Dolce Vita

As well as walks up to the impressive cascade at Vis Waterfall (half an hour’s stroll), local hiking areas include the Aven Sales (15 minutes’ drive), where you can explore hidden caves in moss-encrusted woodland. Take to the river and go white-water rafting on the Hérault River (20 minutes), or content yourselves with a refreshing dip in the river at the landmark Pont de Saint-Étienne d’Issensac (40 minutes). There are a couple of golf courses within 20 minutes’ drive, and cycling along a Voie Verte greenway that takes in the Promenade du Viaduc (90 minutes by bike). Ancient-history aficionados can explore the dolmen at Planas (35 minutes’ drive) and the stone circle at Cromlech de Peyrarines (25 minutes), or discover the partially remodelled Stone Age houses at Cambous (35 minutes). To see a natural phenomena that is many, many millennia old, go underground to explore the stunning subterranean caverns at the Grotte des Demoiselles (25 minutes).