Activities & days out in Sète, Languedoc

There is a kaleidoscope of life and cultures around the Etang de Thau. About 21 kilometers long and 8 kilometres wide, this stretch of water is one of the largest natural lagoons in the Mediterranean. The area is a haven of great seafood, safe adventure, charming villages and wonderfully colourful traditions. The Languedoc-Roussillon is France’s biggest wine producing region, and there are plenty of vineyards to visit and sample the Roses!  Here are just a selection of the activities on offer and suggested days out:

Water-sports

You are entitled to four half days of complementary water-sports per week during your stay (weather permitting). You have kayaks (single and double), paddle boards and the use of our speedboat ‘Le Petit Amazon Creek’ (for tours or wakeboarding/ringo-ing) to choose from. We will discuss your preferred water-sports programme with you upon your arrival.

Other water-sports available in and around Sète include jet-skis, SCUBA diving windsurfing and kite surfing. Please ask us for more information if you are interested in any of these activities.

Go-Karts

Europkart, located in Marseillan Plage (approx 30 mins away), caters for adults and children. There are three sizes of kart available: adult, adult + child (from 5 years of age), and junior (from 8 years of age).

In May, June and Sept the track is open every day from 2-7 pm. In July and August, the track is open every day from 10am-12am (children from 10am-8pm only).Prices range from 10–15€ for one session or 40-50€ for a 3-lap course

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 01 65 06

Tennis

There is an international tennis centre in Cap d’Agde, which has 32 tennis courts, 2 squash courts, and 2 badminton courts – as well as a gym and a swimming pool. It is open every day from 8.30am – 8pm and you can simply hire a court or take part in courses or private lessons. Courts must be hired 24 hours in advance. Racquet hire is available.

Court hire (1 hour) starts from:
Tennis: 14€
Squash: 14€
Badminton: 10€

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 94 60 00

Golf

Le Cap d’Agde Golf International Centre includes both 18-hole and 9-hole courses, a driving range, putting green, chipping green and a practice bunker. The golf courses offer undulating greens and well located water hazards and bunkers. There is an on-site restaurant and pro-shop and you can also hire golf clubs and buggies.

Prices – Adult: 18-hole course 70€ / 9-hole course: 52€ – Junior 59€

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 26 54 40

Horse Riding

Sète Equitation Passion riding centre offers riding lessons all year round. The centre is located just across the main Sète-Beziers road, by the Lac du Thau.

Open: 09:00-12:00 and 15:00-19:00 Monday to Saturday. Telephone: +33 (0) 6 22 11 23 65

Relaxation and Wellbeing

Spa

O’balia is a chic and extensive day spa with wellness treatments and facilities based around the warm water from the town’s natural thermal springs. Its outdoor features range from a large thermal pool with geyser and hydro-massage benches to an onsen, a Japanese-style pool complete with waterfall. You can even relax to underwater music thanks to the latest technology. Other facilities include a caldarium steam room, with chromatherapy lighting and aromatherapy effects. Available treatments include wraps, footbaths, facials and massages. The complex is set in gardens overlooking the Etang de Thau.
Open every day from 10am – 8pm. Admission ranges from 12.50€ for one hour to 30€ for 4 hours. The website has lots of information and tariffs of all treatments.

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 18 52 05

Days Out

Aqualand

The first water park built in Europe, this large park is open every day from the 15th June to 8th September, 10am – 6pm. Aqualand provides lifeguards, lockers and changing facilities in addition to snack stands (fast food/grill) and a gift shop.

One adult or child admission covers a full day that includes all water attractions. Admission fees: Adults: 28€, child 5-10 years: 20.50€, child 3-4 years: 10€, child under 3: free. / 2 day pass; adult: 41€, child: 33.50€

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 26 85 94

Aquarium

Montpellier’s new ‘Mare Nostrum’ aquarium featuring 3,500 exhibits and 300 species of marine life. There are lots of interactive exhibits for kids – all very educational, covering everything from reefs to currents to ice bergs to waves to penguins. Experience stormy seas on a fishing trawler. Watch brightly coloured fish in a tropical reef, and see sharks and jellyfish.

Open every day from 10am – 8pm
Adult: 17.50€, Child 5-12 years: 12.50€, Child under 5: 6.50€ / Under 3 years: Free / Family (2 adults, 2 children under 12): 53€

Website / T: +33 (0) 4 67 13 05 50

Réserve Africaine de Sigean

Located between Narbonne and Perpignan (direction Barcelona on the A9), this extremely popular park is open every day of the year between 9am and 6.30pm. This well-established park has been open since 1974 and hosts nearly 4000 animals which share an area of 300ha. Animals to watch out for in the drive through area include elephants, giraffe, gibbons, lions, black bears, rhino and many more. While the on-foot section hosts African antelopes, chimpanzees, elephants, reptiles, turtles and tortoises, alligators, snakes, and other creepy crawlies. This zoological park is designed to give the animals a territory vast enough to allow nearly the same behaviour as in the wild.

