Beziers holidays

How to reach Béziers

Flight time: Flights to Béziers Cap d’Agde Airport from London take approximately 1 hour 50 minutes.

Transfer time: The airport is about 15 minutes by car from the city centre. You can take a taxi, a rental car or the local shuttle bus, which operates during the main travel seasons.

Price:

• The shuttle bus costs around €1.60 per trip.

• Taxis charge between €25 and €35 to the city centre.

• Car hire is available from around €40 per day.

Best time to visit Béziers

Béziers enjoys a Mediterranean climate, making it a great year-round destination. Each season offers its own appeal, whether it’s exploring vineyards, attending the famous Feria de Béziers or enjoying the tranquil canals in cooler months.

March to May: Spring is a lovely time to visit Beziers. You’ll avoid the worst of the high-season traffic and you can savour local walks and bike rides and experience the town’s cultural treasures minus the crowds. The weather is mild, with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 20°C and you can expect 8–10 hours of sunshine daily.

June to August: Summer is the peak tourist season, with higher accommodation costs and more people, especially in mid-August for the féria, a raucous four-day party. Temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C, with about 11–13 hours of sunshine daily.

September to November: The best time for Béziers holidays is during the shoulder season, which is ideal for exploring the town’s historical sites and neighbouring vineyards. It’s still pleasantly warm, with temperatures from 10°C to 25°C and plenty of sunshine, around 7–9 hours daily.

December to February: Winter in Béziers is extremely mild compared to the UK, with average temperatures ranging from 10°C to 15°C. Rainfall is around 50–80mm per month, and there are 5–7 hours of sunshine daily.

Practical information

• Spoken languages: French is the official language, although being close to the Spanish border means that many locals speak Spanish/Catalan, as well as English.

• Local habits and customs: At restaurants you only need to leave an additional cash tip if you feel you have received service out of the ordinary, since restaurant prices always include a service charge.

• Currency: The Euro (€) is the currency used. ATMs are widely available, and credit cards are accepted in most places.

• Getting around: Béziers is easy to explore on foot, but otherwise is well-connected with buses, a single ticket costing around €1.20. Taxis are available, and bike rentals are a great way to explore the city and surrounding areas.

• Electricity and plug types: Voltage is officially 230V, using plugs with two round pins. UK travellers will need an adaptor.

• Time zone: France is in the Central European Time zone (CET), which is 1 hour ahead of GMT. Daylight Saving Time is observed.

Best things to do in Béziers

Capital of the Languedoc wine country and a focus for the Occitan movement, as well as being the birthplace of Resistance hero Jean Moulin, Béziers has admirable panache and a bucketful of exciting things to see and do.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• Cathedral Tower: From the top of the cathedral tower, there’s a superb view out across the vine-dominated surrounding landscape. Keep an eye on small children, however, lest they slip through the potentially perilous gaps in the wall!

• Pont Vieux: This 12th-century stone bridge spans the Orb River and provides one of the most picturesque views of Béziers, especially with Saint-Nazaire Cathedral looming majestically above.

The best districts

• Old Town: Wander through the narrow, cobbled streets of Béziers’ historic centre, stuffed full of quaint cafés, independent shops and striking examples of Gothic and Romanesque architecture.

• Les Halles: This bustling covered market is a foodie’s dream; sample local cheeses, charcuterie and other regional delights while soaking up the atmosphere.

Museums

• Musée des Beaux-Arts: Place de la Révolution is home to this intermittently engaging museum, the highlight of which is a particularly fine collection of Greek Cycladic vases.

• Musée du Biterrois: This excellent museum holds an important collection ranging from locally produced pottery to funerary monuments and artefacts dredged from ancient shipwrecks, but the highlight is the “treasure of Béziers”–a rich cache of silver platters found in a nearby field.

Parks and gardens

• Plateau des Poètes: This serene, beautifully landscaped space is perfect for a peaceful stroll while taking in the city’s charm.

Historical monuments

• Saint-Nazaire Cathedral: With its crenellated towers, the city’s cathedral resembles a castle more than a church. Its architecture is mainly Gothic, the original building having burned down in 1209 during the sacking of Béziers.

• The Roman Amphitheatre: Though now in ruins, this superb site offers a compelling glimpse into Béziers’ Roman past.

• The Fonseranes Locks: Part of the UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi, these impressive locks are an engineering marvel and provide a unique setting for watching boats.

