Things to do in Béziers
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Béziers
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, warm with everything open, and September brings the grape harvest.
Hot and busy, dominated in mid August by the Feria, book everything ahead.
Shoulder season gamble, blossom and warming days with the odd wet week.
Quietest and cheapest, short days and some closures, but the centre, Halles and restaurants carry on.
What's on
- Feria d'août de Béziers around 15 August, five days
Corridas, street bodegas, bandas, flamenco and concerts drawing around a million visits.
- Fête de la Musique 21 June
Street music across the centre for the national music day.
- Vendanges, harvest season in the Biterrois September to October
Estates open their doors and the Faugères hills are at their best.
- Christmas market on the Allées Paul-Riquet through December
Local Christmas market and lights on the main promenade.
Best things to do in Béziers
Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire de Béziers
Fortified hilltop cathedral with a cloister garden holding the best view over the Orb and Pont Vieux.
Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes
A staircase of canal locks dropping 21 metres, best watched as a boat works through chamber by chamber.
Plateau des Poètes
Immaculate 19th century terraced gardens linking the station to the centre, made for shade and picnics.
Les Allées Paul-Riquet
The plane tree promenade where Béziers takes coffee, markets and its evening stroll.
Pont Vieux
Medieval bridge over the Orb giving the classic sunset photograph of the cathedral above it.
Basilique Saint-Aphrodise
The oldest church in Béziers, quiet and little visited, with a crypt and real parish calm.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Béziers
A small, cool, uncrowded fine arts museum strong on local sculptor Injalbert and regional painting.
Les Bateaux du Midi
Canal cruise through the Fonseranes locks and towards the Malpas tunnel, the best paid sight nearby.
Where to stay in Béziers
Old Town and Cathedral Quarter
first visits, history and views
Atmospheric steep lanes by the cathedral with the best restaurants, but some run down streets and quiet lanes at night.
Allées Paul-Riquet and Jean Jaurès
best all round base
Flat, lit and café lined between cathedral and station, with the most polished hotels and an easy walk home.
Arènes and Verdun Quarter
quiet, space and a local feel
Residential villa streets near the bullring, calm at night and a 15 minute walk to the cathedral.
Béziers Est, A9/A75 Junction
drivers passing through only
Cheap road hotels with free parking but no town atmosphere and a drive for every coffee.
Think twice about
- Station forecourt streets
Scruffy with loitering and a poor feel late at night. Arrive by train but do not base a multi night stay there.
- La Devèze and far eastern estates
Residential areas with recorded poverty and disorder and no visitor infrastructure. No reason for a visitor to base there.
- Béziers Est motorway cluster as a town base
Not unsafe but isolated. Without a car you are stranded and with one you commute to your own holiday.
Best restaurants in Béziers
L'Alter-Native
Gilles Goujon gastronomic table built on fish and vegetables, the most ambitious cooking in town.
L'Ambassade
Established gastronomic institution with seasonal local cooking and strong sommelier service.
La Maison de Petit Pierre
Top Chef winner Pierre Augé cooks a daily market menu in a family bistro with a garden.
Pica Pica
Mediterranean sharing plates and tapas with a lunch menu the acclaimed calls a steal.
Le Patio
Dependable seasonal French Mediterranean cooking in a rustic room and courtyard in the old centre.
Le Chameau Ivre
Beloved wine bar bistrot pouring serious Languedoc wines by the glass alongside small plates.
Restaurant L'Orangerie
Consistent classic French and Mediterranean cooking on a terrace, a safe pick for mixed groups.
Les Halles de Béziers
Historic covered market where oyster, cheese, ham and wine stalls assemble the best value lunch in town.
Outdoor things to do in Béziers
Canal du Midi towpath
Flat shaded towpath cycling past barges and vineyards to Colombiers and the Malpas tunnel.
Valras-Plage
Long wide sandy family beach 15 km from Béziers, reached by a cheap frequent bus in season.
Oppidum d'Ensérune
Gallic hill town and museum above the sunburst fields of the drained Étang de Montady.
Béziers Adventure
Shaded treetop and zip line park with graded courses that work for children and teenagers alike.
Golf de Béziers Saint-Thomas
Friendly 18 hole course through garrigue and pines, good value for the south of France.
Smile Kayak
Kayak and paddleboard sessions on the Orb under the cathedral, gentle enough for first timers.
Réals Canoë Kayak
Long established Orb descents from 5 to 32 km with swimming stops and picnic beaches.
Oc Wine Tours
Small group vineyard day to Faugères with a knowledgeable local guide, two estates and a picnic.
Best hotels in Béziers
Hôtel La Prison
Former prison turned design hotel on the cathedral hill, with pool, bistro and Orb views.
L'Hôtel Particulier Béziers
Calm maison de maître hotel with garden and pool, the most polished stay in the centre.
Hôtel In Situ
Modern central four star with spa facilities and the soundproofing older hotels cannot promise.
ibis Styles Béziers Centre
Predictable chain comfort in the central streets for when the independents are full.
Hôtel des Poètes
Traditional family run hotel by the gardens, the best value bed for train arrivals.
Zenitude Hôtel-Résidences Béziers Centre
Studios and apartments with kitchenettes near the Allées, strong value over longer stays.
La Villa Guy & Spa - Teritoria
Belle Époque villa guesthouse with garden, pool and spa in the quiet arena quarter.
hotelF1 Béziers Est
Basic motorway budget format with parking, sensible only as a one night stop with a car.
Is Béziers expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €95 a person |
| Splurge | €190 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Les Bateaux du Midi: a few days ahead
- Arènes de Béziers: weeks ahead
- Béziers Adventure: a few days ahead
- Golf de Béziers Saint-Thomas: a few days ahead
- Smile Kayak: a few days ahead
- Réals Canoë Kayak: a few days ahead
- Oc Wine Tours: weeks ahead
- Hôtel La Prison: weeks ahead
- Book Feria week accommodation months ahead.
- Book L'Alter-Native and L'Ambassade weeks ahead for weekends.
- Book canal cruises, wine tours and summer weekend activities days ahead.
- Check Sunday and Monday closures and low season reduced days before planning around one place.
Is Béziers safe?
- Watch for pickpockets on trains and in Feria crowds.
- Use lit populated routes at night in the old town rather than unlit lanes.
- Watch street bull events only from behind barriers.
- Emergency number in France is 112.
Béziers travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Béziers hotels are not beach hotels and Valras-Plage is 15 km away.
- Allées and cathedral square terraces charge for the seat, not the best cooking.
- Fonseranes at midday in August means heat, queues and mounting paid extras.
- Check what a Feria arena ticket actually is before buying, corrida or concert.
Getting around Béziers: public transport and more
- Walk the hilly centre and use the Allées route if mobility is limited.
- beeMob buses link the station, centre and Valras-Plage for a couple of euros.
- A car is a liability in the centre and an asset for Ensérune, Cessenon, golf and vineyards.
- Trains from Béziers reach Montpellier in about 40 minutes.
Who Béziers suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Béziers your trip
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