In terms of location, the Southern France city of Beziers has everything going for it. It is just 10km from the Mediterranean coast. It has a great transport network. It has over 2,000 years of history and it is quickly regenerating itself for the 21st Century. Beziers may not be the prettiest city in the South of France but there is still plenty of charm tucked away down its ancient medieval streets. Beziers is the capital of Languedoc Wine industry, the scene of a famous massacre and home to the biggest and best festival in the South of France.

Beziers is my local town (we live about 20 mins away) and I enjoy the time I spend in the city. It has to be said that there is a real spirit about Beziers (especially if you arrive in the city during the summer Feria or go watch the local team play Rugby) and its star is definitely rising. Money is pouring into Beziers - both from the local and central governments. The money has been spent on improving the range of facilities Beziers offers and its physical appearance. The city has been spruced up, the central Square has been completely remodelled and residential properties are being refurbished. As a result, Property Investors are flocking into the town looking to capitalise on the relatively cheap property prices and the expected growth that will result from all of the investment. 

Beziers tourism information 

Set above the river Orb, Beziers was first founded in Roman times. The main places of interest are situated in the compact centre of Beziers old town. Here you can walk down the plane tree-lined Allees Paul Riquet, named after Beziers favourite son and builder of the Canal du Midi. The 19th Century Park (Plateau des Poetes) at the bottom end of Allees Paul Riquet is nice to stop in and have a sandwich. Les Halles, the recently refurbished indoor market (near to the town hall) is also worth a stop at. Here, amongst all the cheese stalls, butchers and fishmongers, you can get a drink and even have your recently bought food cooked for you at La Gargotte bistro bar. 

There are a couple of interesting museums in Beziers. Musee Beaux Arts offers a collection of painting from the 17th to 19th centuries. An annexe to the Museum is housed on Rue Capus and is dedicated to a permanent exhibition in memory of Beziers' other famous son, the French Resistance hero Jean Moulin. Jean Moulin was born in Beziers and after the outbreak of the Second World War joined up with General de Gaulle. On de Gaulle's orders, Moulin travelled to France in 1943 to help establish a national resistance committee to direct the efforts of the underground against the occupying Nazis. However, he was arrested in Lyon in 1943 and later died at the hands of the Nazis. Despite intensive torture and interrogation by Klaus Barbie, Moulin never divulged any secret information and he remains revered throughout France to this day. You are unlikely to find a Town or Village in the South of France without a street named after him.

Beziers - oldest town in France

Rue Canterelle Béziers [Photo courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/beziers_mediterranee_tourisme/]

This historic South France city grew famous as the capital of the wine region in Southern France. A settlement has stood here on the banks of the River Orb, since before Roman times. There are remains from Greek settlers (who first arrived in the 6th century BC) and new archaeological remains have been unearthed to show that a settlers may have been living on the site of Beziers well-before the Greeks. This would make Béziers the oldest town in France, even before Marseille.

Beziers was also the first town in the South of France to suffer from the bloody crusade against the Cathars. Beziers was an important centre for the Cathar movement in the 12th Century. Virtually the whole population of the town was put to the sword on the orders of Simon de Montfort in the 13th century.

Beziers owes its fame and fortune to the Canal du Midi, which snakes past the city walls. The Canal du Midi was built by a local man, Paul Riquet, who is celebrated all over the city with statues, street names and buildings all commemorating him.

Beziers owes its fame and fortune to the Canal du Midi, which snakes past the city walls. The Canal du Midi was built by a local man, Paul Riquet, who is celebrated all over the city with statues, street names and buildings all commemorating him.

Beziers was the capital of the Languedoc wine region and it made its fortune transporting local wines up to Paris during the 19th and early-20th centuries. There are some excellent vineyards around Beziers, including Faugeres and Saint-Chinian.

Beziers is well served by the French transport network. It has a TGV station, an international airport and it is served by two Autoroutes (A75 and A9). There is an excellent hospital in Beziers (I can personally vouch for that!) and it now has an excellent range of shops. It is almost as if this Southern French town is slowly awakening from a gradual decline to catch up with its dynamic neighbour - Montpellier.

Beziers has a reputation as a bit of a party town - especially during the summer Feria. Somebody told me once that they have to deliver over €15 million in cash to the ATM machines in Beziers during the one week of the Feria, just to keep pace with the demand. Beziers also has some good restaurants like the La Maison Petit Pierre, the Michelin star L'Alter-Native restaurant and the stunning new restaurant Bistro La Prison, which has some of the best views in Beziers. Beziers is also home to my favourite Indian Curry restaurant.

Beziers France - a town re-born

I have to say, that when we first moved to the Languedoc in 2006, Beziers wasn't really a place I would choose to spend time in. I would occasionally go and watch the Rugby or go to the big out-of-town shops, but I wouldn't really head into the centre unless I had to.

