L’Aubaine 3 bed stone cottage for long term rent Southern France

The medieval village of Fenouillet-du-Razès is located in the Aude department within the Occitanie region of the South of France. The Aude is one of the sunniest areas in France.

This peaceful village is perfectly positioned between  the Pyrennes Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea and it is surrounded by age-old vineyards and fields of sunflowers, poppies, and wheat.

The Aude department boasts two UNESCO World heritage sites, the fortified city of Carcassonne and the beautifully serene Canal du Midi. You can enjoy a relaxing day hiring a canal barge and floating down the canal. The Aude was also an important historical location for Catharism, a breakaway religion that spread rapidly in the region in the 13th century in this part of France. Locally, there are many ruins of Cathar castles, in what is dubbed "Cathar Country". The medieval castles at Peyrepertuse, Quéribus and Villerouge can still be visited today. For the more adventurous, the 200km Cathar Trail is highly recommended. It runs from the Mediterranean all the way to the Pyrenees and you can discover a number of medieval castles dotted along the way.  

The Aude department also has some fine sandy beaches at Narbonne-Plage, Gruissan Plage and Port La Nouvelle, where people of all ages gather to top up their tans. The coastline around Narbonne is one of the best windsurfing spots in the world and more recently, has also developed a number of kite surfing centres. 

Carcassonne is a wonderful town to visit throughout the year. During the summer, the fireworks over the castle on Bastille day are not to be missed. Also, Carcassonne Festival during July, brings together over 100 performances, including opera, dance, theatre and rock bands. Carcassonne also holds a large weekly market every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at Place Carnot in the town centre.

The nearby town of Castelnaudary has a food market on Monday morning and the market at Lézignan-Corbières takes place in the centre of the town on Wednesday mornings. One of the best local markets however, is held on Monday in the nearby medieval town of Mirepoix. The ornate market square is a bustling site and the market takes over much of the town.