The city of Sète is located on the Archipel de Thau in the Hérault department, within the Occitanie region. A true Mediterranean gem nestled between land and sea, this area sits between the open water and the vast expanses of scrubland (garrigue), where water is omnipresent, shifting between lagoons, the Mediterranean, and lakes. Sète is a city built on water, complete with canals, picturesque neighborhoods, colorful facades, and a lively fishing port (incidentally the 8th largest port in France). This city, often nicknamed the “Little Venice of Languedoc,” has a strong soul and a unique identity: here, the octopus is king and is affectionately called a “pouffre” in Occitan.
We went to discover this destination with my favorite photographer for the first time in September 2025, and we were enchanted by this city of art and culture, which is home to over 400 artists who live and work there. It indeed offers a rich cultural program all year round. The surrounding area of the Archipel de Thau is also very famous for its shellfish farming (oyster farming) and viticulture, and I will tell you about it in more detail in another article. Below, as usual, I offer you a small selection of things to do and see if you come for a stay in Sète.
You will also find in the 2nd part of my article my selection of good addresses (accommodation, covered markets, and several restaurants) that we had the opportunity to test during our getaway. It’s the perfect opportunity to taste local specialties such as the famous tielle (an octopus pie with a slightly spicy tomato sauce), macaronade, or monkfish bourride!
Practical Information
- Getting there by train from Paris: About 4 hours by train from Paris Gare de Lyon station (via TGV or direct Ouigo).
Table of Contents
What to see and do in Sète?
To discover the soul of the city (as is often the case), I highly recommend going for a walk, especially along the canals to admire the colorful facades and trawlers. Sète is truly a city oriented towards the water, but it is also a city that breathes art in all its forms, as you will see below.
Tourist Office Sète – Archipel de Thau
60 Grand rue Mario-Roustan, 34200 Sète
_
Visit of La Pointe Courte
This is the iconic fishing neighborhood of Sète, bordered by the canals and the Thau lagoon; you can still find a few shacks and flowery little houses there. It has remained very authentic and unique, even if only 5 fishermen are still active there today (fishing and shellfish farming activities). This neighborhood notably became legendary after filmmaker Agnès Varda dedicated an eponymous film to it in 1954, considered a precursor of the New Wave. It is the perfect place to walk around, stroll, have a drink, or even eat fresh oysters (note that tasting is only available during the summer season). And if you are a street-art lover, you will also see beautiful painted walls there.
La Pointe Courte neighborhood
Open access and free
_
Take a Mini Boat ride on the canals
For an original activity, I advise you to take a tour of Sète via the canals with the Mini Boat team. Virginie and Loïc Di Marco offer a 45-minute guided cruise/eco-tour to discover the city from the water. These are supervised discovery rides aboard a fleet of electric mini-boats with a lovely Riva look. These single-seater boats (accessible without a license) are super easy to maneuver, quiet, eco-responsible, and 100% made in France. It is perfectly suitable and very fun for children as well.
Miniboat Sète
Pont de la Civette, 34200 Sète (Cadre Royal base)
Price: from 35 € for the 45-min experience in low season (from 14 years old) / Family Tour experience for children from 2 years old
_
Get some height at Mont Saint-Clair
On the heights of the city stands Mont Saint-Clair, the city’s hill, which offers a magnificent panoramic view of the lagoon, the city, the port, and the lake. It is also where some very beautiful villas are hidden, in the most expensive neighborhood of the city. You can get there on foot (be careful, however, it is quite a climb as it goes up steeply) or by car to enjoy a beautiful landscape view from the belvedere. You will discover the famous Cimetière marin (which has existed since the 17th century with its magnificent plunging view over the sea), and right next to it, don’t miss taking a look at the astonishing 1950s frescoes in the Notre-Dame de la Salette chapel. On your way, you can also enjoy the BAM, the Artistic Walks in the Mediterranean.
Mont Saint-Clair & Cimetière Marin
Free and open access to the belvedere
_
Sète, a city of culture and its museums
We quickly understood it: Sète is a city oriented towards the arts and it offers several very interesting cultural visit opportunities with traditional or more original options.