I spent the afternoon in Beziers yesterday, visiting some new rental properties close to the famous Les Halles indoor market. I hadn't been in central Beziers for maybe 12 months or so - and I was really impressed. The facades of all the buildings from the town hall down to the Cathedral have all been renovated. The open squares have all been tidied up and plenty of pavement cafes and restaurants have moved in. The streets have been dug up and relayed with cobble stones. All-in-all, it is now a really smart centre to the town. You can see that by just the number of people that were walking about, the little tourist train full of visitors and the bars and cafes full of customers.

Beziers, France tourism: cathedral

For some of the best views in Beziers, you should head for the Cathedral. From here, you can enjoy fabulous panoramic views over the city, the River Orb valley and towards the Mediterranean coast.

Beziers cathedral (Cathedrale St Nazaire) sits on the site of famous massacre of 1209. At the time the Beziers was under siege from the troops of the Crusading army under the command of Abbot Arnaud Amaury. After refusing to hand over the Cathar heritics to the Crusaders mounted the city walls. When asked by his commanders how to determine which citizens were Cathars (quite a reasonable request) Abbot Amaury issued the famous command:

". . . Kill them all, God will know His own . . ."

The town was burnt to the ground and in a three hour bloodbath, Catholic and Cathar inhabitants alike were put to the sword. The cathedral is a great spot to view over the surrounding countryside as it is perched up high on the rocky outcrop on which the city is built. Although not much of a churches fan myself, the inside is pretty impressive. The cathedral cloisters are worth a look around as well.

Next to the Cathedral, the old Prison in Beziers has been transformed into a new 5 star hotel. The hotel rooms are located in the old cells, with the original metal doors. There was a prison on this site, dating back to the 12th Century. The current building dates back to 1857 and was designed to hold 50 prisoners, although in reality the prison population was often above 100 and sometimes up to 300. The prison also featured two cells specifically for women prisoners.

Beziers prison was the only prison in the local area that featured a guillotine and was used to house prisoners from across the Languedoc who had been sentenced to death. The last execution was held in 1949, for two men who had murdered a local Doctor. The prison was nicknamed the "Malapague" or Deadbeat, for obvious reasons.

If you arrive at the Cathedral, you must head round to the back of the prison and go to Bistro La Prison. This is the newest restaurant in Beziers and it enjoys fabulous views over the city.  The menu is very clean and simple and features dishes such as poached Haddock, Butternut squash Cannelloni, Seiche risotto (cuttlefish), Venison loin and Beef cheeks. The restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12.30 to 23.30 (all days except Sunday when the service is from 12.30 to 17.30). Its weekly lunch menu is changed every month and costs €26 euros for 3 courses or €22 euros for 2 courses (which I think is very good value). The 3 course evening meal is €36 euros, 2 courses is €29 euros.

Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes

The 9 Locks (Neuf Ecluses) of the Canal du Midi, on the outskirts of Beziers, is a wonderful feat of Engineering and a great place to visit. These ladder like locks are spaced out over 300m and it takes about 30 minutes for the canal boats to complete the descent. 

The series of 9 canal locks allows the canal barges to descend by 20m from the high point of the canal, down to the lower stretch, just by the power of water alone. It is not just the timeless Engineering involved in the coordination of the locks, but the lovely curved oval shape of each lock, which is so impressive. This beautiful design also serves the purpose of giving the walls of the locks additional strength, that enables the locks to be drained and filled so quickly. The craftsmanship is quite incredible.

There is a really nice walk that you can take along the tow path of the Canal du Midi down from the Nine Locks. After about 500m you will find another Engineering masterpiece, namely a viaduct that carries the Canal du Midi over the River Orb. This is the first example in the World of a Canal being transported over a River. 

The Canal du Midi proved an almost instant success when it opened in 1681. Unfortunately, its decline was also just as swift. Paul Riquet, the visionary behind the project died 6 months before the Canal du Midi was officially opened. The Canal du Midi had ruined him financially as the building costs soared. However, he continued to drive the project on. By 1856 the Canal was carrying over 100,000 tonnes of freight and 1 million passengers a year. The decline of the Canal du Midi was brought about by the arrival of the railway, as merchants switched to the much quicker railway freighting and the Canal du Midi fell into disuse. It was revived again during the late 1970's and 1980's, when the waterways were cleared and the embankments restored.

Les Halles de Béziers - historic indoor market

Les Halles indoor market Beziers [Photo courtesy of https://www.beziers-mediterranee.com/]

Les Halles de Béziers, is the indoor market in Beziers. The building is very beautiful and dates back to 1891. It was completely renovated in 1987 and is now listed as an Historic Monument in France. Les Halles currently has 21 market holders, selling everything from fish, to cheese, to wine, Spanish hams, vegetables, bread, a couple of butchers and various charcuterie. Les Halles also accommodates 3-4 bars and 2 restaurants. The restaurants are based inside Les Halles, but they also have a terrace outside. La plancha des Halles, serves good quality, reasonably priced, typical French dishes such as Magret de Canard, Tartare de Beouf and Gourmet Burgers. Hallegria is both a tapas bar and a restaurant. This is very popular with the Rugby crowd in Beziers and will be packed out before matches and when the 6 nations is on TV. It also has live music on at the weekends. Both restaurants are good, but I think the most interesting one is Hallegria, in terms of the menu.

