Béziers is a beautiful city that is definitely worth adding to your itinerary the next time you visit the South of France. Situated directly on the Canal du Midi and the Orb River, Béziers is easy to explore in one day or to extend into a longer trip.
In this Béziers travel guide I will show you how to see the highlights of the city in just one day, following my secret walking route that saves you from having to climb up the large hill separating the train station and the canal from the historic city center. I’ll also give you tips for spending a second day in Béziers, including my recommended boat trip along the Canal du Midi.
From the canal to the cathedral and everything in between, I’m so excited to share this Béziers travel guide with you!
One Day in Béziers, France
You can actually start this self-guided walking tour anywhere in Béziers because it follows a circular walking route. However, I’m going to assume you’re starting at the train station, as it’s common to visit Beziers as a day trip from nearby cities like Carcassonne, Narbonne, Montpellier and Toulouse.
The important thing is that you follow the loop in the direction I recommend, so that you don’t end up having to walk up the large hill that separates the historical city center from the riverfront.
Starting Point: The Canal Du Midi
When you exit the Béziers train station, use the pedestrian overpass to cross over the tracks towards the Orb River and the Canal du Midi. Facing the water, turn right and follow the waterway for about five hundred meters. You’ll first pass by the Écluse de l’Orb lock and then skirt the edge of the Pont-Canal de l’Orb bridge, but don’t be tempted to cross the river!
Pont Vieux (The Old Bridge)
After about 500 meters you’ll reach the Old Bridge (Pont Vieux) and the New Bridge (Pont Neuf). Pont Vieux dates back to the 1200s and was fully pedestrianized after the construction of the new Pont Neuf vehicle bridge. If you cross over Pont Vieux you can look back and have an amazing view of the hilltop Cathedral of Saint-Nazare in the historic center. Don’t worry if it looks like a long way up, because I know a secret!
Church of Saint Jude
Looking up towards the hilltop cathedral, you’ll also notice a small church at the side of the road – The Church of Saint Jude. Following Pope Pius VII’s escape from captivity under Napoleon, he stopped at a small post office on this spot. Shortly thereafter a church was built here, which now opens its doors occasionally for organ concerts, choir performances and exhibits from local artists and historical groups. My visit was over several weekdays when the church was closed, but I’ve heard the doors are more likely to be open on the weekend.
L’Acropole Elevators in Béziers 🛗
Staying on the same side of the river as the train station, walk from the Pont Vieux through the adjacent gardens (or up the pedestrian stairs) towards the Church of Saint Jude and Avenue Valentin Duc. There, you’ll find the first of three free elevators in the Acropole system that whisks pedestrians from the Orb River to the historical center, atop the Colline Saint-Nazaire hill. The three elevators are connected via pedestrian walkways built into the hillside, allowing for beautiful views of the river valley below.
Hotel La Prison
The last of the three Acropole elevators will take you to the entrance of Hotel La Prison, which is where I stayed in Béziers. The prison halls where the guestrooms are locates is not open to the public, but you are welcome to stop by the restaurant, which has a beautiful terrace overlooking the river and countryside, for a drink or a meal. The views are almost as good as the views from the rooftop pool!
Saint Nazaire Cathedral
Considered to be the symbol of Béziers, this thirteenth-century hilltop cathedral is located immediately next to Hotel La Prison. Admission to the interior of the Romanesque church and the attached cloister is free, making it one of the best things to do in Béziers for travelers on a tight budget.
At times, they open the door from the cloister to the Jardin des Evêques, which looks out over the Pont Vieux and the Orb River below. If the door isn’t open, you can get a similar view from the walkways between the three Acropole elevators.
One night, when I was walking back to Hotel La Prison, I heard music coming from inside the church. It turned out there was a trio of classical musicians putting on a free concert, so I got to stay for the last half hour of the performance to hear the beautiful music resonating through the historic space.
Monument to Joan of Arc
I’ve traveled throughout many different regions of France, but there was nowhere that I noticed more references to Joan of Arc than here in Occitanie, which is notable as she doesn’t seem to have had a strong connection to the region. In Béziers, the monument to Joan of Arc is located right across from the entrance to the Cathedral, in Place de la Revolution.
Place des Bons Amis
One block from the cathedral you’ll find the heart of the historic center of Béziers, at Place des Bons Amis. There is a pretty water fountain in the middle of the square, and an eponymous bistro with tables spilling out onto the square.
Take note of the wall beside the bistro, just to the left, which is home to one of Béziers’ many trompe de l’oeil murals. There are nineteen such frescoes painted onto walls around the city, which you can hunt for on your own or check off a map from the tourist information office.
