Béziers, France? Never heard of it.
I hear that often when I rave about our 2022 summer trip, and it’s a shame. What’s not to love about 10-euro meals of fresh oysters and a glass of chilled local wine? What’s not to love about a town that looks like the set of “The Aristocats”? What’s not to love about exploring medieval castles, visiting pristine beaches, cheering for boat jousters and shopping at markets featuring everything from flowers to fashion? Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite ville.
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Béziers: The Basics
Béziers (BEH-zi-ay) is a small city of 76,000 or so residents located in the Languedoc region of France, roughly halfway between Barcelona and Marseille. Languedoc is called a well-kept secret because it offers beaches very similar to those on the French Riviera for a fraction of the price. I wholeheartedly agree with the characterization, but it only scratches the surface of what the region has to offer.
Béziers has all the basics a French town needs: bakeries, restaurants, vineyards, markets, but it also has civic pride. You often hear “Aqui es Béziers!” shouted at local events, which is a bit jarring at first since it sounds Spanish, not French. We asked around and found that it’s actually a throwback to the original Occitan language that predated both French and Spanish in the region.
Dia Adams Things To Do in Béziers
Before I address what to do in Béziers, I want to share my philosophy of travel: There are “Do” places and there are “Be” places. “Do” places have so many museums, sites, etc. that you feel obligated to always be busy. “Be” places have plenty of things to do as well, but there’s not the pressure to hit them all. What’s important is taking in the vibe of the place.
Béziers is a “Be” place. With the luxury of a month’s stay, we were able to alternate active days with those spent doing nothing more than walking two minutes to the bakery for baguette and pastries, strolling around the shops—of which there is a surprising amount of vintage for such a small city—snacking on wine and oysters then later enjoying dinner on the square.
Canal du Midi
The main thoroughfare of Béziers is called Allees Paul Riquet in honor of the architect of the region’s greatest achievement. The Canal du Midi was built in the 17th century as a way to connect the Mediterranean with the Atlantic without having to transit the often-contested Straits of Gibraltar. Now 240 kilometers long, the canal with its various locks serves as both a form of transit and a source of civic pride.
There’s a brand-new 650 meter walkway connecting the town to the Nine Locks de Fonseranes on the Canal du Midi. The tourist train (Le Petit Train) in Béziers also stops halfway through the tour allowing passengers to debark and take a later train back to town. We used this break to rent an electric boat so we could traverse the Canal for ourselves. At 40 euro for a boat seating five it was not only great fun, but cheaper than an organized tour.
The Old City
Béziers is among the oldest towns in France, having been occupied since Roman times. One of the bridges into town has been standing since the 12th century and the Saint Nazaire Cathedral has occupied its spot since the 13th. There are many lanes closed to cars simply because they aren’t wide enough—they were built when horses and buggies were the only form of transportation.
Dia Adams Allees Paul Riquet
Béziers’ main street stretches from the Municipal Theater, dating from 1844, to the Garden of Poets which features winding pathways where you’ll find statues celebrating French literary figures. The park also connects Allees Paul Riquet with the train station on the other side of the park and is a lovely site for a picnic. Along the Allees you’ll find markets ranging from flea to flower on various days of the week.
A large plot of land along Allees Paul Riquet has been transformed in the last few years from a large parking structure into a park that locals and tourists can both enjoy. Over summer 2022 the park featured not only a fairy-tale-themed topiary garden but a Bellagio-esque dancing fountain that offered up a different 20-minute show every evening.
Thursday nights during the summer along Allees Paul Riquet the city invites vineyards and food vendors to set up, and for 5 euro you get a glass and three pours accompanied by live music.
Trompe L’oeil Tour
Part of Béziers’ regeneration efforts feature a fun scavenger hunt to find 16 murals across the town that are created to fool the eye. The murals tell the story of Béziers through the eyes of its heroes including World War 2 resistance fighter Jean Moulin and the poet Moliere.
La Feria de Béziers
Without question, the busiest time in Béziers is in August during the Feria de Béziers. Attracting a million tourists, in 2023 it’s scheduled to take place August 11 to 15. Events at the Feria, such as bullfighting and flamenco, highlight the area’s proximity to Spain. I’m sure it’s great fun, but after spending a month there I have trouble imagining what those levels of crowds would look like.
What Traveling to Béziers Feels Like
The area around Béziers has the highest unemployment in France but I distinctly did not get the run-down impression I’ve gotten in, for instance, Southern Italy. France has poured a tremendous amount of investment into the region around Béziers, and it shows. Some aspects of life are distinctly slower-paced—hello, everything closing in the afternoons—but buses run on time and trash gets picked up.
The aloof vibe I often get in Paris simply does not exist in Béziers. Strangers greeted each other on the street instead of avoiding eye contact. My teens were perfectly safe walking around on their own even at night. Of course, petty crime happens, but nowhere on the scale of larger European cities.
Something else I appreciated: Few Americans come to the region. We saw none in Béziers in a month and only a few around all of Languedoc. I would estimate the tourist base to be 80% French, 10% British and 10% other European. I really enjoy visiting where locals go.
Getty Day Trips From Béziers
Pretty much the entire region is easily accessible from Béziers, but I’ll highlight three of our favorite day trips.
Valras-Plage
Being so close to the Mediterranean lends itself to easy access to beaches. Valras-Plage is the most popular and the easiest to get to from Béziers, with easy bus connections from the train station. Valras is well-developed but even on July weekends didn’t feel overcrowded. Both the sand and water were pristine and deserving of its “Blue Flag” status. Blue Flag beaches are recognized as going above and beyond in environmental management, accessibility and safety. Beaches in Languedoc are sandy, which is in stark contrast to their rocky neighbors on the Riviera.
