Narbonne makes an excellent base for the central Languedoc. Carcassonne is 60 km to the west — the medieval walled city is best visited early in the morning before the coach parties arrive. Béziers is 30 km to the east along the Canal du Midi, worth a half-day. Perpignan, capital of Roussillon and culturally half-Catalan, is 65 km south and reachable in under an hour by train.