What to visit in Sète, how to visit Sète on foot? These are the questions you can ask yourself when you decide to schedule 1 day to visit Sète. Whether you are organizing a weekend, whether you are on vacation between Agde and Montpellier, or road trip in Occitanie, you should know that Sète is really worth the detour.

In this article, you will discover how to visit Sète in 1 day with my itinerary which allows you to discover the most beautiful sites on foot. I am also attaching the Google Maps map of the tourist circuit to be followed in pedestrian GPS mode.

How to visit Sète?

Generally, tourists who go to Sète simply to visit the city, simply spend a day there. To visit Sète in 1 day, tourists can:

• get to theOffice of Tourism (60 Grand Rue Mario Roustan) to book:
  • The visit of the trawler Louis Nocca;
  • Entrance to the Lighthouse of Saint Louis;
  • The gourmet walking tour;
  • The Sète History guided tour from there;
  • Guided tour of Petit Georges at the Grand Bassin.
• ou visit Sète on foot at your own pace following my tourist route. This circuit can be done in 1 full day or in half a day but at a more sustained pace. It allows you to discover theessential of Sète. See details of the itinerary on foot below.

What to see in Sète?

Sète is a small town nicknamed The Venice of Languedoc for its canals, its quays with colorful houses and its lagoon. Sète has a real terroir, a cultural and culinary heritage, an identity of its own that I invite you to discover with my circuit.

What to visit in Sète?

Here are the main sites to visit in Sète:

• The old Port of Sète and its canals
• St. Louis Lighthouse
• Sea Museum
• marine cemetery
• Paul Valery Museum 
• Viewpoint from Mont Saint Clair
• Hike to the Forest of White Stones
• Georges Brassens Space
• Pointe Court district

To visit all these tourist sites in Sète, you can follow my walking tour with the route map below.

Sète tourist circuit – Route map

By clicking on "More options" in the map you can follow the GPS in pedestrian mode

Where to park to visit Sète?

The most practical way to visit Sète is to park at Mas Coulet car park (135 Quai des Moulins 85). It is a large car park outside the old town of Sète but from which it is very quick to reach the center of Sète.

Indeed, in summer, from the Quai Paul Riquet, right next to the car park, you can take a free waterbus which will drop off in a few minutes on the Quai Général Durand from where my itinerary starts.

How to visit Sète in 1 day

My circuit for visit Sète in 1 day represents 10 kilometers of walking which can be divided as follows:

• Morning (4,5 km): Visit the old port, the canals and the marine cemetery;
• Midi : Restaurant La Haut (fast food) on the way up to Mont Sinclair;
• Afternoon (5,5 km): Continuation of the itinerary with the Mount Sinclair viewpoint, the hike to the Forest of White Stones (optional) and the picturesque neighborhood of Pointe Courte.

If you want to save yourself a bit of walking, you can take the bus between certain stages (see lines and schedules).

Sète in 1 day – Morning program

From the Quai Paul Riquet where you will have parked your car, you can take the water bus free of charge to get off at the Quai Général Durand. It is from there that my itinerary on foot begins.

The old Port of Sète and its canals

To start your tourist circuit, you have to go to the Royal Canal which is the liveliest area of ​​the old port of Sète. It is there, between the bridges, that the nautical jousting tournaments take place, which have become traditional events in the town of Sète. These tournaments are organized from mid-June to early September and attract many tourists attracted by this traditional folklore.

Opposite the bars, restaurants and souvenir shops, you can discover the tuna boats, trawlers and colorful boats of the fishermen of Sète. If you have the time and the inclination, you can visit the trawler Louis Nocca (see at the Tourist Office).

What to visit in Sète – Saint Louis lighthouse

Following the Quai Maximin Licciardi, you will continue along the Quai de la Consigne to reach Le Môle Saint Louis. It is at the very end that you can discover the marina and the Saint Louis Lighthouse. I recommend that you go up there to have a magnificent view of Sète, its commercial port, the marina and the old town.

What to visit in Sète – Museum of the Sea

Retracing your steps, at the end of the Môle Saint Louis, you will turn left to go to the Museum of the Sea. This museum tells the story of the port of Sète, the boats, the fishermen...

What to visit in Sète – Marine cemetery

To get to the marine cemetery, you will have to take rue Jean Villard and turn right to go up the chemin du cementière. This place has a very special atmosphere with calm, serenity and the beauty of the view of the Mediterranean.

You can discover the tombs of great men there. That of Paul Valéry is in the upper part of the cemetery, that of the actor Jean Vilar is in the lower part, as is that of the minister Mario Roustan or the painter Pierre François. Attention, the grave of Georges Brassins is not in the Marin Cemetery but in the Le Py cemetery which is elsewhere in the city of Sète.

What to visit in Sète – Paul Valéry Museum

On the side of Mont Saint-Clair, overlooking the marine cemetery, you can visit the Museum dedicated to Paul Valéry. This museum also houses fine collections ranging from the 17th century to the present day (Storck, Cabanel, Carrier-Belleuse, Lefebvre, Sylvestre, Lévy-Dhurmer, Courbet, Monticelli, Jongkind, Mols, Hintz).

Panoramic view of Mont Saint Clair

Before reaching the Belvedere of Mont Saint Clair, you will pass by the Panoramic point of Mont St Clair which also offers a beautiful view of Sète and the Mediterranean.

Going up the Chemin Saint Clair, you will arrive at the La Haut sandwich shop where you can take your lunch break quickly.

Sète in 1 day – Afternoon program

After your lunch, you continue to go up the Chemin Saint Clair to reach the white cross. This is where the Belvedere is.

Viewpoint from Mont Saint Clair

Here, it is the most beautiful point of view at a height of 183 meters which offers an exceptional panorama on the sea, the old port, the canals and the pond of Thau.

When you are up there, you can also visit the Notre Dame de la Salette Chapel and its ancient frescoes.

White Stone Forest

Heading south-west on the Chemin des Pèlerins then the Chemin des Pierres Blanches, you will arrive at the start of a pretty little hike.

The domain of white stones, which owes its name to its Jurassic limestone rock, is spread over 27 hectares of pine forest and scrubland. The hike (around 1h30 loop) allows you to take paths that offer a magnificent panorama of the Thau lagoon.

You can download a application for free to follow the path of the white stones.

What to visit in Sète – Espace Georges Brassens

To continue my Sète circuit in 1 day, you will have to go down Mont Saint Clair to reach Boulevard Jean Mathieu Grangent. You will then turn left towards boulevard Camille Blanc until number 67 where the Espace Georges Brassens is located.

It is a museum that allows you to discover the life of the poet-singer Georges Brassens who was born in Sète and who rests there in peace.

Pointe Court district

This last part of my tourist circuit is the longest. It takes you to the Quai du Mistral in the heart of the Pointe Courte district. It is a pretty fishing district that has kept all its authenticity and bohemian atmosphere. At the edge of the Etang de Thau, you will stroll through the alleys with colorful huts and can taste oysters or fish there.

I recommend a very nice place: The Mas de la Pointe. It is a producer who runs a small guinguette where you can taste Bouzigues oysters, mussels and other shellfish (also on direct sale).

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Where to stay in Sète?

For a weekend in the heart of the city of Sète, I recommend that you stay at theHotel The Blue Orca. Located along the royal canal of Sète, this pretty little hotel enjoys an ideal location for visiting Sète.

Why not continue with a small tourist circuit around the Etang de Thau ?