The Midi-Pyrenees is the largest of the French regions and is are something of a grab-bag collection of Departments centred loosely on Toulouse and consisting of Ariège, Aveyron, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Lot, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne.
It stretches from the Pyrenees in the south up to Lot in the north, hemmed in by the Pyrenees-Atlantique to the west and the Pyrenees-Orientale to the east. It's sheer size makes for a wealth of different sights and activities thoughout the year.
There are numerous castles and chateaux right across the region with many famous ones such as Montsegur and Rennes-le-Chateau from the Da Vinci Code book and film but even more lesser known ones. It's also home to the Canal du Midi of course which stretches from Toulouse to the Mediterranean.
Amongst the collection of Les Plus Beaux Villages in this region are Autoire, Auvillar, Belcastel, Brousse-le-Château, Bruniquel, Camon, Cardaillac, Carennac, Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Conques, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Espalion, Estaing, La Couvertoirade, La Roque-sur-Cèze, Lacapelle-Marival, Lautrec, Lauzerte, Loubressac, Monestiés, Montréal-du-Gers, Najac, Puycelci-Grésigne, Rieux-Volvestre, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Saint-Côme-d'Olt, Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt, Saint-Lizier, Sarrant and
Sauveterre-de-Rouergue.
The popularity of the region means many airport options including Carcassonne (CCF) and Toulouse (TLS) but numerous others lie just outside the region offering a wealth of choices.
The rail network is extensive but don't forget that the highspeed trains radiate out from Paris so whilst the high speed TGV trains will get you from Paris in under six hours, it can take quite a while going from Toulouse to Carcassonne.
