The coastal town of Gruissan (11 Aude, Occitanie) is near Narbonne and is part of the Corbières wine appellation.
The wine harvest festival is held over an October weekend. 22 October 2023. The day offers opportunities to visit and taste wines in the cellars of local vignerons. The Corbières wines made here are quite different from those made further inland in the hills of the Haut-Corbières. Gruissan is on the wine route of the lagoons and sea from Gruissan to Fitou (la route des étangs et de la mer) – for more info on the wine festival see gruissan-mediterranee.com.
Also in October the Brotherhood of the Eel (Grand Chapitre De La Confrerie De L’anguille) holds colourful parades, serious ceremonial rituals and plenty of opportunity to taste eels! The local eels are fished in the water of an inland sea – a lagoon fed by freshwater rivers.
for more info on the Festival of Eels at Gruissan see http://www.ville-gruissan.fr
Nearby is the Canal de la Robine, voted by the French as one of the top places to visit in France (France2 TV). This is part of the canal network which links Narbonne to the Mediterranean and the Canal du Midi. The oldest part, constructed in 1686 is the gently winding Canal de la Robine that passes through Narbonne northwards to the River Aude. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and brings a touch of the sea to the heart of Narbonne.
For more info on the Canal de la Robine see www.narbonne-tourism.co.uk
Try Le Loft De La Robine, a modern self-catering apartment right by the canal in the heart of Narbonne.
Foe more info on this self-catering accommodation see Loft de la Robine
see our Top 30 vineyard B&Bs in France
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