Marseillan and Noilly Prat is a food day trips in Montpellier.
Editorially verified August 22, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Marseillan sits at the far end of the Thau lagoon, so pair the cellar visit with an oyster lunch.
Address: Marseillan, 34340 Marseillan, 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.
Tip: Less polished than Bouzigues and correspondingly cheaper for the same lagoon shellfish.
Palavas-les-Flots is the seaside village Montpellier treats as its beach, a canal lined with seafood terraces twenty minutes from the city centre.
Tip: The riverside cycle path from Montpellier reaches the sea in about an hour of flat riding.
The Terrasses du Larzac appellation climbs the limestone shelves north-west of Montpellier, cool-night reds tasted at village cellars 45 minutes out.
Tip: A car is essential; the domaines sit in villages the regional bus network does not reach.
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.
Tip: Trains run from Saint-Roch all day, so this works as an evening trip as easily as a full one.
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.
Tip: Many oyster huts open only in season or at weekends, so ring ahead before you drive out.
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.
Tip: Eat them warm as a starter with a glass of muscat, which is how the town serves them.
