Advice

A small break in your visit to quickly introduce other points of interest that couldn’t be included in the itinerary. Around Béziers, you’ll find a mosaic of landscapes and places shaped by history. Close by, the Moulin Cordier, a former mill set on the banks of the Orb and surrounded by the peaceful Plantade garden, can be reached by walking down toward the river from the city centre. A little further away, the Nine Locks of Fonseranes reveal one of Paul Riquet’s greatest achievements: a monumental water staircase, listed by UNESCO, where boats climb a significant change in level. The Canal du Midi itself can be discovered by walking along the old towpaths or by following its quiet ribbon all the way to the sea, between vineyards and plane trees. Just minutes away, the Old Cemetery offers another facet of the city with its sculpted chapels, monumental tombs and cypress-lined paths that form an open-air museum. Slightly further on, the Lironde Forest offers a refreshing break, ideal for a walk under the pines, while the Saint-Jean-d’Aureilhan estate unfolds its garrigue-covered hills, its paths and its panoramic views over the Mediterranean. Heading down toward the Orb, you reach Sérignan, a bright village with peaceful streets, whose MRAC, the Regional Museum of Contemporary Art, hosts major exhibitions in light-filled, modern spaces. And just beyond lie the long beaches of Sérignan and Valras, with their preserved dunes, fine sand and that seaside atmosphere so typical of the Béziers coast. If you enjoy historic towns, Pézenas will charm you with its seventeenth-century townhouses, cobbled streets, artisans and echoes of Molière. Further north, Lake Salagou reveals an almost unreal landscape where the red ruffe soil contrasts with deep blue water, an ideal setting for hiking or swimming. Nearby, the Cirque de Mourèze forms a vast landscape of white dolomitic rock, sculpted by time and explored like a mineral labyrinth. To the west, Nissan-lez-Ensérune is home to the Gaulish oppidum of Ensérune, perched above the astonishing Montady basin, drained into the shape of a medieval wheel, offering a unique panorama in Europe and a fascinating archaeological site. A little further on, Narbonne welcomes you with its soaring cathedral, its covered bridge, its lively market and its omnipresent Roman past. Finally, if you want to immerse yourself in wilder nature, the gorges d’Héric lead you into a world of cliffs, pools and waterfalls along an old paved path that follows the river between shade and light. With all this, you have plenty of reasons to spend a little more time in the region.