The cultural deal : a pass allows you to access 5 cultural sites at a reduced rate of 15 € per person. It will open the doors to the Paul Valéry Museum, the Chapelle du Quartier Haut, the Sea Museum, the Espace Georges-Brassens, and the MIAM (unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit all of these places).
_
Visiting the Paul Valéry Museum
The Paul Valéry Museum, located on the heights of Mont Saint-Clair, is the town’s municipal fine arts museum. It took the name Paul Valéry (a poet born in Sète and buried in the Marine Cemetery located right next door, which actually took the title of his most famous poem) in 1970, following two donations made by Jeannie Valéry in 1948 and 1949. The poet was indeed also an art lover and an accomplished artist who practiced drawing, painting, engraving, and sculpture.
Paul Valéry Museum
148 rue Françoise Desnoyer 34200 Sète
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: full price (during exhibitions) 9,90 € / reduced rate 5,30 € (students and 10-18 year olds); full price (outside exhibitions) 6,20 € / reduced rate 3,70 € (students and 10-18 year olds)The great deal: free access for all on the 1st Sunday of every month
Link to the museum’s website
_
Visiting the International Museum of Modest Arts
Sète is home to other iconic cultural sites that we recommend you visit, such as the MIAM (International Museum of Modest Arts) located on the docks. This place was founded by artists Hervé Di Rosa and Bernard Belluc, and the museum opened its doors in November 2000, in partnership with the town of Sète. It is housed in a former wine cellar, renovated by architect Patrick Bouchain. This project is both a museum and a laboratory, a pioneer of artistic territories, open to artists of all generations and backgrounds. It is truly a fascinating place, and we were very pleasantly surprised by the museography and the very modern approach of the venue.
During our visit, we were able to discover a very interesting temporary exhibition titled “Superbemarché, Papiers d’agrumes & co.” (from April 11, 2025, to March 8, 2026), about citrus paper labels, from their origins to the present day.
MIAM (International Museum of Modest Arts)
23 quai Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 34200 SètePrices: 5,60 € / 2,60 € reduced rate (students and 10-18 year olds)
The great deal: free access for all on the 1st Sunday of every month
_
Visiting the Molière Theater
We also had the chance to discover the Molière Theater during the Heritage Days. This theater, inaugurated in 1904, is a majestic national stage. An opportunity to discover the balconies, galleries, and backstage of this splendid French-style theater.
Molière Theater
Avenue Victor Hugo 34200 Sète
Price: guided tour of the backstage at 8 € organized by the tourist office (on certain dates)
Link to the theater’s website
_
Visiting the MaCO (Open-Air Museum)
The MaCO is the Open-Air Museum of Sète, and its numerous street-art murals dot the city walls, which you can discover as you wander around (that’s what we did, in any case). You can find works by street artists invited every year to the famous K-Live Street-Art Festival (between urban art, contemporary art, and current music), which has existed since 2008! Don’t miss rue de Tunis, which houses some very beautiful pieces. You can easily and freely pick up a MaCO map at the tourist office to plan your own artistic itinerary.
MaCO Sète
Map available at the Tourist Office
_
Attending the Languedoc Jousting Tournaments
If you are passing through Sète during the right time, it’s a true local institution! We were able to get a small glimpse of the Languedoc jousts (among other things) on the canals (at the Cadre Royal level) during the great gathering of the Joutes de France which happened to take place on the weekend we visited Sète in 2025. It’s very impressive to see, and the atmosphere is always electric from what we gathered!
Cadre Royal
Canals of Sète (in the city center)
My favorite addresses in Sète
As usual, I am sharing my selection of favorite addresses below that we tested with our favorite photographer during our stay, whether to feast on good local products or to find a nice and affordable accommodation in the heart of the town of Sète.
_
My favorite food addresses in Sète
Where to buy a good tielle? Tiellerie Cianni Marcos
There are many addresses that make tielles (THE essential specialty of the town that you absolutely must taste) in Sète. We only tested one, and even though we don’t really have a scale for comparison, it was in any case really very good! This traditional tiellerie has existed since 1937, and here, the tielle dough is shaped with olive oil.
