Séte / Agde, France, next week, recommendations?

[wishiwasupahill]

Hi all,

We are going to France next week, staying in a campsite near Agde and Sete.

Very much looking forward to it but aware the weather may not be the best this time of year!

Wondering if anybody has been and has any recommendations for things to do etc?

We have two kids, 9 and 4. We are fairly active although my leg is just recently out a cast from a recent break, so don’t want to do anything too intense!

Beziers is nice for a mooch around. Carcassonne is amazing but is probably not one for this trip as it is quite steep and cobbled.

you can hire a small boat for a few hours and pootle down the canal. I think we hired one at Montady.

take or hire bikes and cycle around the vineyards.

My in laws have a house down there so we go every year. It’s lovely in a low key way.

Hire a boat on Canal Du Midi. Montpellier has an aquarium and planetarium etc.

Thank you, boat hire sounds good, we will look into that.

Thank you, planetarium etc good suggestions in case of rainy day.

Boat hire sounds great

Ooh lucky you, Sete is my favourite place. Sete is gorgeous for walking around - the town and beach. It's the best place if you like fish and seafood. If you ike cyclling there are miles of easy cycle paths along the coast. Lots of boat trips leave from Sete around the Etang de Thau. It will be a bit off season but still nice. It may not appeal to you ger members but sete has a number of interesting museums including a pretty good contemporary art gallery.

You're not that far from Carcassone (about a 40 min train ride from Beziers) if big castles float your boat.

Beziers town is lovely, lots of historic squares and cute little restaurants.

It is a popular holiday area with the French but less so with English and American tourists (apart from Carcassone) and as such being able to speak and read some French is definitely helpful.

I assume you know this already but Cap D'Agde is a notorious naturist and sex club destination so be wary of choosing beaches and resorts! There are a lot of family friendly parks and resorts there as well Though, apparently some good water parks, but I am not sure if they will be open this early in the season.

@Ginmonkeyagainlots of good info, thank you! And no, I had no idea about the sec clubs so that is useful intel, thank you.

we are staying at a campsite which has kids club etc and various pools….apparently one is heated, very much hope it is!

It's a lovely quiet area and I understand the adult aspect of Agde is pretty discreet. It's not our scene at all so it is not something we have come across in all the years we've visited the area, but we tend to stay in the town of Sete. We did get a rather... ahem .... adult themed Air bnb come up on our accomodation search last year when we stayed in Beziers.

Both Agde and Sete have traditional family beach areas - think ice cream parlours, fun fairs, novelty inflatable shops etc.. so lots of fun for kids.

Sete is also a working port so lots of fun boat spotting if the younger kids are in to that.

Finally the area is well connected by train so plenty of scope for excursions along the coast and visits to nearby towns and cities.

Also if your mobility is still limited, Sete and I think Beziers, both have those little tourist trains that drove you around the main historic sites in town.

Also there is a good Tourist Information Office in Sete with English speaking staff - they can give you information on events and excursions in the area. Right I'll stop now otherwise you'll think I'm being paid to promote the area. I am just excited to share my favourite holiday happy place!

Not at all @Ginmonkeyagain, very much appreciate all the info!

We will be hiring a car so we can go excursions, particularly in the event of bad weather.

If the weather is good, I am hoping to mostly stay local, beach and pool, as that’s what the kids mainly want.

We have 7 days there, so hoping to go further afield on maybe two or three days.

Trip to Sete is a definite though as I went as a child and would love to visit again.

Frustratingly, I think Sete has a weekly market on a Tuesday, which we will just miss due to our flights.

There are safe cycle paths all over that stretch of coast, and we always rented bikes or took our own foldies when visiting. The terrain is flat so it’s not strenuous.

Our experience of Cap d’Agde is very different from the Sodom and Gomorrah described by an earlier poster. The Cap d’Agde I saw was a modern purpose-built resort full of families with young children. There is a naturist village there, but it’s separated from the main town and people have to pay to get in. I’ve never seen any unwelcome appendages in our many visits to the Agde region!

I agree with @worrisomeasset , we went to Cap d'Agde as a family for about 20 years through my teens until 30s. The naturist part is very separate to the main resort, you can't just wander into it. We never came across it at all during our decades of going. The nearest you could accidentally go to there is the entrance gate is one of the stops on Le Petit Train. You can't see anything from the train and if you wanted to go in, it would have to be a purposeful choice.

Sete is a lovely fishing town and has the weekly market as you say but has nice restaurants on the front, Cap d'Agde's markets and Aqualand won't really be going until mid June. Agde itself and Beziers are also nice, as is Nimes and Montpellier if you fancy a city trip.