Hotel Venezia in Sète, 50 metres from the beach and the Mediterranean Sea.

The town of Sète was founded in 1666 by order of King LOUIS XIV, to connect the Canal du Midi to the sea. The town was, and still is, an important trading and fishing port.

the number one fishing port on the Mediterranean coast of France.

The town’s known as the Venice of the Languedoc because of all the canals that criss-cross through it.

The historical centre is full of old-world charm, with a special quality of light that mesmerizes photographers and painters. With its unusual infrastructure and its architecture, the town’s inspired a number of great writers, poets and singers such as Ptol Valery, Jean Vilar and Georges Brassens. It also attracts film directors, and many are those who’ve come to shoot scenes here, immortalising the town in film.

There are lots of picturesque sites to visit in Sète:

‘La Pointe Courte’, the fishermens’ neighbourhood.

The royal canal and the old harbour.

The Saint Louis breakwater and its lighthouse.

The Mont Saint-Clair and the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette.

The upper town and the Saint Louis church.

The marine cemetery.

The Py cemetery.

Vue de Sète et de l’étang de Thau depuis le Mont Saint-Clair

In and around Sète

There’s a wide variety of excursions to choose from during a stay in Sète, so you can alternate between beach and sightseeing:

Tour round the Thau pond with its many shellfish, Balaruc, Bouzigues, Mèze, Marseillan.

Frontignan, known for its Muscat.

Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone with the Saint Pierre cathedral.

Montpellier.

L’Abbaye de Valmagne.

Valmagne Abbey.

Pont du Diable (Devil’s Bridge).

Salagou lake.

Villeneuvette.

Pézenas, hometown of Molière, the great 17th-century playwright.

Béziers with the magnificent Saint Nazaire cathedral and the Fonseranes Locks (Neufs Écluses).