Montazels is at the centre of the Cathar region with hill top castles and the medieval city of Carcassonne to remind you of the fascinating and often tragic history for which this region is renowned. Just across the valley from the cottage is Rennes le Chateau, centre of a mystery still very much alive with many books written & films made on the subject. The mystery is one of sudden wealth, secret codes and a search for treasure in the latter part of the 19th C. The link with the village is very strong - in 1852 Bérenger Saunière, the priest at the centre of the mystery was born in Montazels. Just type Montazels into any search engine and take your pick of the many web sites if you wish to delve deeper. Here you will find the story that gave rise to the Dan Brown book 'The Davinci Code'.

The medieval city of Carcassonne is 40 minutes drive, or why not take the train - a 10 minute walk to the stop from the cottage. Buy your ticket on the train & travel to the heart of the city without the bother of parking. The recent best selling novel ‘Labyrinth’, by Kate Mosse features Carcassonne as its setting and in her follow up ‘Sepulchre’, the nearby Spa village Rennes les Baines.

The Mediterranean coast is just an hours drive with lots of interesting villages en route and long stretches of golden sand. There is  a  lake for bathing at Arque just 15 minutes drive.  Our local spa villages Rennes les Bains and Alet le Bain also offer bathing in hot spa waters containing natural minerals renowned for their curative properties.  The nearest skiing station in the Pyrennees is Camurac -  50 minutes drive. The Spanish border is just 90 minutes away with Barcelona another hour, drive just across the border and take the train from Figares, birthplace and home to a fascinating museum dedicated to Salvador Dali. You can also drive across to Andorra for fantastic scenery, skiing & duty free shopping.

The Languedoc

Picture Gallery.

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