As you approach the beach from the bus stop you’ll pass all sorts of tourist shops, restaurants and groceries allowing you to pick up whatever supplies you need for the day. We even bought inflatable rafts for less than 10 euros and left them with another family visiting the beach at the end of our trip.
Carcassonne
If an American has been to Languedoc, they’ve probably been to Carcassonne, as it’s the most popular tourist destination in the region. And for good reason; when you arrive you’d be forgiven for thinking Carcassonne was a movie set, because no medieval town could be that perfectly preserved, right?
Wrong. Carcassonne looks exactly like what you picture a medieval castle, fortress and city to look like, with the added bonus of being historically accurate. The Citadel has been in pretty much its current form for almost a millennium. Not only can you go inside, you can tramp the ramparts and immerse yourself in history. I peeked out from the archer holes and imagined myself storming the castle like Wesley from “The Princess Bride”.
Getty Sete
Sete is compared to Venice because of its canal network but it felt to me more like a historic Marina del Rey. The harbors host yachts and the streets are lined with oyster bars and upscale shops. But there’s one thing Sete has that you’ll never find in California: boat jousting.
You read that right. Every summer local teams compete from boats trying to knock each other in the water. Tournaments last for hours and can be seen either from bleachers set up for the occasion or, if you’re lucky and get there early, from your seat at one of the restaurants lining the canal.
Getty How To Get Around in Béziers
In general, getting around the region is easy. You could rent a car, but in our month-long visit we relied on public transportation with no problems. We could easily visit beaches, tourist sites and neighboring towns using public transport.
SNCF and Regional Trains
France’s national (SNCF) and regional train networks are both extensive and, with a bit of research, remarkably inexpensive. Trips from Béziers to Paris, Barcelona, Marseille and Madrid ranged from 30 to 80 euros depending on demand. Trips within Languedoc ranged from 20 euros all the way down to one euro for short weekend trips.
If you are visiting for any amount of time, consider a Carte Advantage. The card, which costs 49 euros, offers discounts ranging from 30% to 60% on both first and second class train tickets. There are cards for youths (12 to 27 years old) and seniors as well. Over the course of a month our 49 euro investment saved us over 300 euros. In fact we saved 60 euros on just one trip from Paris-Béziers, recouping the entire cost of the pass.
Le Petit Train
Most towns in Languedoc have a Petit Train, which is an open-air bus that resembles—you guessed it, a train—that operates in season. These tours, usually lasting around 45 minutes, have soundtracks in various languages so for less than 10 euros you get a crash course in what that town considers its star attractions.
I tried to take the first Petit Train of the day in each destination as the train route gave an instant blueprint of the town’s layout, must-dos and random squares I wanted to investigate further. The byzantine medieval pedestrian districts are often open just for the trains, and the narrow streets and hairpin turns the train drivers accomplish easily had me gasping in surprise more than once.
Local and Regional Buses
Béziers is well-served by a network of bus routes both around the city and to neighboring towns. We used the buses primarily to go to the beach, which was about a half-hour away. beeMob Buses to Valras-Plage left at least once an hour and dropped us off right near the Mediterranean. Best of all, a ride cost a grand total of one euro.
Where To Stay in Béziers
First, the bad news: Hotel points will not help you in Béziers or anywhere in Languedoc. Other than a couple of Best Westerns (that didn’t look great) I saw no chain hotels in the entire region. But all is not lost. Flexible rewards points like Capital One Venture Miles work very well on lodging that breaks the chain. Capital One also frequently has cash-back deals for VRBO, which has an extensive set of listings in the area.
We had success through Airbnb, renting a four bedroom Hausmann-style apartment for $3,700 per month in July. A similar apartment would have cost at least three times as much in Paris. Best of all, it was located right on Allees Paul Riquet, directly in front of the main square that hosted weekly markets and the previously mentioned wine-tasting Thursday evenings. The bus stopped in front of our door, the train station was a 10 minute walk through the park away and we were even on the main parade route.
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How To Get to Béziers Using Miles
If you’re coming from the U.S., you’ll be spoiled for choices when it comes to getting to the region as long as you don’t expect to step right off a direct flight. There are easy connections via train from Barcelona (BCN), Paris (CDG or ORY) and many other European cities meaning you can get to Béziers using pretty much any currency of miles.
We used Flying Blue miles, which are among the easiest to collect as they transfer from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points. Because we wanted to fly only non-stop to minimize air travel snafus, we flew from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Paris De Gaulle (CDG) then transferred to the train at CDG airport for the five-hour ride. Our flights cost 27,500 Flying Blue miles in coach plus $60 in taxes. We transferred the points from American Membership Rewards during a transfer bonus so it cost us even fewer Membership Rewards points.
On the way back we took a six hour train to Madrid (MAD), then spent the night at an airport hotel prior to our morning flight back to Washington, using British Airways Avios transferred from American Express (they also transfer from Chase, Capital One and Bilt) to fly Iberia Airlines. We could have also flown from Barcelona, which is only a two hour train ride from Béziers. Our flights were 20,000 Avios plus $117 in taxes. Again we were able to take advantage of a transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards.
If you are willing to connect, you could find Air France connecting flights from Paris to Montpellier, Toulouse and other cities in the region, or if you’re in Great Britain you could fly on Ryanair directly to Béziers from London and a number of other cities. However, you’re most likely to find award flights to major gateways and the connection time may make these flights less convenient than just taking the train.
Bottom Line: Is Béziers Worth Visiting?
Absolutely. I would return to Béziers in a heartbeat and was very sad to leave. If you’re looking for a holiday spot that checks all of the boxes, Béziers has the architecture of Paris, the beaches of Cannes, the food and hospitality of Tuscany and the prices of Cedar Rapids.
