Sète, Canals, Halles and Mont Saint-Clair

What it is

Sète is the port that closes the Étang de Thau on the sea side, about 15 km from Bouzigues. The city was born with the port that Louis XIV ordered built in 1666, with Pierre-Paul Riquet, of the Canal du Midi, in charge of the works; its official foundation dates from 1673. Today it has about 45,000 inhabitants, a living fishing fleet and canals that cross it between the lagoon and the Mediterranean, hence the nickname "the little Venice of the Languedoc". It leans on a single hill, Mont Saint-Clair, from which you see the whole lagoon with its oyster tables.

Half a day covers the essentials: the market in the morning, the canals and, afterwards, the climb up the hill.

The plan, step by step

1. The Halles, in the morning. The covered market on rue Gambetta is open every day from 7:00 to 14:00, all year, with more than 75 stalls; it has operated since 1890. Fishmongers, shellfish sellers and stalls where you can try Thau oysters or the tielle, Sète's octopus pie. You have it in the Halles de Sète entry.
2. The Canal Royal and the old port. Go down from the market to the Canal Royal, the old port's canal, and stroll along its quays among fishing boats.
3. The Cimetière Marin. On the slope of the hill that faces the sea, the cemetery that gave its title to the poem by Paul Valéry, born in Sète. Valéry is buried here; so is the filmmaker Henri Colpi.
4. Mont Saint-Clair. The hill rises to 175 m. At the top is the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, built where there was a fort from the time of Louis XIII, with frescoes by Pierre Bringuier from 1952. From above you see the city and its port, the Gulf of Lion and, to the north-west, the whole Étang de Thau with Bouzigues and Mèze on the opposite shore. The west slope is the Les Pierres Blanches forest, with trails.

If you have time to spare, Sète has museums of its own, such as the Musée international des arts modestes (MIAM) or the one devoted to Paul Valéry; Georges Brassens, born here in 1921, also has his own space in the city.

When to go

Any time of year will do: the market is open all year. Go on a weekday to have the centre quieter, and in the morning, when the market is full of produce. On a clear day, the view from Mont Saint-Clair reaches much further.

In late August, the Saint-Louis festival brings the water jousts, a tradition of more than 350 years: boats with rowers and a jouster on a platform who tries to throw his opponent into the water with a lance. On those days the city fills up; if you want to see them, arrive early and find a spot on the Canal Royal quays.

Getting there and around

From Bouzigues, by car, it is about 20 minutes along the lagoon shore. In summer, parking in the centre is hard: leave the car as soon as you find a space and continue on foot. Sète station is the closest to Bouzigues.

Mont Saint-Clair can be climbed by car or on foot from the centre; on foot, the slopes are steep.

With children and dogs

With children, the market, the canal boats and the view from the top work; the walk up the hill is best only with children who walk well. With a dog, the stroll along the canals and the hill is fine; in the covered market, better without.

To eat with the lagoon in front of you, go back to Bouzigues: La Côte Bleue or a producer's mas.