Spain/France
From Languedoc to Catalonia Through the Pyrenees: A Cross-Border Discovery
Program No. 21705RJ
Explore the French and Spanish Pyrenees, discovering pristine wilderness, medieval villages, Cathar history and Romanesque architecture in this unique region of Europe.
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14 days
13 nights
28 meals
12B 6L 10D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
6
Carcassonne, Free Time
Couiza
8
Foix, Andorra, La Seu d’Urgell
La Seu D'Urgell
9
Catalonia, Cathedral de la Seu d’Urgell & Museum, Cheese
La Seu D'Urgell
12
Transfer To Barcelona
Barcelona
At a Glance
Be inspired by the gorgeous mountain landscapes of the Pyrenees and delve into the distinct but equally fascinating cultures that evolved on either side of these peaks on a discovery of southern France and Catalonia. Time stands still in the medieval villages and Romanesque churches of this sun-streaked land where the crags and peaks of the Pyrenees hold treasures of history and culture awaiting your discovery. Walk in the footsteps of Moliere at Pezenas, touch medieval castle walls defended by the Cathars in Carcassonne and taste the wines of Languedoc and the cheeses of Catalonia while local experts cast light on one of Europe’s most intriguing regions.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
2-3 miles of walking on some days. There are several days with visits to villages and castles with cobblestones, uneven surfaces and very steep steps and inclines.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Learn about medieval Cathar history during engaging lectures and visits led by local experts.
- Venture into the Spanish Pyrenees and learn about the unique flora and fauna of the area.
- Meet at the home of a local artisan cheesemaker and taste some of the family's regional cheeses.
General Notes
Some departures of the program are accommodated in Arties, instead of Vielha. Itinerary inclusions vary depending on departure date.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Emma Christie
Emma Christie has been leading educational adventures throughout Europe since 2003. A former English teacher with a degree in medieval history and literature, Emma transitioned from local news reporting to writing novels set in her native Scotland. Now living in Barcelona, she divides her time between writing and leading Road Scholar programs. Emma has traveled extensively across Europe and Central America, has hiked in the Himalayas, and loves sharing her passion for storytelling, history, and culture with Road Scholar participants.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Emma Christie
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Emma Christie has been leading educational adventures throughout Europe since 2003. A former English teacher with a degree in medieval history and literature, Emma transitioned from local news reporting to writing novels set in her native Scotland. Now living in Barcelona, she divides her time between writing and leading Road Scholar programs. Emma has traveled extensively across Europe and Central America, has hiked in the Himalayas, and loves sharing her passion for storytelling, history, and culture with Road Scholar participants.
Paula Cristina Afonso Fernandes
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Paula Fernandes graduated in 1990 from the New University of Lisbon with a degree in anthropology. She began working as a group leader in Portugal in 1984 and since then has been an educational travel director all over Europe. Road Scholar participants enjoy Paula's in-depth knowledge of the culture, art and history of the Iberian Peninsula, and her excellent leadership skills. Paula currently divides her time between homes in Spain and Portugal and can speak Portuguese, English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Covadonga Hortal
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Covadonga Hortal graduated from university with a degree in tourism and moved to the UK after graduation in order to improve her language skills. Back in Spain, Ms. Hortal led her first travel program in 1999 and continues to enjoy leading groups. She is a certified English teacher, speaks fluent Spanish and some French, and is currently learning Chinese. In Covadonga's free time, she enjoys learning about other cultures.
Sandra Velazquez
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Sandra Velazquez was born in Valladolid, Spain. She has always had a passion for travel, history and performing arts. She did her undergraduate work in Madrid, spent a summer in London working on English, and continued her education in Los Angeles, California. Sandra brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her group leading through her acting, passion for learning, and embrace of new traditions and cultures.
Fran Valle
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With a degree in archaeology from the University of Oxford, Fran combines his work as a research archaeologist with education on and off the university campus. Fran loves to share his passion for everything historical, his love of food and his enthusiasm for his native Spain, as well as his travels throughout Europe, and he is always ready to share some laughs and recipes. Fran considers the world his favorite classroom, one he is never tired of attending.
