No matter what mode of travel you prefer, you can’t help but notice the impressive sight as Béziers towers above the landscape from a great distance on your approach. The fortified cathedral and stone ramparts dominate the skyline as it rises above the curve of the river Orb and the surrounding countryside. And no wonder. It is one of the oldest cities in France, second only to Marseilles.
Ancient Béziers is a thoroughfare, a major sight in the region and haven for many a local, migrant, pilgrim and tourist. This effortlessly elegant city has a gentle buzz to it, with all the glamour and services but less of the congestion of bigger cities.
One of the advantages of travel by boat is that you see the world from a unique perspective. You literally approach from a different angle and because the Canal du Midi is so old, it often traverses straight through the heart of a village or city. Béziers is no exception. With the canal port gently skirting the old city centre, it offers superb visiting opportunities, your floating home waiting for you after a day of exploration. It’s easy to find groceries, a cheese shop and a good market. What more could one want?
But there is so much more to this charming city. Right next to the canal port is the fairytale-like château Maison Jullian, almost forgotten in this post-industrial area. Its open wrought iron gates invite you in for tea or lunch under a huge tree in the pretty enclosed garden.
Admire the old station building a bit further on and then cross the road and enter the imposing gates of the Plateau des Poètes. Here you can immerse yourself in the cool verdeur of trees and lawns and find bronze busts of your favourite French writers. Watch kids feed the fish in one of the pretty ponds and fountains, with the delicate towers of another pretty château rising beyond to completing the charming picture. Make a metal note to return here for an afternoon nap on a picnic blanket.
Promenade
The top gates of the park open onto the south end of the Allées Paul Riquet, a wide promenade lined with huge plane trees that leads you into the green heart of the city. This is Haussmann heaven. Look out for grand arched balconies and beautiful building entrances topped with huge carved emblems, perfectly spaced windows, intricate wrought iron balustrades and pretty slate towers. Did you know that Béziers is called Le Petit Paris? This is why, a showcase for the 19th century’s golden age of winemaking wealth.
If you can resist the opulence of the photogenic architecture and move on, stop for an ice cream at the glacier near Fontaine Jean Jacques, or a bit of shopping at iconic Galeries Lafayette. The hardest decision is whether to turn left at the statue of Paul Riquet toward the cathedral or to continue straight on toward the historic Théâtre Municipal that beacons ahead through the trees.
For the more leisurely route, keep going toward the theatre and turn left just beyond to wind your way via the pretty Place de la Victoire (look out for the quirky murals), a smaller church and the vibrant food markets at Les Halles to reach the cathedral. Wind away relaxed hours at one of the many cafés and restaurants with classic awnings and outdoor tables where you can sip a coffee, and later an aperitif, and people-watch to your heart’s content. If you are a cheese lover, don’t miss the affineur on a corner of Rue de la République!
Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire
The cathedral is not only breathtakingly opulent, but it also opens up a vast rabbit hole of history and culture. Ask any of the volunteer guides and they will show you how the changing layers of stone and architectural styles, where things were filled up and rebuilt and extended over the centuries, represent different eras and vivid events over the ages.
It’s a violent saga that started with Greek and Roman possession, religious wars and massacres, intrigues from the Middle Ages, the French Revolution, smuggling, mutiny and even a winegrowers’ revolt.
Pay your respects to Joan of Arc and look out over the ramparts for a bird’s eye view over the region, the Orb with its multiple old bridges, and the aqueduct, Pont-Canal sur L’Orb where the Canal du Midi flows across the river.
Pont Vieux and a classic brocante
From the cathedral precinct a narrow series of steep stairways and lifts lead you down toward the riverside parts of the old city. Stroll over Pont Vieux and look back toward the citadel for one of the most magnificent views in France. Walk a little bit further and find a treasure of a brocante. Have a rummage through fur coats and chandeliers, heaps of ceramic escargot serving plates and vintage cutlery before returning to the river.
