Last week, I wrote an introduction on the joys of staying in Cruzy, Languedoc, south of France, and this week I would like to give a few more insights into this lovely little village.
One of the largest benefits, I found of staying in Cruzy, were the breathtaking views all around us. Depending on the time of year, you can see the vines growing, purple irises, poppies and beautiful rolling countryside.
As mentioned last week, the magnificent 15th century church stands in the middle of the village and can be viewed from most parts of the village.
Another beautiful reason to visit Cruzy, is that the Canal du Midi, whose construction started in 1667, and which spans 241km across the south of France, is but a 3-4 minute car drive from Cruzy village centre. This beautiful UNESCO canal is flanked on each side by magnificent plane trees – the kind whose bark looks like it might be army camouflage!
You can walk / jog / cycle up and down this canal on either side and if you’re visiting in summer months, you will pass by many boats whose riders will wave most cheerfully at you! At intervals, there are restaurants and bars along the canal and most are absolutely delightful, especially those closest to Cruzy.
The closest point of the canal to Cruzy is at La Croisade. A small hamlet with a five star restaurant. It is expensive but the food is delicious and you can sit outside to view the vista.
Sometimes I’m asked about the drawbacks of staying in Cruzy. For me, there are none but I can see that for teenagers or people who like to go partying often, this would not be the case. There is a small bar in Cruzy and two restaurants but if you don’t have a designated driver, going to Beziers or Narbonne for the bars and clubs is a bit difficult as they’re both about a twenty minute drive from Cruzy and taxis are way too expensive to contemplate.
However, all the teenagers I have seen around Cruzy, have been perfectly happy cycling around the village and the vineyards or packed into the car for the 25 minute drive to the nearest golden beach – Valras Plage.
Being near the cities of Beziers, and Narbonne, there are always fetes to enjoy and places to eat, drink and be merry. You can also visit the mediaeval city of Carcassonne – 45 minute drive, or the Minerve area which hosts some of the most amazing gorges in France – Cathar country.
All in all, I found Cruzy a perfectly tranquil little spot but close enough to livelier places when the necessity arose.
For more information on Cruzy, if you speak French, please visit the Cruzy website:
http://www.cruzy.fr/accueil.html
Or if you have any questions, we welcome any comments!
If you’re looking to rent a holiday villa in Cruzy, you could start by looking at these two links below:
http://www.southfranceholidayvillas.co.uk/utils/detail?ref=CRU102
http://www.southfranceholidayvillas.co.uk/utils/detail?ref=CRU104
To contact us, please visit www.southfranceholidayvillas.co.uk