Meritxell Centeno
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Meritxell Centeno has a background in communication and environmental journalism, in addition to qualifications as a licensed mountain guide and regional expert, specializing in Romanesque art and Pyrenean history and culture. As president of the local guide association for the Aiguestortes National Park, she is actively involved with the local community and is enthusiastic in her goal of researching, preserving and promoting the rich culture of the Pyrenees. In addition to her native Catalan and Spanish, Meritxell is fluent in English, French, and Italian.
James McDonald
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James McDonald is a mathematician and nonfiction writer. He was educated at University College, Oxford and holds an M.A. from Oxford University and an M.Sc. from Sussex University. He writes on topics including the Cathars of the Languedoc, the Counts of Toulouse, Occitania, Medieval warfare and the Medieval Inquisition. His work is characterized by combining serious scholarship with an entertaining style. He is currently the châtelain of a late Medieval castle in the South of France, listed as a Monument Historique by the French Government.
Suggested Reading List
(34 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
From Languedoc to Catalonia Through the Pyrenees: A Cross-Border Discovery
Program Number: 21705
The Struggle for Catalonia: Rebel Politics in Spain
Minder, a journalist for The New York Times, provides a nuanced view of the independence movement. He explores both Catalonia's aspirations and the challenges of achieving independence, while also considering Madrid's perspective. An excellent resource for understanding the movement without partisan bias.
The Catalans
Patrick O'Brian's bitingly funny novel of Dr. Alain Roeg, who returned home to a family in crisis, beautifully evokes Saint-Feliu, the town in Languedoc ("French Catalonia") where O'Brian made his home.
Catalan Food: Culture and Flavors from the Mediterranean
Olivella masterfully combines typical recipes with historical narratives about Catalonia’s culinary traditions.
Languedoc-Roussillon Map
A detailed regional map.
Ghosts of Spain
Tremlett, Madrid correspondant for The Guardian newspaper, takes us on a fascinating journey around Spain and through Spanish history
España - A Brief History of Spain
Bestselling author and journalist, Giles Tremlett delves into the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible and enjoyable account.
France, A Traveler's Literary Companion
This collection contains literary gems from all corners of France--not just Paris--by a select group of 20th-century French writers from Colette to Simenon.
The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs and Practices
A deep-dive into the history, culture, and legacy of the medieval movement of Catharism
The New Spaniards
John Hooper's fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the 21st century
Barcelona
This big, thoroughly enjoyable cultural history of the city touches on architecture, art, religion and literature from Roman outpost to today.
The Frost on His Shoulders
In the 1930s, in an isolated valley of the Pyrenees Mountains, an aging teacher reconstructs a bloody and tragic event that seemed destined to remain forever hidden behind a wall of silence
Two Catalonias
A must see documentary on the divisions in Catalan Politics and the independence movement
Footprint Focus Guide Barcelona & Catalunya, Includes Andorra & Eastern Spanish Pyrenees
This slim Footprint guide provides up-do-date listings of eateries, lodging places, maps, as well as activities, sites and nightlife. The handy "Essentials" section also has useful advice on getting to and around Barcelona & Catalunya.
Cruel Crossing: Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees
Drawing on interviews with the few remaining survivors and the families of those who crossed the Pyrenees to escape, Edward Stourton’s vivid history of this little-known aspect of the Second World War is shocking, dramatic and intensely moving.
A Short History of the Cathars
Martin provides a concise but thorough history of the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade, making it accessible to those new to the topic and giving essential context to Languedoc’s medieval heritage.
Cathedral of the Sea
Set in fourteenth-century Barcelona, Cathedral of the Sea is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war.
Soldiers of Salamis
Cerca's novel follows a gripping investigation into a historical mystery rooted in Spain's tumultuous past. The story revolves around Rafael Sánchez Mazas, a key founder of the Spanish Falange and a minister in Franco's regime after the Spanish Civil War. Before his rise to prominence, Sánchez Mazas narrowly escaped execution by Republican forces, fleeing into the woods. Despite being spotted by a Republican soldier, he was spared—a moment that became a focal point of myth and storytelling, much of it propagated by Sánchez Mazas himself.
