Sète
To sense Sète as a living port, this renovated shipping magnate's mansion – a marble-clad 1880s hôtel particulier (private mansion) – is the place to sleep, with attractively done-up and spacious rooms. Those with canal outlooks, especially rooms 102, 212 and 323, are prime real estate.
It has a private parking garage (€12), but there are only six car spaces, so reserve ahead.
17.22 MILES
Founded in 1825 by painter François-Xavier Fabre, this exceptional museum houses one of France’s richest collections of European art. The galleries…
Musée Parc des Dinosaures et de la Préhistoire
8.58 MILES
Signs warning of dinosaurs line the drive up, but this dinosaur park is no gimmick – the biggest cache of dinosaur eggs ever discovered in Europe was…
Musée de Site Gallo-Romain Villa Loupian
5.01 MILES
Dating from the 1st century AD, this extraordinary Roman villa was built on the Via Domitia road linking Italy and Spain. It was occupied for 600 years…
26.68 MILES
Glowing a peculiar pink in the sunlight, the vast, flat salt pans that stretch southwards from Aigues-Mortes have for centuries produced the region's…
Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran
17.22 MILES
Attached to the Musée Fabre is L’Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran, a lavish Montpellier mansion that belonged to local notable Madame Frédéric…
25.53 MILES
Situated 1km southwest of town is this famous stepladder of eight locks and nine gates. The whole area was fully renovated in 2017 and is now one of…
17.18 MILES
One of Montpellier’s hidden gems, the Jardins des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France. Established in 1593, it was used as a model for the…
16.96 MILES
Built in 1695, Montpellier's 52m-high triumphal arch is dedicated to Louis XIV. The tourist office organises guided tours in summer that take you up 103…
0.52 MILES
Sète was the birthplace of symbolist poet Paul Valéry (1871–1945), and the town’s main museum houses a disappointingly small collection of his works,…
2. Musée International des Arts Modestes
1.52 MILES
This offbeat gallery occupying a renovated warehouse is refreshingly free of big names – here the emphasis is on the art of everyday objects, curated by…
1.72 MILES
Sète was the childhood home of singer and poet Georges Brassens (1921–81), whose mellow voice still speaks at this multimedia space.
3.66 MILES
The Musée de l'Étang de Thau has aquarium tanks, sepia photos, vintage fishing equipment and models of the lagoon.
5. Musée de Site Gallo-Romain Villa Loupian
5.01 MILES
Dating from the 1st century AD, this extraordinary Roman villa was built on the Via Domitia road linking Italy and Spain. It was occupied for 600 years…
6. Musée Parc des Dinosaures et de la Préhistoire
8.58 MILES
Signs warning of dinosaurs line the drive up, but this dinosaur park is no gimmick – the biggest cache of dinosaur eggs ever discovered in Europe was…
9.02 MILES
In the fishing port of Marseillan, 8km northeast of Agde, you can visit the Noilly-Prat Factory, which has been making their famous dry vermouth to the…
12.11 MILES
Plage du Pilou is an appealing and quiet beach that's near the small town of Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, west of Montpellier.