Ah, the South of France at the beginning of springtime. A clear sky and bright sun bouncing off the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Fresh fish, oh so fresh, along with seafood of all varieties. And of course, pastries made only the way the French can (lots of butter?)... if only every weekend was like this.
I get pretty homesick pretty frequently, but weekends like the one I took to Sète are a good reminder of how living in Europe isn't so bad. Ryanair flies into Montpellier and Beziers, both about 30 mins by car to Sète, and I managed to score a crazy-cheap Friday night to Sunday night fare of EUR 25 for the roundtrip flight. With airbnb, a weekend getaway can get even cheaper: we found a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment for only EUR 50/night, in the heart of town. Finally, free parking is available along the east end, along Quai d'Alger.
You don't need a car to wander Sète once you've made it to town; it's small and easily walkable. Many of the places we visited are neither visible on Google maps nor have their own website, so I added street names to help.
We arrived Friday evening, in just enough time to walk to the Marche grocery store along the canal to pick up some provisions - note they are closed on Sundays - for a dinner at home Friday.
Saturday morning, we headed straight for the Halles Central along Rue Gambetta, home of a gorgeous open-air produce and fresh fish market. After browsing the goods, we stopped by a stand serving food to dine on fish steaks and potatoes. Our table was a wine barrel covered with a checkered tablecloth, and servers were two exceedingly friendly locals who were happily surprised to have two visitors all the way from Texas!
Lunch was delicious and just what we needed to power us through the rainy day that developed. Since Sète is made for walking, we spent the rainy day wandering the old town of Montpellier, wandering in and out of shops after parking in the Place la Comedie. Though I was unsuccessful in my hunt for a historic French map, we had our fill of browsing through knickknacks and window shopping in boutiques. We headed back to Sète and got comfy for a night in and takeaway dinner from a small Italian place along tiny Rue Frédéric Mistral.
The weather perked up on Sunday, so we went for a long walk along the canal, picked up some pastries and fresh madeleines from a patisserie and continued along until we found the Mediterranean. The weather was perfect, and the water perfectly blue... after a bit more wandering, we headed to Le Grand Bleu for a lunch along the waterfront. For only EUR 13, we had a 3-course, lazy lunch, complete with fresh fish. The food was probably average quality, but the atmosphere was perfect. As the sun moved away, we finished eating and headed up to the high point in town. Though you could hike, it was a long way up and nice to have the car. We got to the peak just as the evening fog was coming in, so got a few photos in before heading back down, and to the Montpellier airport to say au revoir.
Sète is a summer hotspot but a true gem in the off-season, and a place I never would have heard of if I didn't live nearby! Sometimes going off the beaten track pays off.
I get pretty homesick pretty frequently, but weekends like the one I took to Sète are a good reminder of how living in Europe isn't so bad. Ryanair flies into Montpellier and Beziers, both about 30 mins by car to Sète, and I managed to score a crazy-cheap Friday night to Sunday night fare of EUR 25 for the roundtrip flight. With airbnb, a weekend getaway can get even cheaper: we found a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment for only EUR 50/night, in the heart of town. Finally, free parking is available along the east end, along Quai d'Alger.You don't need a car to wander Sète once you've made it to town; it's small and easily walkable. Many of the places we visited are neither visible on Google maps nor have their own website, so I added street names to help.
We arrived Friday evening, in just enough time to walk to the Marche grocery store along the canal to pick up some provisions - note they are closed on Sundays - for a dinner at home Friday.
Saturday morning, we headed straight for the Halles Central along Rue Gambetta, home of a gorgeous open-air produce and fresh fish market. After browsing the goods, we stopped by a stand serving food to dine on fish steaks and potatoes. Our table was a wine barrel covered with a checkered tablecloth, and servers were two exceedingly friendly locals who were happily surprised to have two visitors all the way from Texas!
Lunch was delicious and just what we needed to power us through the rainy day that developed. Since Sète is made for walking, we spent the rainy day wandering the old town of Montpellier, wandering in and out of shops after parking in the Place la Comedie. Though I was unsuccessful in my hunt for a historic French map, we had our fill of browsing through knickknacks and window shopping in boutiques. We headed back to Sète and got comfy for a night in and takeaway dinner from a small Italian place along tiny Rue Frédéric Mistral.
Sète is a summer hotspot but a true gem in the off-season, and a place I never would have heard of if I didn't live nearby! Sometimes going off the beaten track pays off.
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