Le Musée Fayet
Many cities in France have converted the mansions of historic merchants and statesmen (known as hotels particuliers) into museums. In Béziers, it’s the former home of the wealthy Fayet family that has now become the Musée Fayet. Admission is only €3.50 and allows you to see how the region’s wealthiest residents once lived, while you take in the city’s collection of fine arts, with a focus on paintings from local and European artists.
Les Halles de Beziers
A sign above the entrance to Les Halles de Béziers invites you to enter “the most beautiful market in France”. Renovated in 2024 and awarded the title by a French television network in 2025, the market is certainly nice (but I haven’t been to enough cities in France to confirm it actually is the #1 most beautiful).
The market here is split into two sections. On one side, grocers sell ingredients like fruits, vegetables, cheese, meat and seafood to locals who need to stock their kitchens. This vendors on this side usually close down in the early afternoon.
The other side of the Béziers market is a contemporary food hall where you can order a meal, a snack or just a drink. I actually ate here twice on my short stay in Béziers. Once, I had a late lunch of a vegetarian focaccia from the gourmet sandwich shop, and the next day I had a light lunch of a fruit cup (okay, and a glass of wine from Les Jajalogues…). This side of the market stays open later, but most of the vendors take a mid-afternoon break between lunch and dinner.
The Church of Saint-Madeleine
The rather simplistic interior of the Church of Saint-Madeleine hides a more complicated past. In the 1100s, a local viscount was assassinated here during an uprising of the middle class. Less than one hundred years later, a massacre took place inside the church when Simon de Montfort and his armies ransacked the city and killed the local people hiding inside the church (including many women and children).
It was the latter incident that inspired the local representative of the Pope to coin the expression, “Tuez les tous, Dieu reconnaitra les siens”. In modern English, this translates to a phrase you may have heard: “Kill them all and let God sort it out.”
Place de la Victoire
To me, Place de la Victoire marks the border between the historic, medieval part of Béziers and the more modern, 19th-century Haussmannian districts. Note the pretty fountain and the large French flag, and be careful to take the correct turn off the roundabout (the one with all the trees!) or you won’t reach your next destination!
The Municipal Theatre
Béziers is home to the last original Italian-style theatre in France, here where Place de la Victoire meets Les Allées Paul Riquet. With seating for about 500 people between the floor, balcony and boxes, the Municipal Theatre still puts on a full cultural program of concerts, plays and dance performances throughout the year. Ticketing is handled via a clunky website operated by the city – if it doesn’t load the first time, try refreshing the page.
Les Allées Paul Riquet
Barcelona has La Rambla, and Béziers has Les Allées Paul Riquet. This tree-lined pedestrian promenade follows what used to be the moats built along the old town walls. The street is named after Pierre-Paul Riquet, the visionary behind the Canal du Midi.
Les Allées Paul Riquet is where locals flock to do some shopping and have coffee or lunch al fresco. This also marks the beginning of the long and gradual descent back down towards the river, through which you will hopefully develop an appreciation of why you followed my walking route in the direction I recommended!
Place Jean Jaures
Midway along Les Allées Paul Riquet you’ll find Place Jean Jaures, where the fountain becomes a light and music show on summer evenings. At the time of my visit to Béziers the public square was set up with inflatable monuments of locations from around the world for a children’s fair, which I’m sure was fun for locals but which also made getting a nice photo quite difficult!
Plateau des Poetes
Continue down Les Allées Paul Riquet until you reach the Plateau des Poetes, the final spot on my easy, self-guided walking tour of Béziers. Designed in the style of a traditional English garden, this green space features benches protected from the elements by the shade of trees, a small lake, more than seventy different types of plants and sculptures of, you guessed it, famous French poets.
Exiting through the far end of the park you’ll find yourself directly in front of your starting point, the Béziers train station. From here you can hop back on a train to another destination in the South of France, walk back along the river to the elevators that will take you up the hill, or wait for a (crowded) bus back to Place de la Victoire.
Two Days in Beziers, France
If you have a second day in Beziers, France, you’ll want to add on a boat tour through the region’s famous locks along the Canal du Midi. The enter waterway is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this stretch of canal, which includes a famous system of nine, staircase-style locks, is considered to be the highlight of any boat trip in the area.
I recommend reserving one of the full-day Canal du Midi boat tours from Beziers. These include a passing through the famous nine locks, sailing through the Malpas Tunnel and a typical local lunch. There are multilingual brochures on board to supplement the French audio commentary.
Don’t go without until you’ve read these travel guides for nearby destinations in France:
🏰 Where to Stay Inside the Medieval Walled City of Carcassonne
🦞 Les Grands Buffets de Narbonne – My Honest Review
⛵The Best Things to Do in Sete, France
🖼️ 15 Things to Do in Collioure, France
⭐ The Best Things to Do in Perpignan, France
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