Tielles Cianni Marcos
24 rue Honoré Euzet / Halles Centrales, 34200 Sète
Price: large tielle at 13,80 €
_
Lunch at the Sète Market Hall
There’s nothing like a stroll through the market halls of Sète to start discovering its local specialties. The place brings together the best local products to enjoy right on the spot in the heart of the covered market (as we did), on the terrace, or to take away so you can bring a bit of Sète’s flavors home with you. A gourmet must-visit during a stay in Sète.
Halles et Manger
For our part, we had lunch at Halles et Manger. A special mention for the chef Magali who offers a tasty menu there that proudly highlights beautiful regional products. We tasted: for starters, the fried anchovies (13.50 €) and the octopus salad (12 €); for main courses, the fish and chips and the strips of squid and chorizo with seasonal vegetables (18 €); for dessert, the fruit tart of the day (7 €).
Halles Centrales de Sète / Halles et Manger
8 rue Gambetta / 6 rue de Metz, 34200 Sète
Price : starters between 11 € and 15 € / main courses between 18 € and 23 € / desserts between 5 € and 7 €
Reservation essential
_
Restaurant La Prohibition
This little, very warm restaurant is hidden in an alley (known as the “des prisons” alley) that is full of great addresses. You can enjoy a pleasant little terrace on the pedestrian street during the summer season and very attentive service. The chef offers a short menu and extremely well-executed gourmet cuisine. Not to mention their very fine selection of local, organic, or natural wines to accompany it all.
Restaurant La Prohibition
14 Rue André Portes, 34200 Sète
Price : starters between 9 € and 12 € / main courses between 19 € and 25 € / desserts between 10 € and 12 €
The good deal : lunch set menu with starter + main + dessert 28 € or starter + main and main + dessert 23 €
_
Restaurant Paris Méditerranée
Another lovely Sète address that we recommend for treating yourself during your stay with authentic and tasty cuisine. The restaurant also enjoys a solid reputation with a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide and also a score of 11/20 in the Gault & Millau. It is also a multi-faceted place, as it offers a room with artist exhibitions. We were also lucky enough to eat in the beautiful patio of the address (but be careful, during the summer season you must absolutely book specifying that you want to be seated in the patio).
We tasted : octopus minestrone; pan-fried squid with sobrasada with squid ink risotto; plancha-grilled tuna with Moroccan-style haricot beans; plum financier with verbena cream and sorbet.
Restaurant Paris Méditerranée
47 rue Pierre Semard 34200 Sète
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Price : starter + main or main + dessert menu 35 € / starter + main + dessert 42 € / tasting menu 65 € per person / wines by the glass between 6 € and 8 €
_
Where to stay in Sète? Georges Hostel
For our stay, we set down our suitcases at Georges Hostel. This accommodation is ideally located right in the city center of Sète, which is really very practical for exploring the city on foot and fully enjoying the atmosphere of the canals and alleys! It is a youth hostel that offers dormitory beds but also individual rooms at low prices. The atmosphere is very nice and it is an accommodation with a very good value for money in the heart of Sète. The breakfast served as a buffet (8 €) is simple but practical for starting the day on the right foot!
Georges Hostel
8 Rue Gabriel Péri, 34200 Sète
Price : individual double room with bathroom from 85 € per night / spot in a mixed dormitory from 33.15 €
What to do around Sète?
Getaway around the Thau Archipelago by bike
If you want to extend your stay in Sète and explore the surroundings, I recommend planning a bike getaway around the Thau Lagoon. By taking the Voie Verte du Lido, which connects Sète to Marseillan, you will head off to discover the preserved landscapes and biodiversity of the Thau Archipelago. On the program for this gentle nature circuit: observing flamingos in the marshes, a historical visit to the famous Maison Noilly Prat, and an unmissable gourmet stop to enjoy ultra-fresh oysters facing the lagoon, near Bouzigues or Mèze. To prepare your itinerary and find all my good addresses (including a great electric bike rental shop), check out my full article (coming soon) on visiting the Thau Archipelago by bike!
Thanks to the Sète – Archipel de Thau Tourist Office and Sabrina from Hérault Tourisme for organizing this super stay to discover the city of Sète.
I hope that with all this I have made you want to visit Sète, and if you also have your own good addresses and tips for this destination, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