Another thing you can try out when visiting Beziers' market, is to go along to one of the bars inside the market (La Gargote des Halles) and get your own custom made meal. Every Christmas Eve, when we get our boys back from Montpellier and London (or wherever they are), we take the bus into Beziers. We then head for the indoor market in Beziers and grab a mid-morning beer and aperitif. We then wander around the market and pick out some fish or a nice steak and then take it along to this boisterous bar on one side of the market. We give it to the man behind the bar and then in about 15-20 mins he returns with a delicious plate of food, a bottle of good cheap house wine and then we sit and devour it. There is a service charge of €12 euros for the cooking of the food and the accompanying salad and chips. But that is it. Isn't that great? You buy the freshest meat or fish from the market and you can then get it cooked for you straight away at the next door bar.

Places to stay around Beziers 

The area around Beziers is beautiful. The city is surrounded by vineyards in all directions and the Mediterranean beaches are just 10 kms from the city (see 4 best beaches near Beziers). The famous Canal du Midi passes right past Beziers and spending a day walking or cycling along the canal tow-path is a wonderful holiday experience.

If you want to be right on the coast, I would suggest that you consider places such as:

• Portiragnes is located just 3kms from Beziers airport. There are actually two Portiragnes - the old village located beside the Canal du Midi and the holiday resort of Portiragnes Plage situated 3kms away on the Mediterranean coast
• Vias - is located 5kms from Beziers airport. Like Portiragnes the town is split in 2 halves. There is the old medieval village of Vias and the modern resort of Vias Plage which is 2kms away on the coast and is home to numerous campsites and Amusement parks.
• Serignan - is located 10 km from Beziers airport. It is a small town with a good range of shops and services, as well as an excellent Modern Art museum (Serignan Art Gallery). Serignan Plage is located 3kms from the town and is one of the best beaches in the Beziers area.
• Cap d'Agde - is one of the largest holiday resorts in France. It is home to the largest naturist village in Europe and also provides a range of tourist attractions including Theme Parks, a golf course, Water Park, a Marina and plenty of restaurants and nightclubs.
• Marseillan - is a beautiful harbour town with its own beach located 3 kms away. Marseillan features numerous harbour-side restaurants and bars and is also home to Noilly Prat (the key ingredient for Martini drinks).  

Pezenas historic town in South France

Further inland (but still within 20 mins of the beach), I would also recommend

• Pezenas - this beautiful historic town was once the capital of the Languedoc region. Enjoy the fabulous Saturday market which takes over the whole town or enjoy the weekly food & wine festival held along the main street of Pezenas
• Tourbes - a lovely wine-making village located close to Pezenas
• Nezignan l'Eveque - one of the prettiest villages in the area around Beziers
• Neffies - a hilltop village with 2 of the best restaurants in the area
• Caux - a popular wine-making village surrounded by vineyards. In the centre of the village you will find 2 restaurants, a bar, 2 shops and a pharmacy

Beziers airport

Beziers airport is about 15km south east of the city centre. Ryanair fly to Beziers from London Luton and London Stansted and new service are opening up to Germany and Holland. The airport is serviced by a frequent shuttle bus to Beziers city centre (around €3.00 for the 20 minute trip).

Beziers airport has grown from handling 30,000 passengers and 23,000 flights in 2007 to just under 300,000 passengers and 30,000 flights in 2023. Beziers-Cap d'Agde airport has certainly helped to open up the local area in terms of holiday rentals and property buyers. The airport employs 110 people directly and it is estimated to provide over 600 jobs indirectly in the local area. Béziers airport is estimated to generate more than €65 million euros of revenue to the local economy.

Beziers airport also has some good local transport connections to Beziers SNCF train station (with TGV services to Perpignan, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Montpellier, Nimes, Agde and Avignon), Beziers bus station, Marseillan, Agde and Vias. But please, please, please, do not use the taxis at Beziers airport. They are such a rip-off. You will be looking at paying €75 for the 15 min trip from Beziers airport to Pezenas. It is OK if there are 4 of you in the car, but otherwise the local bus services are so much cheaper and the airport in Beziers does try to tie in the bus timetable with the arrival of the flights.

You can catch flights from Beziers airport to a number of European countries. Beziers airport destinations include:

Where to next . . .?

If you are planning a trip to the South of France in 2024, then Beziers is an excellent location. Beziers has its own airport and Ryanair runs cheap flights to Beziers from Sweden, Belgium, the UK & Ireland. Beziers also has some excellent beaches nearby and the accommodation is considerably cheaper than Cote d'Azur. The restaurant scene in Beziers is also going through a renaissance, with 3 of the best Chefs in the Languedoc running restaurants in the city. Beziers has some excellent restaurants, but you also shouldn't miss out on one of the biggest festivals in the South of France (Beziers' Feria), some fantastic local vineyards and the beautiful countryside nearby. Beziers is reputedly, the oldest town in France and the historic centre is a joy to walk around. From a tourism perspective, Beziers has plenty to see and do.

If you are planning a trip to Beziers or the Languedoc in 2024, then the following articles are a good source of local information: