The best traffic-free bike rides around Sète

One of my favorite cycle paths in the area. It's just fun to whizz along the canal with a mountain bike. The path goes up and down in parts and has some potholes. It's also quite dusty in the summer. If that doesn't bother you, you're in the right place 😁

From the greenway, your gaze plunges onto the Thau pond and its immense checkerboard of shellfish farming tables. These regular alignments are the farming facilities where the lagoon's oysters and mussels are produced. Bouzigues holds a special place in this story: in 1925, Antoine Louis Tudesq and other Bouzigues oyster farmers developed the "Pyramid" technique, which contributed to the development of shellfish farming in the pond.

The greenway runs here on a narrow strip of land between the Étang de la Moulière to the north and the Crique de l’Angle to the south. The latter is a natural cove located at the eastern end of the Étang de Thau, where the fresh waters of the Vène meet the brackish waters of the lagoon. This wetland, classified Natura 2000, hosts numerous water birds in particular.

The view plunges over the Thau lagoon and its immense checkerboard of shellfish farms. These regular alignments are the breeding facilities where the oysters and mussels of the lagoon are produced. Bouzigues holds a special place in this history: in 1925, Antoine Louis Tudesq and other Bouzigues oyster farmers developed the "Pyramid" technique, which contributed to the development of shellfish farming in the lagoon. Thus, the panorama allows us to read the landscape differently: behind this vast expanse of water lies a real production area, shaped for over a century by the work of the "sea farmers".

From La Catonnière, the view plunges over the étang de Thau and its immense checkerboard of shellfish tables. These regular alignments are the breeding facilities where the lagoon's oysters and mussels are produced. Bouzigues holds a special place in this history: in 1925, Antoine Louis Tudesq and other Bouzigues oyster farmers developed the "Pyramid" technique, which contributed to the development of shellfish farming in the étang. The panorama thus allows us to read the landscape differently: behind this vast expanse of water lies a true production space, shaped for over a century by the work of the "sea peasants".

The greenway runs here on a narrow strip of land between the Étang de la Moulière and the Crique de l’Angle. To the south, the view opens up beyond the Crique de l’Angle over the Étang de Thau, then over Sète, dominated by the silhouette of Mont Saint-Clair (183 m).

Montagnac is distinguished by the presence of numerous remarkable buildings from the golden age of wine in the late 19th century: functional houses known as "vigneronnes", manor houses, urban estates, and wine-growing districts. Furthermore, its status as a city of royal fairs from the 12th century to the Revolution allowed it to endow its historic center with magnificent private mansions such as the Hôtel de Paul de Brignac, the king's representative, which houses a magnificent French painted ceiling.

This medieval village, which appeared in the 11th century, had a strategic position, perched above the Hérault valley. Even today, its castle, fortifications, and towers give it a military appearance.