Upstream from Pont Vieux is a beautiful old tower-like structure. It is an ancient mill with an intriguing history that had a profound impact on the city. Cross back over the Orb and turn left, follow the windy suburban streets and pass the peaceful Jardin de la Plantade. The gorgeous old, towered structure has its feet firmly planted among the smooth stones of the shallow riverbed. Take off your shoes and wade knee deep in the cool water above the weir to get a real sense of its watery setting.
The original Moulin de Bagnols helped produce flour when other mills in the region couldn’t keep up with the increasing demand. But its more significant history lies in the ambitious idea of a young engineer, Jean-Marie Cordier, to pump water from the river up to the city in the early 1800’s when most cities were still smelly, dirty places. In this way Béziers became one of the first cities in France to have abundant fresh running water for drinking, fountains and fire services.
Aqueduct and Art nouveau
Make your way back toward the port via the tree-shaded riverside pathways on the left bank. The path passes through arched tunnels under multiple bridges and offers a scenic view of the aqueduct. You might even see a boat passing overhead.
Stop at the Écluse d’Orb to watch a cycle of boats being lowered or raised in the lock. On the opposite side of the port a magnificent Art Nouveau villa stands watch. Built during the 1880’s and located very strategically on the canal, Villa Saint-Felix is a symbol of wealth and prosperity of its time. It showcased the flowing beauty of Art Nouveau and the potential of then modern materials like glass, iron and ceramics in glazed tiles, creeping vines of wrought metal and marvellous mouldings.
Although the last remaining edifice of its era in this neighbourhood, it adds, alongside a château at either end of the port, some very welcome charm, glamour and a sense of timelessness to this busy thoroughfare.
Hidden château
When passing through a lock the boat crew is usually occupied with getting the boat moored, holding it in position while the water level changes and getting it out of the lock again without incident. Often the lock surroundings are scenic and charming, and you can enjoy these gifts for a few moments before sailing on.
Sometimes though, there are little treasures on the periphery of the scene that are not so easy to notice. There is a surprise like this at L’Écluse d’Orb, the lock just upstream of the Port de Béziers.
As you prepare to enter the lock, the tell-tale slate grey tower of a small château peeks through the trees, right next to the canal. For château lovers, this is a definite queue for an expedition. So, after you moored your boat, take a stroll to the lock, cross under the canal to the opposite side, and you’ll find all the intrigue of a small château behind high walls and enveloped by huge plane trees. Admire the delicate roof crests and decorative edgings, cream coloured wrought iron screens, the perfect little slate tower, tiny dormer windows with romantic moulded openings in front and elaborate metal finials on top. Just gorgeous. It’s not open to the public like Maison Jullian on the other side of the port, so you’d have to be content with a sticky-beak around the periphery…but the exhilarating magic of a surprise château, not listed on the tourist sites, remains.
The Nine Locks of Fonseranes
It’s quite a unique experience to visit the UNESCO listed Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes as a tourist. It is an even more rare opportunity to navigate it by boat.
Just outside of Béziers, this magnificent masterpiece of 17th century engineering consists of a 300m long staircase lock system to raise or lower boats travelling along the Canal du Midi. It was historically frequented by industrial traffic in the form of horse-towed freight barges laden with wine, grains, and marble. Today it is used mainly for tourism with thousands of private, rental and sightseeing boats per year making the two-hour choreographed transit with crowds of spectators watching.
Moor at the top and congratulate yourself and your crew for making this remarkable passage. Have a drink at the café with spectacular views, write a post card to a loved one and watch the immersive video at the Tourist Office. Tourists by car and bus leave in the late afternoon, but a little secret is to be at the bottom of the locks at 7pm, when all the lock doors are opened. If you are moored upstream or walked in from nearby you might have the rare privilege to see the cascade of water coming down the open locks.
And as the sunset casts its soft satin sheet and the tourists return to their tour buses and hotels, the waterborne travellers carry their deck chairs to the front of their boat, pour a glass of Muscat de Frontignan and sit, gently rocking, to reminisce over another day’s discoveries. Béziers is a city that reminds you slow down, look up, and listen to the stories resonating from its many façades. After all, the best souvenirs aren’t found in shops but in moments etched in your memory.
Antoinette Karsten explores France with her husband Herman on their canal boat every summer and writes about it in The Kookaburra Diaries
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