Day trips in the area

• Narbonne: Once the capital of Rome’s first colony in Gaul, this is a pleasant provincial city with a small but well-kept old town, dominated by the great truncated choir of its cathedral and bisected by a grassy esplanade on the banks of the Canal de la Robine.

• St-Guilhem-le-Désert: The ancient Carolingian monastery and the tiny hamlet at its feet present a quintessential Occitan panorama.

• Carcassonne: The attractions of the well-preserved and lively ville basse notwithstanding, everybody comes to Carcassonne to see the Cité, the double-walled and turreted fortress that crowns the hill above the River Aude.

Activities for families in Béziers

Béziers is a wonderful destination for families, offering a mix of educational, active and fun attractions. Whether your kids love nature or history, there’s plenty to keep them entertained.

• Aquariums and zoos: The nearby Réserve Africaine de Sigean, just outside Béziers, is a safari-style park where families can spot giraffes, lions and rhinos.

• Historical sites: Kids will enjoy exploring the Fonseranes Locks and the Roman Amphitheatre, with their tales of engineering and ancient life.

• Adventure parks: Parc Aventure Béziers offers treetop adventures and zip-lining, perfect for slightly older children looking for some thrills and spills.

Free things to do in Béziers

Béziers offers plenty of free activities for budget-conscious travellers, its rich history and natural beauty ensuring that there’s always something to enjoy without spending too much.

• Free events: Béziers hosts numerous festivals, the biggest and best being the Feria de Béziers in August, a raucous four-day party that can be enjoyed even if bullfighting isn’t to your taste, with music and street parades augmenting the main event.

• Canal du Midi: Take a leisurely walk or cycle along the canal’s picturesque towpaths, lined with plane trees and dotted with charming bridges.

• Self-guided walking tours: Explore Béziers’ old town, where history comes alive through its winding streets, ancient buildings and lively markets.

Nature and outdoor activities

The area surrounding Béziers is a magical natural playground, and whether you fancy a gentle pedal, strenuous hike or just want to sit and observe some wildlife, there’s much to enjoy here in the great outdoors.

• Hiking: Serious walkers should make for the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc whose wild uplands are prime hiking territory, where thick forests of stunted oak alternate with broad mountain meadows, opening up on impressive vistas.

• Cycling: Béziers is an excellent hub for cyclists, so if you fancy pottering along the Canal du Midi, bikes are available for rent; enquire at the tourist office.

• Watersports: It’s not too far to the coast where warm, placid waters are perfect for those of any ability to try their hand at some kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding.

• Wildlife watching: The wetlands of the Bagnas Nature Reserve are fabulous for spotting local wildlife, including flamingos and a variety of other bird species.

Local dishes in Béziers

One of the great pleasures of holidays to Béziers is sampling the cuisine, which combines the bounty of the sea and the rich garden produce of the nearby plains.

Some typical dishes

• Tielle: A speciality from nearby Sète is tielle, a spicy octopus pie–possibly the most unusual pie in the world–embellished with tomato sauce.

• Ratatouille: A classic French vegetable dish featuring courgettes, aubergines and peppers, cooked in olive oil with garlic and herbs.

Meat dishes

• Cassoulet: This fine bean stew from Castelnaudary, made with white beans, sausage and various meats such as duck and pork, has colonised the whole of Languedoc.

• Magret de canard: Duck breast served with a sweet sauce concocted from orange or cherry, this is irresistible.

Fish and seafood dishes

• Bouillabaisse: This fishermen’s stew is the superstar of the coast’s seafood dishes–at its best it’s utterly delicious.

• Huitres: Fresh oysters from the nearby Étang de Thau are as good as any in France; enjoy raw with a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar.

• Grilled sardines: Freshly caught and cooked simply, these are a staple at local restaurants and beachside eateries.

Sweets and desserts

Béziers’ desserts showcase the flavours of the south of France. Clafoutis is a baked custard-like dessert with cherries, while pains d’épices is a spiced honey bread perfect for pairing with coffee.

Local drinks

• Noilly Prat: This vermouth, created in 1813 with white Languedoc wine, is aged in vats for eight months, and then for a further year outdoors in oaken barrels.

• Pastis: The generic name of aniseed drinks such as Pernod or Ricard and a favourite throughout Languedoc, this is served diluted with water and ice (glaçons).