All experiences
What better way to discover all the secrets of Sète than to take a tour with one of our guides? Whether you want to know everything about the life of Georges Brassens, the Molière theatre or the amazing street-art that covers the walls of the surprising MaCO, explore the port city every school holiday. Discover all the guided walking tours offered by the Office de Tourisme Archipel de Thau.
SÈTE HISTOIRE-LÀ
For history lovers, we suggest you start your stay with the "Sète Histoire-Là" guided tour. Meet your guide every Tuesday during the school holidays on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville to escape for about two hours.
You will go back to the time of the creation of the port, through the upper quarter, before taking your way back to the marine cemetery and going back ...
What better way to (re)discover the Thau Archipelago, its towns and monuments through a treasure hunt during your family holiday? This is the experience you can have in Sète, Villeveyrac, Frontignan-Plage or Balaruc-les-Bains. Don't wait any longer!
Barberoussette: the treasure hunt for young and old (Sète)
According to legend, the famous pirate Barberoussette was active in the maritime city at the end of the 16th century and hid his treasure there. Even today, many adventurers have tried to find it... Without success! Fortunately for you, the pirate left several pieces of the map that allow you to find his riches in Sète.
But before you can hope to find them all, you will have to solve several riddles related to the monuments and history of Sète. Go to the tour...
There's nothing like the warmth of a tasty dish to cheer you up when the temperatures drop! Our local specialities, mostly based on fish and seafood, are ideal for indulging yourself while eating locally.
Cuttlefish rust
This is a speciality with a reputation that is well established! Melting pieces of cuttlefish, dipped in a simmering tomato sauce and bound with a delicious aioli... To be enjoyed with potatoes, rice or tagliatelle. A dish whose finesse and flavours will make you fall over, to be discovered in all the good restaurants of the Thau Archipelago.
Stuffed squid
Squid? What's that? They are in fact small squids whose tube (i.e. the body without the tentacles) measures between 8 and 14 centimetres.
Delicately stuffed with a mixture of sausage...
Take a leap into the history of Sète... Immerse yourself in the intimacy of the poet Georges Brassens and the writer Paul Valéry... Or take a journey through modest and contemporary art... These are just some of the experiences you can have in Sète. Let us tell you a little more about the five museums you'll be visiting.
The Georges Brassens space
In addition to its jousts and its Mont Saint-Clair, Sète also attracts attention thanks to the famous singer-songwriter Georges Brassens. And what better way to discover the works of this great singer than in the museum dedicated to him.
So whether you are a music lover or simply curious, go along Boulevard Camille Blanc, at number 67, to experience a multi-sensory journey. Equipped with headphones, set off on a journey th...
The Mediterranean Sea and the Thau lagoon are beautiful playgrounds for lovers of water sports and leisure activities, whatever their level.
What are you waiting for to jump into the water?
The Thau archipelago along the water.
Local words: to discover the lagoon and the secrets of shellfish production for which the Thau basin is famous, there is nothing better than a boat trip! From the ports of Mèze and Bouzigues, former oyster farmers take you on a trip along the river, with explanations! Don't miss: the tasting walks and "sunset" outings in Mansathau, a delight for your taste buds and eyes!
The Thau lagoon: an ideal spot for kite-surfing
Kite-surfing combines the pleasure of a sliding sport, the technicality of a sailing sport and the adrenaline of an extreme sport...
Water is everywhere in Sète.
It is the biggest fishing port in the Mediterranean, thanks to the fish auction, the flotilla of tuna boats and trawlers and small net-casting activity in the sea and lagoon.
The fishing port in the Royal canal, sheltered from the old port, is a special attraction that has always seduced sea lovers visiting Sète. The fabulous spectacle of trawlers returning to port every afternoon can be admired from the breakwater or the promenade overlooking the old dock.
In the heart of the old port, the Sète fish auction provides produce throughout France including Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille, as well as Italy and Spain. The 17 trawlers and small fishermen catch ten tonnes of fish every day. The fish auction sells 90 species including monkfish, red m...
We discovered Sète a few years ago during a romantic weekend. Today, we are introducing our daughter to this little piece of paradise.
Today the sun is shining brightly. The ideal weather for a family day in Sète. First stop: the Museum of the sea, to help our daughter discover the history of the city, deeply linked to its maritime heritage.Then we take a walk on the docks. The façades are colourful, the water smells like iodized water, you'd think you were somewhere else, thousands of kilometres away from home. We admire the trawlers, the boats with the charm of yesteryear, and we observe fish swimming in the canal. Impossible to resist all the restaurants with their lively terraces from which laughter escapes from all sides. The opportunity to taste a delicious cuttlefis...
Summer is shaping up to be beautiful, hot and long... the perfect recipe for a lovely evening with friends or family. But what about spicing things up with an unusual experience at sunset? That's what we've come up with in this top list of things to do at dusk!
Kayakmed
We're off to a great start with a sea kayaking excursion on the Bassin de Thau. But before you take to the water with your paddle, let your instructor tell you what's in store for you on this tour with the evocative name "Sun Sète" (6-9pm). Once you've been introduced to the water, you can finally head off in the direction of Les Thocs, a real lagoon in Languedoc. It's here that you can watch the sunset while sipping a glass of local Muscat. Find out more here.
A little extra: Kayakmed has been awarded ...
See you in 2024 to vibrate to the same rhythm in the Thau Archipelago! On the programme of this top (non-exhaustive) list of festivals: music, art, good local produce, a little reading and poetry...
K-Live (early June)
Each year, by leaving their mark on the walls of the city, they enrich the Musée à Ciel Ouvert (MACO) in Sète, which offers an artistic and picturesque stroll all year round, dotted with mural works. But the highlight of the K-Live Festival remains the beginning of June, when urban arts, visual arts and contemporary music concerts converge in the streets of the city centre and in the famous Théâtre de la mer.
When I think of Fernande (end of June)
When you think of Fernande, you actually think of the most gently impertinent festival in Sète. A real n...
Summer vacation with friends is clearly the best time of the year. No schedules, no strings attached, just cool sharing time.
When I booked the summer holidays for our group of friends, I already had a few criteria in mind, set during our last evenings: a trip that didn't make us waste too much time, a festival with a good program, the beach to recover from our evenings. And I had the perfect plan: the Thau archipelago.
After a few hours on the train, we disembark in Sète and put down our stuff. Just enough time to change our clothes, and here we go for an afternoon on the beach, which will finally turn into an aperitif in a straw hut.
After a short stop in our rental for a small shower, direction the city center and its lively terraces to eat a bite to eat. We find ours...
A stroll to the Sète covered market, one of the little pleasures that I offer myself in all simplicity during my stay in the Thau archipelago.
All the flavours of the South
The covered market of Sète is a paradise for epicureans. The stalls are full of local produce and mouth-watering specialities: sun-drenched fruit and vegetables, wines and cheeses of character, shellfish, fish and crustaceans, not forgetting the famous tielles, or the zézettes of Sète. When you're curious and greedy like me, you don't know what to think!
After enjoying a cup of coffee and a few sweets, I begin my journey of the senses. I taste a delicious tapenade that will be ideal for an aperitif with friends, take advantage of the advice of a fishmonger to learn which wine will go best with the s...
Today I discover the atmosphere of the famous Monday of Saint Louis, the great celebration of the city of Sète.
It's Monday! The last day of the feast of St. Louis, which began on Thursday. A full weekend for me. Between the various parades where all the districts are represented, the famous square ball tournament, the tribute to the railway workers and the concert at the Théâtre de la Mer. We end this party with the "heavy" category jousting tournament!We meet in the morning with our friends in the town hall square, or as the Sète people also call it "Place du Poufre "*. We're waiting for the famous macaroonade! Players and Sète eat this dish for occasions or on Sundays with the family, but especially before the Languedoc jousting tournaments.
Tomato sauce, sausage, me...
From the foothills of the Gardiole to the shores of the Thau lagoon, here more than anywhere else the vineyards reflect their past. Sun-drenched clay-limestone soils, a combination of wind and a favourable micro-climate, this was all it took for the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans to invest in this terroir and plant vines here. Two millennia later, one of the oldest vineyards in France continues its wine odyssey.
A long maturation
Sète was still an uninhabited mountain when, in 1666, Louis XIV ordered the construction of a port to facilitate the export of wine throughout Europe. The area produced mainly white wine. Until then, vines had been confined to the plateaux, but they were soon planted on the plains and ended up producing high yields of poor quality wine: a red wave ...
No matter which destination you have chosen for your holiday in the Thau archipelago, we invite you to take advantage of these few days to get away from it all and discover the 14 communes that make up our destination.
You can also find more information in our magazine.
Balaruc-le-Vieux
Set on a hillock, the village dominates the creek of the corner with a view on the lagoon. A medieval village wrapped in its ramparts, which magnifies the past. We love to get lost in its narrow streets.
Discover Balaruc-le-Vieux
Balaruc-les-Bains
The first spa in France, Louis Bonaparte already came here for a cure in the 19th century! People come here to enjoy the benefits of its thermal waters, but also to stroll through the flowery alleys of the Mediterranean Ant...
Explore La Pointe Courte district with huts, fishing nets, boats, lobster pots and stray cats...
A village inside the city and a world away.
It’s an unusual area with colourful facades, alleys and fishing nets drying on the docks.
The residents of La Pointe Courte have their own identity. Read the street names and you’ll understand: traverses des jouteurs (jouster poles), des rameurs (rowers), des pêcheurs (fishermen), Rue la Pétanque just to name a few. Explore and see!
Sea bream is caught in October. Hundreds of fishermen on both sides of the canal eagerly await the inevitable passage of the fish from the lagoon to the sea. The quiet district turns into a frenzy each year.
On the other side of the Royal canal, opposite La Pointe Courte, stands the marine biology...
Do you dream of escaping for a weekend?
Sète is the destination you need.
It plays the "artistic" card and knows how to preserve its popular soul. Leave for a weekend with a little extra soul.
Beware, Sète will catch you in its nets!
All the flavors are in the halls of Sète
A treat for the eyes and the taste buds! Every morning, local products are in the spotlight: tuna, red mullet, sea bass, monkfish and of course seafood and shellfish from the Thau lagoon.
To find out more
Expert advice:
In Sète, you can enjoy many local specialties: macaroni, stuffed mussels and squid, cuttlefish rouille, and the famous tielle sétoise... Don't miss this little pie filled with octopus, a true institution of Sète gastronomy.Artistic stroll
Visit the Open Sky Museum, thanks to i...
Looking for an idea for your Sunday walks despite the winter? The Archipelago of Thau is the place to go to get some fresh air and enjoy the mild temperatures of southern France. That's why we've put together a short list of places to go for a walk, so all you have to do is make your choice: a guided tour of the Bagnas reserve, an iodine bowl along the Lido, birdwatching at the old salt pans of Frontignan...
The Bagnas reserve: To be discovered freely or with a guide
Situated on 561 hectares between Marseillan and Cap d'Agde, the Bagnas reserve has become over the years a paradise for birds and nature lovers alike. Now protected, it can be discovered through the anecdotes of one of the guides of the Maison de la Nature or freely for a little more adventure.
You can, for...
Nearly 3000 tons of Mediterranean mussels are produced each year in the Thau lagoon. And here, cooking them is an art. Ready for a tasting?
Discovery and delicacies
While on a trip to Mèze, I wander around the city centre and discover the covered halls. The atmosphere is friendly, the merchants call each other from one stand to another, and offer passers-by to taste their products. After picking bits of melons and a few olives, I stop in front of a shellfish farmer's stall.
He asked me to taste the mussel track. I, who only knew about marine mussels, am not being asked to do anything! These mussels, cooked, are marinated in olive oil and lemon and perfectly seasoned. A delight!
Amused by my enthusiasm, the producer explains to me that nearly 3000 tons of Mediterranean ...
In Sète, there are the beaches of Paul Valéry,
Georges Brassens...
but there's also a life after the beach
A life of hut, on Mont Saint-Clair. A cultural life, with the Chapelle du Quartier Haut, the MIAM or the Espace Brassens. A lively culture also, from the Pointe-Courte fishermen's quarter to the Halles centrales, where you can taste tielles and shellfish, without forgetting the daily ball of the trawlers returning to the port.
A nocturnal culture too, with the fairy tale of the canals at night or the Théâtre de la Mer and its magical scene. More than a view, a vision....