A Serendipitous Journey to the Picturesque Hilltop Town of Béziers

Halfway through our trip, we arrived at the charming hilltop town of 📍 Béziers. It wasn’t originally on our itinerary—we came simply because I’d marked it on Google Maps long ago and couldn’t remember why. But what a happy accident it turned out to be! ⛰️ "Picturesque" doesn’t even do it justice. If Arles is an Impressionist painting, Béziers is a classical oil masterpiece. The foreground features the ancient bridge spanning the river, while the background is a cascading cluster of houses, crowned by the cathedral and a former prison atop the hill. 🌉 Pont Vieux (Old Bridge of Béziers), built in the 12th century, is one of France’s oldest stone bridges. Crossing the Orb River, it retains its medieval architecture almost unchanged. ⛪️ Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire, a Gothic landmark, sits at the city’s highest point, overlooking the town and the Orb Valley. The adjacent abbey, though medieval, has a fortress-like presence. The cathedral’s bell tower is open to visitors (free entry!), offering panoramic views of the old town. 🌉 Canal du Midi, a 17th-century engineering marvel designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet, connects the Garonne River to the Mediterranean. The highlight in Béziers is 📍 Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes (Fonseranes Locks), a staircase of eight locks that allows boats to ascend or descend a 21-meter height difference—a hydraulic masterpiece of its time. Another wonder is the canal bridge that crosses the Orb River, where the canal actually runs above the natural river! 🌇 The market area on the hill is modern, clean, and lively, with some restaurants open late into the night. ✨ Tipps: The town is walkable—the farthest points (the locks and cathedral) are about 30 minutes apart on foot. A day is enough to explore. Behind the cathedral, near the prison-turned-hotel, a hidden pathway with elevators (though one was broken, so stairs were needed) offers a shortcut between the upper and lower town. Highly recommended for easy access! #SouthernFrance #HiddenGemsEurope #OffTheBeatenPath #ArchitectsEye #WinterGetaway #FranceTravel 🇫🇷✨