A Serendipitous Stop in the Picturesque Hilltop Town of Béziers

Halfway through our journey, we arrived at the small hilltop town of 📍 Béziers. It wasn’t originally on our itinerary—we came simply because I’d once marked it on Google Maps but couldn’t remember why. And so, by chance, we found ourselves here. ⛰️ "Picturesque" doesn’t even do it justice. If Arles is Impressionist, then Béziers is pure classical oil painting. The foreground features the old bridge spanning the river, while the background is stacked with charming houses, crowned by the cathedral and a former prison at the hill’s summit. 🌉 Pont Vieux (Old Bridge), built in the 12th century, is one of France’s oldest stone bridges, crossing the Orb River. It retains its medieval structure to this day. ⛪️ Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire, a Gothic masterpiece, sits at the city’s highest point, offering sweeping views of Béziers and the Orb Valley. The adjacent abbey, though medieval, feels like a hilltop fortress. Climbing the bell tower (🎟️ free entry) rewards you with 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, a staircase of eight locks that lifts boats 21 meters—a hydraulic wonder of its time. Nearby, the canal bridge over the Orb is equally impressive, as the canal actually crosses above the river! 🌇 The market on the hill is modern, clean, and lively, with some restaurants open late into the night. ✨ Tipps: The town is walkable—the farthest points (locks & cathedral) are just 30 mins apart. One day is enough to explore. Behind the cathedral, near the prison-turned-hotel, a hidden pathway with elevators (one’s broken, so some stairs) offers a quick route up/down the hill. 💡 More on the prison-turned-hotel in the next post! #SouthernFrance #EuropeHiddenGems #ArchitectsEye #WinterGetaway #TravelDiaries ✈️📸