arcaded market squares – Les Couverts- in France. The square is bordered by houses dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.

French fortified city in the department of Aude. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Aude between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. Its strategic importance was quickly recognized by the Romans, who occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire. In the fifth century, it was taken over by the Visigoths, who founded the city. Within three centuries, it briefly came under the Islamic rule. Its strategic location led successive rulers to expand its fortifications until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.

Its citadel, known as the Cité de Carcassonne, is a medieval fortress dating back to the Gallo-Roman period and restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

Located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône and it is second-most populated area in France. Former capital of the Gauls at the time of the Roman Empire. Lyon became also a major economic hub during the Renaissance. The city is now recognized for its cuisine and gastronomy, and historical and architectural landmarks inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list.

Belfort is a city in northeastern France in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté région, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg and approximately 25 km (16 mi) from the French-Swiss border. It is the biggest town and also the administrative centre of the Territoire de Belfort département. The residents of the city are called “Belfortains”. The city is located on the Savoureuse river, on a strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap (Trouée de Belfort) or Burgundian Gate (Porte de Bourgogne). Together with Montbéliard, Héricourt, Delle and their suburbs and satellite towns, Belfort forms the largest agglomeration (metropolitan area) in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region with an urban population of 308,601 inhabitants.

Mâcon historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as Mâconnais. The city gave its name to the nearby vineyards and wine ‘appellation’.

The agglomeration of Mâcon originates from the establishment of an oppidum and of a river port by the Celts from the Aedui, probably at the beginning of the first century BC. Known then under the name of Matisco, the town developed significantly during the age of the Roman Empire. This is demonstrated by the large Roman hoard known as the Mâcon Treasure that was discovered in the town in 1764, the remains of which is in the British Museum. During the 4th century, the town was fortified.

One of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The town is surrounded by some of the world’s most famous wine villages, while the facilities and cellars of many producers, large and small, are situated in the historic center of Beaune itself, as they have been since Roman times. With a rich historical and architectural heritage, Beaune is considered the “Capital of Burgundy wines”. Beaune is a walled city, with about half of the battlements, ramparts, and the moat, having survived in good condition. The central “old town” or “vieille ville” is extensive. Historically Beaune is intimately connected with the Dukes of Burgundy. southern Europe. France is among the globe’s oldest nations.

Nestled in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea. It has preserved an extensive old center which aligns its coloured houses in a series of picturesque streets and alleys stretching between the banks of the Têt and its tributary the Basse. Its heritage earned it the title of “City of Art and History”.