Saint-Privat, France
Saint-Privat holiday homes to rent in France
Saint-Privat is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. A visit to Saint Privat gives you an exclusive insight into a charming village - just one of the department’s many charming mountain hideaways. Forgotten for many years, tourists - especially walkers – are now discovering Saint Privat. Two main roads pass through Saint-Privat: one serving the lower quarter leading to north-east, the other serves the "upper quarter" to the Southwest.
The Maro river crosses the foot of the village. The houses are terraced on the right bank of Maro - all are prettily built of local sandstone. Fiercely house proud, locals, where possible, have retained the architecture of the Renaissance (including windows with mullions and transoms, as well as carved lintels).
When you rent self-catering holiday accommodation in Saint Privat visit the Saint-Michel at Grandmont Priory (French: Prieuré Saint-Michel de Grandmont) - it is located within the commune perimeter. The priory is located in a wild and beautiful area in the heart of an oak forest. The Priory is now maintained by “Les Amis du Prieure Saint Michel de Grandmont.”.
Nearby Lodéve, surrounded by green hills and vineyards, is also worth a visit. The impressive Lodève Cathedral should be on your itinerary when you stay in Saint Privat - parts of which date from the sixth century. There is also the Museum Fleury (temporary art exhibitions (mainly paintings) and archeology (permanent collection).
When you stay in a Saint-Privat holiday rental home, you can also visit the visual feast of Lerab Ling. It’s a Tibetan Buddhist centre, which was founded in 1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche. It contains perhaps the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Europe, which was officially inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2008 at a ceremony attended by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. It’s open to the public on Saturday afternoons.
Travelling to your holiday rental property in Saint-Privat, France is easily achieved via the airport at Beziers and Montpellier. Ryanair and easyjet offer flights to and from the UK to Montpellier and just Ryanair flies to Beziers – check for seasonal variations in departures. The nearest train station is at Bedarieux. Trains to Paris Gare du Lyon take approximately 6 hours and necessitate changing en route. If you prefer to take the ferry and then drive - from Bilbao allow just under 6 hours. From the north of France and Calais – allow 10 hours (note these journey times are without breaks!).
The average daytime temperature is around 25-30 degrees Celsius in July and August and 8-10 degrees Celsius in December and January.