Our Favourite Beaches (Part Two)

Properly known as Farinette-Plage, the beach down the road from the village of Vias is rather good. A grass bank screens the beach from the road and the restaurants, bars etc, and gives the beach a bit of a more peaceful feel. The fine sandy beach is exceptionally clean, and slopes gently into the water, which is crystal clear and very blue. There‘s plenty to do both on the beach and in the village from windsurfing, canoeing, renting pedalos, paragliding or renting boats on the Canal du Midi (no permit required)

Best for: lazy sunny days close to Béziers

Access: east of Béziers on the N112 to Vias village then follow signs to the beach on the D137

Facilities: public toilets and showers, bars/ restaurants, some sports activities

Family-friendly: Yes, there’s plenty to do, there are lifeguards in the summer and the water is relatively shallow

Naturist: no

Redoute-Plage is sometimes referred to as Portiragnes-Plage thanks to its proximity to this village, but the village is still quite a way from the beach and this beach is delightfully remote! There is nothing there except several kilometres of golden sand rolling gently into the Mediterranean Sea! Make sure you bring your own water, parasol and sunscreen! During high season there are several great places to eat all throughout the day and evening especially towards the eastern end – there is also a delightful bar open until midnight.

Best for: getting away from it all! close to Béziers

Access: east of Béziers on the N112, then exit on the D37 to Portiragnes and from the village follow signs to Redoute-Plage

Facilities: Several good places to eat and drink and with toilets.

Family-friendly: yes, if your kids are happy to simply play and swim – bring your own parasol and water

Naturist: no

Serignan-Plage is fairly basic – like Farinette-Plage there is a grassy bank that separates the beach from the small town. The sandy beach itself is very long, wide and flat, so great for beach sports and this beach is a firm favourite with windsurfers. There are limited food and drinks facilities in the beach but there are a couple of places just behind the grass bank.

Best for: beach sports and watersports close to Béziers

Access: south-east of Béziers on the D64, then follow signs to Serignan-Plage on the D37

Facilities: public toilets, restaurant and bar

Family-friendly: OK but there are more activities and things to do elsewhere

Naturist: yes

A little further south of Valras-Plage, either side of the mouth of the River Aude is the stretch of beach known as Vendres-Plage and the quiet, little known village and beach of Les Cabanes-de-Fleury. This is a rather wild and wondrous place, protected by conservation laws, and offering a taste of what the Languedoc coastline might have looked before it became such a popular tourist destination. There are a few facilities here, but mostly just lots of lovely unspoilt sandy beach. The nearby village of Fleury is a charming languedocien village, where you can enjoy the festival atmosphere of evening street markets in the summer.

Best for: it’s more rustic, wild setting

Access: south-east of Béziers on the D64, follow signs to Vendres and then too the plage on the D37 or for Les Cabanes-de-Fleury take the D14 out of Béziers through Lespignan, then onto Fleury and from there follow signs on the D718

Facilities: public toilets and showers, restaurant and bar

Family-friendly: yes, if your kids are happy to simply play and swim

Naturist: no