Decades later, author Javier Cercas delves into this account, uncovering deeper, often unsettling truths beneath the legend. His exploration is less about glorifying the miraculous escape and more about examining its human and moral complexities. While the narrative is reflective and occasionally speculative, it offers thought-provoking insights into historical memory and its modern implications. Despite sparse dialogue and a slower pace, the novel's powerful themes and emotional depth make it a compelling read for those interested in Spain's history and the legacy of its civil conflict. The novel was also made into a film "Soldiers of Salamina", released in 2003
The Burning Chambers
Another historical novel by best selling writer, Mosse. The Burning Chambers explores the Huguenot-Catholic wars of the 16th century, bringing the conflict alive through personal stories and vivid descriptions of the region's unique landscape and historical turmoil.
A Most Holy War, The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom
As talented a writer as he is a historian, Pegg never loses sight of the drama of grand expeditions, heroic sieges and the panoply of village insurgents, kings and crusaders in this rousing tale of the battle for Christendom.
Catalonia: A Cultural History
Michael Eaude traces the checkered history and unique monuments of Catalonia through the ages
The Fire and the Light: A Novel of the Cathars
The Fire and the Light is a sweeping historical saga of crusading fanaticism, courtly romance, Vatican intrigue, and monastic conspiracy set during the infamous Albigensian Crusade.
In the Shadow of the Pyrenees: The Freedom Trail to Spain
A thrilling and emotional novel about bravery and self-sacrifice, heartbreak, and revenge, set in one of the most dangerous and difficult of WWII escape routes.
How the French Think: An Affectionate Portrait Of An Intellectual People
Winner of the Grand Prix du livre d'idées, this original and entertaining book covers a wealth of information including French history, writers, philosophers, politicians,
Romanesque Churches of Spain: A Traveller's Guide
A perfect companion for travellers, by leading Times journalist Peter Strafford. With its ten maps and arrangement by region, the book provides a stimulus for the exploration of wild and remote areas that are unfamiliar to many people, especially across the Pyrenees and in the mountainous areas of Aragon,
Laberynth
July 2005. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery: two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth; between the skeletons, a stone ring, and a small leather bag......
This historical novel is part of the "Languedoc trilogy" by author Kate Mosse; Sepulchre and Citadel are the other 2 novels.
Inquisition and Medieval Society
A professor of history, Given draws on the ideas of Marx and Foucault in this scholarly analysis of the papal inquistion in medieval Languedoc.
The Perfect Heresy: The Revolutionary Life and Spectacular Death of the Medieval Cathars
An insightful review of a difficult subject - the Albigensian Crusade - and the tragic, bloody history of the Cathars,
The Shadow of the Wind
Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. ...
Cadogan Guide Languedoc-Roussillon
Based themselves in southwest France, Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls cover the sweep of the Mediterranean from the Rhone Valley to the Spanish border in knowledgeable detail.
Hot Sun, Cool Shadow
In this mouthwatering travelogue interspersed with classic recipes, Murrills shows the allure of Languedoc and the slow food movement. Charmingly illustrated by her husband, Peter Matthews.
Homage to Catalonia
Orwell's portrait of the Barcelona uprising and the spirit of a city at war is a classic, an observant and heartfelt report from the streets.
Montaillou, The Promised Land of Error
This absorbing, candid and marvelously detailed portrait of daily life in 13th-Century Languedoc was a French bestseller. It's based on the 600-year-old transcript of heretic interrogations by Bishop (later Pope Benedict XII) Jacques Fournier of Pamiers. 30th Anniversary Edition.
The History of Modern France: From the Revolution to the Present Day
Traces the history of modern France from the end of Napoleon's reign to Francois Hollande in 2015
Catalonia, A Cultural History
A literary, cultural guide to the art, architecture, traditions and history of Catalonia.