France is the many visited nation all over the world, easily surpassing Spain, Italy and Mexico.
Last year alone, it hosted over 100 million guests, just who flocked throughout the world to begin to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night or marvel at regal opulence of palaces like Versailles.
I reside here, in Paris especially, and I can tell you it has been a total gong-show, but since commonly popular as France is, the one thing i have learned traveling across the area is big swathes from it remain mostly undiscovered.
As a majority of international tourists will typically always check off Paris and, if time allowing, see a couple of summery towns in the French Riviera before moving to another location country in-line, they will often miss out on probably the most awe-inspiring, fairytale spots (un)known to most.
In a recent visit to the Camargue area, We came across one of these brilliant hidden treasures, a medieval city resting on the financial institutions of a bubblegum pink pond, and I virtually could not think my eyes—and the fact there were few people from other countries in sight:
Is It The Final Real Hidden Gem Of France?
Aigues-Mortes is not the typical city that will feature from the vacation pamphlet shown at your hotel front desk if you’re visiting France.
Unlike Nice, Avignon, St Tropez and stuff like that, the French would very much like to keep it a secret.
It really is a small settlement when you look at the historical Camargues, a coastal part of France most commonly known for the vast wetlands, and a UNESCO-protected reserve tourists are typically bypassing completely whenever traveling up the N113 on the path to Montpellier.
I possibly could devote a whole stand-alone article towards the nationwide playground, the most fascinating bird-watching and wildlife-spotting site in European countries––expect discover elegant red flamingos and majestic crazy ponies prancing about––but why don’t we stick to Aigues-Mortes.
It really is situated on junction of two channels, the Rhône plus the Maritime, rendering it an all natural transportation hub for boats visiting and fro the coast; obviously, Aigues-Mortes was a hugely crucial center of trade in the centre years, with regards to accumulated most of its cultural wealth.
I didn’t know what to expect pulling with the vehicle ahead of the imposing medieval ramparts, but as I would quickly see, this offbeat city saved inside salines of Camargue is just one of the best-preserved medieval treasures nevertheless surviving in France these days:
Why Is Aigues-Mortes So Unique?
I’m sure Dubrovnik gets all the praise, plus in France, Mont St Michel citadel is a lot more quickly recognized, but the square-shaped Aigues-Mortes can also be enclosed by undamaged town wall space and defended by a few towers and strengthened gates.
Chivalric relationship material, you know?
Strolling the charming Old Town, a grid-like maze of cobbled lanes lined by identical rock houses, distinguished by their rose plans and colorful window shutters, it’s nearly just like you’re transported back in its history.
You could invest long periods of time exploring at leisure, and also you’re certain to find 1 or 2 secret courtyards with a centuries-old fine at center and loads of souvenir stores where you could purchase pure Camargue salt, lavender services and products, and unique craftwork.
The essential striking function right here, and another you can’t easily miss if you have visited a fair share of castles before while’re currently numb into the manmade wonders of European countries, is the vividly-pink ponds that border the historical ramparts.
Well, I must add they are not ponds proper, but saltpans being normally salmon-colored as a result of the presence of a microscopic algae that proliferates into the environment.
In short, never attempt to aim for a swim since it’s far from becoming… hem, safe.
Anyway, it’s not each day you are free to see a medieval citadel straddle a red human body of liquid, and just what a sight, my friends!
Top 3 Most Readily Useful Tourist Strategies In Aigues-Mortes
Look At The Salines
Certainly one of the best things you can do in Aigues-Mortes is browsing Salin d’Aigues-Mortes, the city’s landmark saline, residence into biggest salt-marsh in whole Mediterranean basin and in which about 500,000 a lot of salt annually are produced.
Aside from buying different-flavored sodium, you can hop on a tourist train rattling up the thin lanes between saltpans, while you’re looking to break the classic postcard picture of the green pond using Aigues-Mortes townscape for background, I would suggest you take a seat on the remaining side.
There’s a small, instead interesting museum on site, also, and you may also climb up up a salt mound for a breathtaking panorama of typical Camargues landscape.
The Petit train visit persists simply over an hour, and seats are priced at $13.90 per individual (or perhaps the equivalent in euro).
Walk The Ramparts
Around, the must-do destination is accessing the ramparts and their particular adjacent Constance Tower: yes, you can easily go the entire 1.8-mile extension of them, making yes you bring a bottle of water, and an electric bank for the limited-battery phone, while you’ll probably be taking pictures every step associated with means.
There are numerous activities in and around Aigues-Mortes which should keep you hectic for 2 times, so I advise you intend about an instantly right here––we stayed myself at resort L’Escale (take a look at Google reviews here), in heart of ‘Inner City’, or even the walled Old Town, and a two fold area are priced at $56 per individual.
On average, room rates in Aigues-Mortes start around $113 to $160 on Booking, a far more reasonable ask than Paris’ jaw-dropping $208 to $342 within peak of Olympics period.
Test Some World-Class French Food
If you are keen on experiencing French culture—and by that i am talking about sampling all types of mozzarella cheese in scorching sunlight and sipping a Sable de Camargue Rosé —the Main Street leading from Porte de la Gardette toward Notre-Dame diverses Sablons Church is flanked by standard brasseries.
For austere, wood-fired meals that screams ancient custom, head to Chez Coco.
They offer newly made pizza pie and pasta when it comes to poor of tummy, and also for the more daring kind anything like me, best andouillette sausages together with many tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb neck you will ever before take to.
If you should be vegan, Le XIII may be the destination to get: not just do obtained a lovely secluded outdoor sitting area, shaded by exotic trees, but their refreshing Bergère salad, combined with chèvre-et-miel toast tastes heavenly on particularly hot summer time days.
Aigues-Mortes is popular around France for the seafood, especially its mussels, and Casa Toro is where you will find a mussel à los angeles Aigues-Mortaise in town, salted to taste, and don’t forget to purchase an anchovy-based anchoïade dipping sauce for the bread, if readily available.
One Of The Most Welcoming Places In France
The purchase price range for restaurants is a suitable $30-35, if you’re purchasing a tiny entrée, a main dish and one cup of wine or similarly-priced beverage, together with solution is normally impeccable—living in Paris myself, i have lost count of this wide range of times I must handle ill-tempered waiters.
Aigues-Mortes has none associated with big-city fast-paced lifestyle, traffic, nor hustle and bustle, so when we perceived it, individuals are just in an improved mood than Parisians as a whole: it’s no wonder Aigues-Mortes was recently rated by reservation the most inviting town in the region.
Aside from the social value additionally the friendliness of residents, Aigues-Mortes the most special destinations i have been in France (and man, have i acquired around…) and I just can’t think it is yet becoming overrun with intercontinental tourists.
Simple tips to Attain Aigues-Mortes
If you are wondering getting right here, the nearest airport is within Montpellier (MPL), offering the namesake town, and hosting seasonal low-cost flights from a number of colder European locations, like London (Gatwick), Copenhagen, Berlin plus Paris.
If you should be currently in Southern France, but getting here’s also much easier, as town is offered by a stop with direct links to the town of Nîmes: the SCNF-TER service takes around 53 moments to accomplish the journey, and tickets expense since cheap as $1.
If you should be coming in contact with down in Montpellier, you can easily travel from Montpellier to Aigues-Mortes, but it will require one improvement in Nîmes, tickets for your trip costing from $7.48, at a total travel duration of 1h28 the shortest transfer times.
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