Dôme Lauragais

If you fancy a day by (or on) the water, there are beaches around Lac de la Ganguise (20 minutes’ drive). The lake is also a popular destination for watersports, especially sailing, and between March and December it’s possible to hire paddleboards, pedal boats and canoes. The surrounding woodland is laced with hiking and mountain-biking trails. Toulouse (40 minutes) sits on the banks of the river Garonne. After visiting the medieval Basilique Saint-Sernin, with its distinctive bell tower, head to the Place du Capitole, a monumental square anchored by a Neoclassical building housing the town hall. On the outskirts of town, the Cité de l’Espace has futuristic displays about space discovery. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Carcassonne (55 minutes) is famed for its medieval towers and defensive walls. It’s possible to book boating tours along the Canal du Midi, which snakes through the town, linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean.