Montpellier to Sete and Beziers: Private day trip

Main attractions

• A working port city on a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean and the Étang de Thau lagoon in the Hérault — the Venice of Languedoc in its canal geography, but emphatically working-class in character; fishing boats, oyster barges and freight vessels share the waterways with the joutes nautiques (water jousting tournaments) that have defined Sète's civic identity since the 17th century
• Mont Saint-Clair rises above the town to 175 meters with panoramic views across the lagoon, the Camargue coastline and on clear days the Pyrenees — the hilltop cemetery where poet Paul Valéry is buried is one of the most beautifully situated in France

What to eat

• Tielle sétoise (a spiced octopus and tomato pie in a distinctive orange pastry crust) — Sète's most iconic street food, sold from dedicated tielle shops throughout the port; bourride (a rich white fish stew with aioli) at a canal-side restaurant is the essential sit-down meal

Main attractions

• One of the oldest cities in France — a hilltop of Roman origin above the Orb River in the Hérault, its cathedral of Saint-Nazaire rising from the same plateau where the Cathar massacre of 1209 killed an estimated 20,000 inhabitants in a single day, an event that defined the city's identity for centuries
• The Canal du Midi's most dramatic engineering feat lies immediately below the city — the Écluse de Fonserannes, a staircase of nine locks stepping boats down 21 meters through vine-covered countryside; one of the most photographed canal structures in Europe

What to eat

• Cargolade (snails grilled over vine cuttings) and local Languedoc-Roussillon wine — Béziers sits in one of France's most productive wine regions and the cave cooperatives around the city offer excellent value Grenache and Syrah