A network of canals brings the scramble of port and fishing activity right into the Sete town centre. Canals and the fishing activity itself are the main attractions, along with the lovely ‘village within a town’ – the Pointe Courte sector. Along the edges of the canals are attractive buildings housing shops, restaurants and bars and strolling along these streets edged with small boats is a real pleasure.
Sète also lies at the foot of Mount St. Clair, between the Gulf of Thau and the Mediterranean Sea. To get a feel for the layout of the town you really need to head up Mount St Clair from which you get views of Sete below with its canals and sea-port. It’s a bit of a hike up the hill (400 steps, rising 183 metres, to be precise) but the views from the top across the town and the bassin de Thau are stunning. Chapel of Notre Dame de la Salette, perched high above the port on the Mont Saint Clair.The Musée Paul Valéry has displays on the history of Sète, plus an art collection.
For beaches it is necessary to leave the centre of town and head for the long strip of sand which starts behind Mont St Clair and stretches out as a long thin 12km strip to Marseillan Plage to the west. The beaches of Lazaret, the “Corniche” and Villeroy are not far from the city.
On one side of this thin strip is the sea and on the other the Bassin de Thau. This lido is very popular in the summer and has a chic palm-tree-lined promenade and la Fontaine beach has an area with jets of water – great fun for adults and children alike on a hot summers day.
