ADVERTISEMENTWant to explore the Occitanie region by train for €10 per day? Local authorities have created a new rail pass that will allow travellers and tourists unlimited travel on local trains across the region.
The Occitanie Rail Tour Pass is valid on local TER services - 19 rail lines which run to all stations in the Occitanie region. It can’t, however, be used on high-speed TGV trains, Intercité or night train routes.
Where train lines don’t reach, liO buses in the region can take passengers to their final destination for an extra €2 per trip.
The pass allows unlimited travel for between two to six days and, as there is no reserved seating on regional trains, you can easily buy it last minute.
The Occitanie region is home to famous French cities like Toulouse, Nîmes and Montpellier. And there are plenty of historic, beautiful places to visit close by using the local rail network.
Hop off the train in Narbonne and find the Cathedral of Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur. Built between 1272 and 1340, it takes inspiration from cathedrals in northern France. Vaulted ceilings soar up to 40 metres in the building’s unique choir.
Head to the picturesque town of Collioure for the clear waters of the Mediterranean. Its architecture inspired painters including Matisse and Picasso. Pair outstanding gastronomic offerings with its celebrated AOC Banyuls-Collioure wines for a taste of Occtinanie.
This is the largest wine-producing region in France, representing 30 per cent of all wine produced in the country. So there are plenty more places you can stop along Occitanie’s rail network to sample fine wines.
It has a broad range of red, white and rose wines with vineyards stretching from the Pyrenees-Orientales to the hillsides of the Cevennes. The character of each wine is influenced by the specific geographical features of the site.
South of Carcassonne you can find Limoux wines, known for the defining feature of using the Mauzac grape variety. Take a train north from Montpellier where the hot Mediterranean climate and cool temperatures in Cevanne make the fruity, spicy Pic Saint Loup red wines.
If you stop in Toulouse, be sure to visit one of the best wine bars in the world, Le 5 Wine Bar located in the heart of the ‘Pink City’. Here you can taste a variety of local wines and some from further afield.
The Gers region in the west of Occitanie is also where the exceptional Armagnac brandy was born in the 14th century. Distilled from white wine, it is aged in oak barrels that give it its unique flavour.
There’s a good chance you’ll find spectacular regional wine at whichever of the 150 stations in the region you choose to get off at.