Le Saint Etienne

Make the 50-minute journey to Millau for hikes, boat trips and quad bike trips that take in views of the world’s tallest bridge (the Millau Viaduct, a whopping 343 metres from top to bottom), visit the rock formations at Montpellier-le-Vieux and explore local villages including fortified La Couvertoirade and pretty Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon. More amazing rock formations are around an hour’s drive away in the Gorges du Tarn – a 53-kilometre canyon formed around the Tarn river and a fab place for days spend canoeing, rafting, canyoning or climbing. A series of circular trails take in some tiptop views for hikers, mountain bikers and drivers. If castles are your thing, you’re in the right place – with a drive of less than an hour you can visit hilltop Château de Sévérac, peruse the rural art museum at Château de Saint-Izaire or wander around Toulouse-Lautrec’s old home of Château du Bosc. Not enough? There are 15 more châteaux along the region's Route des Seigneurs.