Food destinations within easy reach of Montpellier, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of Montpellier. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for: Tielle sétoise, macaronade, bourride de baudroie and the quayside seafood restaurants of the Canal Royal
Sète is the Italian-accented fishing port half an hour from Montpellier, home of the tielle, the octopus and tomato tourte that defines the Hérault coast.
Famous for: Bouzigues oysters and mussels eaten at a working mas on the lagoon with a glass of Picpoul
The Étang de Thau spreads oyster tables across 7,500 hectares of tideless lagoon, and the mas between Bouzigues and Marseillan sell them from the water.
Famous for: Petits pâtés de Pézenas, the sweet-and-savoury lamb pastries, plus the striped berlingot sweets
Pézenas bakes 250,000 petits pâtés a year, spool-shaped lamb pastries sweetened with lemon and brown sugar, a recipe the town has held since the 1700s.
Famous for: Noilly Prat vermouth aged outdoors in oak, plus oyster tables along the Marseillan shore
Noilly Prat has aged vermouth in the open air at Marseillan since Louis Noilly built the chais in 1850, and the tour ends at a bar pouring all four.
Famous for: Shellfish straight off the lagoon at the port, plus the conchylicole zone that supplies Montpellier
Mèze is the working shellfish town of the Étang de Thau, a port where the oyster and mussel boats unload and the quayside kitchens cook the catch.
Famous for: Beach-front seafood, grilled fish and plateaux de fruits de mer on the canal quays
Palavas-les-Flots is the seaside village Montpellier treats as its beach, a canal lined with seafood terraces twenty minutes from the city centre.
Famous for: Terrasses du Larzac reds from the limestone terraces below the causse, tasted at village domaines
The Terrasses du Larzac appellation climbs the limestone shelves north-west of Montpellier, cool-night reds tasted at village cellars 45 minutes out.