Coming off the dual carriageway and over the flyover leading to Sète I was slightly disappointed when I saw the drab industrial buildings that greeted me but, this was soon dispelled as the Sète that I know and love unfolded before me. The long, straight canal beside the road still had those colourful little boats moored along its banks and the further we went the less the industrial units intruded on my vision.


The view from Mont St.Clair

Nestling as it does around the base of Mont St Clair, Sète was where I came a few years ago to take part in a familiarization trip. I remember being taken up to the ‘summit’ of Mont St-Clair and having a slightly misty view across the town, port, canal system and lagoon.

Now back in the heart of the town and driving along the Quai Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, I pass Le Grand Hotel where I had stayed on a previous visit. This three star hotel still retains the elegant feel of the 19th century while catering to more modern tastes. http://www.legrandhotelsete.com


Part of the fishing fleet in Sète

As my coach progresses down the crowded Quay, passed numerous eating establishments on the right and the Canal Royal to my left, the large fishing boats that keep Sète the principal Mediterranean fishing port of France come into view. Now, completing an angular S-bend in the road, the harbor vista opens up on my left. As I’m driven alongside the quay currently reserved for cruise ships that visit this delightful port, I can see, beyond the smart cruise terminal, a crowded yacht basin. Further on is the solid seawall topped by the historic lighthouse that go to make Sète such a safe harbour.


Cruise ship alongside in the Port of Sète

The network of canals, which brought about its title as the Venice of Languedoc, is effectively the reason for Sète's very existence. In 1666, on the orders of King Louis XIV, the port and town were built to provide an outlet into the sea for the Canal du Midi. The Canal Royal, along which I had just been driven, bisects the centre and connects the sea to Thau Lagoon. Nowadays the Thau Lagoon is also famous for its farming of oysters and mussels. These delicacies as well as an ample supply of fresh fish feature strongly on the menu cards of the many excellent restaurants and cafes of Sète.


The busy marina

Reaching the solid sea wall my coach turns right and glides past the ancient fortress on my way to the beach. This impressive piece of sand stretches for 8 miles and, with the brooding silhouette of the Pyrenees mountains in the distance, makes a wonderful place to play, swim or just lay back and relax. Plenty of parking space for cars and camper vans and, just over small sand dunes, the Mediterranean Sea awaits you.

Just when you think that this town can’t possibly offer you anything else you discover that the main section of the Canal Royal is the stage for Sète's famous water-borne jousting.


Jousting on the Canal Royal

Wow, now I remember why I love this industrious, attractive and bustling community.


You can sail in on a cruise ship, arrive by ferry from Morocco, come by train via the first class French Railway network or fly into either Montpellier or Béziers and connect to local rail or a shuttle bus service into Sète.

The train from Paris takes about three hours and forty minutes to reach Sète. Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille are approximately two hours away.

Flights to Montpellier take one hour from Paris, Lyon and Nice, an hour and a half from London, Frankfurt and Brussels. Flights to Béziers take approximately ninety minutes from London’s Luton Airport and two and a half hours when flying via Paris.


A last view of the Canal Royal before you book your holiday to Super Sète.

For lots more information please visit http://www.en.ot-sete.fr