Flights
CHECK OUT NEW RYANAIR FLIGHTS TO BEZIERS/CAP D'AGDE
FROM BRISTOL, STANSTED AND LUTON....... NEXT YEAR ALSO MANCHESTER?
Easyjet, Flybe and Jet2com all do budget flights to France, and it is worth checking their flights to Toulouse from regional UK airports. But we have found that the best routes and prices are with Ryanair booked through their website www.ryanair.com. Flights with reasonable middle of the day departure times on Saturdays in 2008 are:
· London Stansted to Perpignan, Carcassonne or Girona
· London Luton to Nimes
· Liverpool to Carcassonne or Girona
· Durham to Girona
· Glasgow to Girona
· Dublin to Girona
· Bournemouth to Girona
If you don’t mind early morning flights then there are also:
· London Stansted to Montpelier
· East Midlands to Nimes
Reasonable flights times on other days of the week include
· Doncaster to Girona
Drive times to Gabian from the nearest airports are:
· Montpelier: 1 hour
· Nimes, Carcassonne and Perpignan: 1½ hours
· Girona and Toulouse: 2½ hours
Girona (also spelt Gerona) across the border in Spain is a lovely city to explore overnight. It is well worth considering choosing to fly from a more local UK airport and facing the slightly longer drive from Girona to Gabian..
From 15th May 2008 there is a new Ryanair flight from Bristol to Beziers, whose airport is only 30 minutes drive from Gabian but this is an early morning flight and not available on Saturdays.
Airport parking – check out the www.simplyparking.co.uk website. Booking in advance by internet can save a lot of money. For Stansted airport, an alternative to Pink Elephant is the local Bridgefoot Cattery Bed & Breakfast who do a parking only deal which is cheaper and quicker; see www.bridgefootcattery.com.
Car hire in France – try www.europcar.com for a good deal (from around £18 a day). The cars are very easy to pick up from and return to the airport, making the journey fairly hassle free.
If you are flying to Girona, it is best to book your car hire through Ryanair with Hertz to avoid the insurance surcharge some other hire companies levy for customers travelling into France.
By train
France has an excellent rail system, and there is a fast train service from Paris to Montpelier / Barcelona. Come off at Beziers which is 25km from Gabian (a 25 minute taxi ride). For a shorter and cheaper taxi ride, take the connection on the Bedarieux line north to Magalas which is just 9km, ten minutes by taxi to Gabian.
By car
Crossing from the UK to Calais / Boulogne, take the motorway to and around Paris and then south by Clermont Ferrand, through the Massif Central and over the tallest bridge in the world at Millau (designed by Sir Norman Foster). Follow the motorway signs in the direction of Beziers, but come off before at Pezenas. Drive through the centre of Pezenas and take the D13 north signed Roujan and the Parc Naturel du Haut Languedoc.
From most airports (Montpelier, Nimes, Perpignan, Carcassonne, Gerona), take the E15 / A9 and come off at junction 34. Follow the signs north to Pezenas on the D13, making sure that you come off at Pezenas on the right hand slip road (otherwise you will find yourself on the N9 motorway - in which case come off at the first exit and go through the centre of Pezenas to re-join the D13 heading north). Follow straight on along the inner ring road around the west of Pezenas (Intermarche supermarket en route if desired), and continue north on the D13 signed Roujan and the Parc Naturel du Haut Languedoc.
