Musée de l'Étang de Thau

What it is

The Musée de l'Étang de Thau – Louis Higounet is the lagoon's small museum, on the quay of Bouzigues fishing port. It tells the story of Thau's trades: traditional fishing and the farming of oysters and mussels, which is what the village lives on. It belongs to the Sète Agglopôle association of communes, which also runs the Villa-Loupian. It is the best introduction before going out by boat to the tables or sitting down at a mas: in an hour you understand why oysters here grow hanging.

What you see

The route mixes aquariums, models, videos and an original staging of the fishermen's and shellfish farmers' objects, to explain the lagoon's trades. Since 19 September 2026 there has also been a temporary exhibition, "Des spectres à la plage".

A self-guided visit takes about an hour.

Hours

The museum is closed on Mondays. In November 2026 it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. Tours with a mediator are scheduled from February to November. Outside November, check the month's hours with the Archipel de Thau tourist office or call +33 4 67 78 33 57 before going.

There is a guided tour on Wednesdays at 15:00, one hour, in French or English. At weekends and public holidays the visit is self-guided. Groups book a guided tour Monday to Friday.

Prices

• General admission: €5.
• Reduced: €3.50 for children aged 7 to 18, students, jobseekers, over-65s and people with reduced mobility, whose companion enters free.
• Under-7s: free.
• Family (one or two adults with their children): €10.
• Museums and garden pass of the association: €9. Ask at the ticket office which sites it includes; the Villa-Loupian is the other museum.

Getting there and parking

The address is Quai du Port de pêche, in Bouzigues. There is free parking nearby, and if you want to leave the car at the entrance to the village, the Catonnière car park is free. By bus, the Bouzigues – Clavade stop is about a 13-minute walk away. By train, the nearest is Sète station, about 20 minutes by car.

Accessibility and children

It has the Hérault Accessible label: step-free access via a gentle ramp, adapted toilets and texts and images designed for people with hearing or cognitive impairments.

With children it works well: the aquariums and models grab them, the visit is short and the family price helps. Combine it afterwards with the boat to the oyster tables, which boards at the marina, a few steps away.

What to do afterwards

Bouzigues is small: from the museum you step onto the lagoon promenade. At lunchtime, oysters at a producer's mas or at La Côte Bleue. In the afternoon, the mosaics of the Villa-Loupian, a few kilometres away.