Beziers

As one of the main towns in the Languedoc , I have seen the town of Beziers undergo a real change in the last five or so years. Always a town of character and personality, I often found it to be rather scruffy once you scratched it's surface.

These past few years, however, I've seen it smarten itself up and tidy up it's rough edges, and now I consider it to be a friendly and vibrant place in which to be.

The town of Beziers is primarily famous for it's bullfights, rugby, and wine from the vineyards of the surrounding area, although it has several other points of interest that you may not have heard about.

It's roads seem to be turned in on themselves, making their way up to the massive 14th century Cathedrale St. Nazaire, with it's fine sculpture, stained glass and frescoes. The heart of the town of Beziers is the Allees Paul Riquet named after Beziers ' most famous son, who in the late 17th Century, engineered the 240km Canal Dui Midi, which runs from Sete to Toulouse.

The Allees Paul Riquet, in the heart of the town of Beziers, is a broad tree lined esplanade with shops along one side and a multitude of bars, cafes and restaurants along the other.

Often the site for seasonal markets and festivities, there is always something to see along the Allees. Every Friday you will find the Allees hosting the town of Beziers ' flower market, while the first Saturday of each month it plays host to an antique market.

If you follow the esplanade downhill you will see the imposing statue of Paul Riquet, while at the bottom of the hill you will find the Plateau des Poetes.

A pretty 2.5 acre park built in 1870 and classed as a historical monument since 1995. If you fancy a wander round the cobbled back streets taking in all of the shops and boutiques that are there, then make your way to the top of the Allees Paul Riquet, towards the Theatre, and turn left down Rue du 4 Septembre or Rue de la Republique.

Here you can while away the time shopping for presents to take back home. Alternatively, if you're a fan of the local French markets, see the table below for a list of the town of Beziers' regular markets.

You can use this link to find each place on a map.

You can find the town of Beziers on Michelin map No: 339,

Grid reference: E8

Or click here to see a basic location map

For lots of other Languedoc sightseeing ideas and to understand what these map points refer to, click here to go to my page on Languedoc sightseeing .