In the area

The singular island, city of Brassens

Sète sits on a narrow strip of land between the sea and the Étang de Thau, built around its canals and fishing quays. The covered market at Les Halles is worth the trip alone - tielles (spiced octopus pastries), sheep’s cheese, Picpoul wine. Walk up to the Cimetière Marin for the view and to see where Brassens is buried. Come in summer and the water jousting on the canal takes over the whole city.

Molière's city, preserved medieval heart

Pézenas served as the Languedoc's administrative capital in the 17th century, which left it with a centre full of grand townhouses and cobbled lanes that Molière wandered in the 1650s. These days it's mostly a town of antique dealers and brocantes, with a few good restaurants and a very quiet atmosphere before the day-trippers arrive.

Natural beaches, family atmosphere

One of the most unspoiled stretches of Mediterranean coastline in the Languedoc - long, uncrowded beaches backed by dunes, lagoons and garrigue rather than concrete. The water is warm and shallow, good for kids. From Sérignan, Bayou Canoë runs canoe trips down the Orb to the sea.

Kingdom of oysters and mussels

Between Sète and Agde, the Étang de Thau stretches 20 kilometres - the largest lagoon on the French Mediterranean coast. Its still waters are covered in oyster and mussel farming tables, visible from the shore. At Bouzigues or Mèze, you can eat them looking out over the water with a glass of local Picpoul.

Red earth, turquoise water, vineyards

A reservoir ringed by rust-red ruffes - a volcanic rock found almost nowhere else in France. The water is blue, the cliffs ochre, and the contrast is striking. People come to swim, cycle or walk, but also to see the ruins of the village of Celles, partially submerged when the valley was flooded in 1969.

Open-air dolomite cathedral

One of the most spectacular landscapes in the Languedoc - a cirque of eroded dolomite towers encircling a small medieval village perched among the rocks. You can walk around the whole site in an afternoon, and there are longer trails in the hills above for those who want more.

Hérault gorges, thousand-year-old abbey

Wedged into the walls of the Gorges de l'Hérault, Saint-Guilhem is built around a Benedictine abbey founded in 804 by Guillaume de Gellone, Charlemagne's companion, and a historic stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The village has changed little since - golden stone, narrow lanes, the river below. Factor in a swim in the Hérault on the way back.

Sun-drenched, vibrant university city

One of the oldest university towns in the world, Montpellier sits between sea and garrigue with a dense, lively old centre, an unmissable Place de la Comédie, and serious museums - the Musée Fabre chief among them. The tram reaches the beaches of Palavas in half an hour, making it a good base for a car-free day at the sea.

Canal du Midi, bullring and southern lifestyle

Perched above the Orb, Béziers has a hilltop cathedral and, a few kilometres out, the Écluses de Fonserannes - nine staircase locks on the Canal du Midi that are worth the trip on their own. Twice a year the feria takes over the entire city for several days.

Two millennia of Roman history

Narbonne’s covered market runs alongside the Canal de la Robine - a good starting point for a city centre scattered with Roman remains and dominated by an unfinished Gothic cathedral since the 13th century. A full day out, with the wine caves of the Corbières within easy reach - and Catalan country starting just beyond.