Adult: 32€, child 4-14 years: 23€, child under 4: free. The reserve is located just south of Narbonne, approximately an hours drive from the villa.

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 68 48 20 20

La Forêt d’Acrobates

This high-ropes facility (20 mins away) consists of five courses set in a beautiful forest, providing 2-3 hours of fun for the whole family. There are English speaking and friendly staff to ensure your safety, with a thorough briefing before you venture into the trees.

Courses include:

‘Panoramique’ for great views of the region and the longest zip-wire in the Languedoc – 150m long, 20m above the forest floor.
‘Sportif’ for those that want fancy something a bit more physical
‘Lilliputien’ for children from 3 years.

From 20€ for adults, and 15€ for children

The site also offers other activities such as Archery, Canyoning, Canoeing and Kayaking, Via Ferrata, Climbing and Caving. With all of these on offer you can discover, guided by qualified instructors, the most beautiful natural sites in the region. Although set in the forest, when we visited this facility, we found a lovely restaurant just outside the entrance to La Forêt d’Acrobates. The Auberge de Bessilles serves lunch every day from 12.30 – 4pm, making
it very convenient for lunch before or after you take on the forest!

Open every day from 2nd June, from 9am – 7pm.

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 6 07 13 43 80

Le Labyrinthe-de-Maguelone

We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we visited this centre, located 40 mins away just east of Frontignan. However we were pleasantly surprised by what we found!

There are two sections:

EXPLOR’parc:
A maze of games and puzzles set around a huge boat where you join the explorers returning from lost countries. Share and discover their treasures and finds while completing the 1.7 hectares of challenges, slides, water games and obstacles.

Adult: 12€, child 7-14 years: 12€, child 3-6 years: 10€

ACRO’parc:
A high-ropes course made up of 23 progressive levels and 250 games to complete along the way. There is a 200m long, 35m high slide, and a 14m high suspension set among the trees, with a view of the sea. The centre has English speaking staff and a small snack bar. There are also picnic tables provided should you wish to take your own lunch. We recommend you allow 3 hours to complete the labyrinth.

Adult: 24.50 €, child 7-14 years: 19€, child 3-6 years: 16€. Entrance for both; Adult: 31€, child 7-14 years: 26.50€, child 3-6 years: 22.50€ / Open: Wednesdays 1.30-7pm; Saturdays 1.30-7pm; Sundays 10am-7pm.

Website /  T: 04 67 27 86 26

Wine-Tasting

From coast to mountains, you are rarely far from a vineyard in the Languedoc, and as such, there are too many wine-tasting establishments in the surrounding area to mention here. Whilst you are out and about, look out for signs saying ‘Dégustation’ (tasting) as you pass the numerous rows of vines hugging the landscape.

Mussels and Oysters Farms

At the Western end of the Etang de Thau (Marseillan) you will find La Grande Bleue Oyster and Mussel Farm, run by Stéphane Saez. Stéphane explains to visitors that because the Canal du Midi empties into the lagoon nearby, there is a special quality of part-fresh, part-salty water that is richly beneficial for growing oysters. Guided visits around the farm are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm. The tour culminates with a tasting accompanied by a glass of the local Picpoul de Pinet white wine, which is a particularly good match with seafood.

Bookings are made through the Office de Tourisme in Sète. Reserve places 48 hours in advance.

Office de Tourisme Telephone: + 33 (0) 4 67 74 71 71 / T: +33 (0) 4 67 53 14 91

Art and Culture

Espace Georges Brassens

The Espace Georges Brassens is a museum dedicated to the singer-songwriter Georges Brassens, a native of Sète. This is the most visited museum in Sète with 50,000 visitors per year. Visitors are guided by the voice of Georges Brassens, through headphones, as they tour the museum. Learn about the artist’s life and work and the end of the visit, a series of previously unseen films and recitals in the video room.

Open every day, 10am – 6pm

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 99 04 76 26

The Régional Centre for Contempory Art (CRAC)

Houses a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions of Contemporary Art. Free Entry.

Open week days 12.30 – 7pm, weekends 2pm – 6pm closed Tuesdays

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 74 94 37

Paul Valéry Museum

This museum presents varied art collections and retraces the history of Sète and the people of Sète. There is a special room dedicated to jousts: results, old shields, gravures, from 1666 to the present days. There is also a hall dedicated to the poet Paul Valery, with a view of the “cimetière marin”.

Open every day 9.30am – 7pm
Free entry the 1st Sunday of the month, and for children under 12

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 99 04 76 16

The International Museum of Modest Arts (MAIM)

The museum presents everyday novelties and gadgets in a kind of organized chaos. It offers visitors a new way of thinking about everyday objects: toys, gadgets, knick knacks. The unique spirit of the Di Rosa brothers, two of Sète’s most famous artists, is pervasive throughout the halls of this singular museum.

Opening hours: 9.30am – 7pm
Adult: 5€, child 10-18 years: 2€

Free entry the 1st Sunday of the month, and for children under 10

Website / Telephone: +33 (0) 4 99 04 76 44