48 hours in Béziers

WHY GO NOW?

This pretty, ancient city arguably looks at its very best in spring sunshine and fresh new greenery. Come now to enjoy the gentle bustle here before the summer holiday throng hits town and the heat is turned up. This year is a particularly poignant time to visit, with the town marking the 800th anniversary of the Béziers Massacre, when the city was sacked by Crusaders. The annual medieval fair, taking place on 21-23 May will be commemorating this event.

TOUCH DOWN

For details of airlines flying to Béziers Cap d'Agde airport see Getting There, on page III. The airport is about 15km south-east of the town. Shuttle buses to Béziers bus station at Place Charles de Gaulle (1) are timed to connect with Ryanair flights from the UK and cost €3.10 for the 20-minute journey. Expect to pay around €25 for a taxi.

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GET YOUR BEARINGS

Set above the River Orb, Béziers dates back to pre-Roman times, so it's worth bearing in mind that the medieval streets of its old town were built over an even more ancient settlement. The main sights lie in this small and very walkable area. It is bounded to the west by the river and to the east by the wide and shady boulevard Allées Paul Riquet, which was constructed on the site of the old city walls. Béziers' large cathedral (2) is testimony to the town's historic power and importance, and it towers over the river on the western edge.

To the north lies the Cimetière Vieux (3), a 19th-century addition filled with opulent mausoleums that reflect the wealth of the era. More indications of 19th-century prosperity lie to the eastern edge of Allées Paul Riquet where large mansions of well-to-do vineyard owners were built. To the south are two more impressive contributions from the 1800s, the charming little park of Plateau des Poètes (4) and, just below it, the elegant railway station (5).

The tourist office (6) is a short walk east of Allées Paul Riquet, at 29 Avenue Saint Saens (00 33 4 67 76 84 00; beziers-tourisme.fr). It is open Monday to Saturday from 9am-12.30pm and 1.30-6pm June to September, and also open on Sundays in July and August from 10am-1pm and 3-6pm).

CHECK IN

Small and chic, Hôtel des Poètes (7) at 80 Allées Paul Riquet (00 33 4 67 76 38 66; hoteldespoetes.net) offers 14 rooms and is delightfully positioned. It overlooks the greenery of Plateau des Poètes. Doubles cost from €65, with breakfast an additional €7 per person.

Very centrally located at 28 Allées Paul Riquet, Hotel Impérator (8) (00 33 4 67 49 02 25; hotel-imperator.fr) retains an air of 19th-century grandeur. It offers 45 bedrooms, with doubles from €71.

Surrounded by vineyards, Le Clos de Maussanne (9) is a supremely relaxing boutique hotel on the eastern edge of Béziers (route de Pezenas; 00 33 4 67 39 31 81; leclosedemaussanne.com). Complete with clocktower, this 17th-century convent has been beautifully converted and offers five bedrooms, a swimming pool in the pretty garden, and a dining room serving great food (set menu only). Doubles cost from €120.

TAKE A VIEW

There are stunning views from the surrounds of Béziers' magnificent Romanesque Cathédrale St Nazaire (2) (daily 9am-noon and 2.30-5.30pm and from 9am-7pm in June, July and August; free). From the cathedral square by Place de la Révolution you gaze west over the outlying countryside. Fine views, though, may be a drawback – locals say that if you can clearly see the Pyrenées it will rain within the next day or so. Then enter the cathedral's cloisters, which date from the 13th century (daily 10am-noon and 2-5pm; May –Sept 10am-7pm; free). A small staircase to the right leads down to the formal Jardin des Evêques that once belonged to Béziers' bishop. From its terrace there's a great view southwest across the terracotta rooftops of the town and over four bridges across the River Orb.

TAKE A HIKE

At the cathedral (2) you are well placed to start an amble around the intriguing narrow lanes of the old town. Its buildings date from medieval days although many were variously revamped in the 17th and 18th centuries. Walk east across Place de la Révolution, passing the lovely 17th-century bishop's palace (10) which is now the Palais de Justice, and continue past the Musée des Beaux Arts (11) (which you can return to later – see Cultural Afternoon below). Turn right down Rue Massol and left into Rue de Bonsi, continuing on to the wide (relatively speaking) Avenue Alphonse Mas. Street names are given in French on blue plaques and in Occitan on cream plaques; Occitan is still taught to children today, although rarely spoken.

Turn left to reach Place Gabriel Peri, the hub of the old town, with the gracious 18th-century town hall (12) on your right. Keep straight on to Rue d'en Vedel (Carriera d'en Vedel in Occitan), noting a charming cream building with decorated corbels on the corner with Rue du Chapeau Rouge. Continue to Rue de la République – a straight, 19th-century addition to the old town – and turn left to reach Les Halles (13), this big covered market is open Tuesday to Sunday from 6am to 1pm. Walk along Rue Paul Riquet to reach Rue du Capus – passing the particularly lovely 15th-century façade of Hotel de Christol (14) – and turn left and then right into Rue Viennet. Continue right down this street, back to the cathedral (2).

LUNCH ON THE RUN

Well, make that a quickish meal; Béziers locals would blanch at the idea of skimping too much on lunch. Elegant Au Soleil (15) at 1 Place de la Madeleine (open Tues- Sat 9.30am-7pm; 00 33 4 67 28 54 26; accentdoc.fr) is one of the town's recent openings. This café and deli celebrates the region's produce and offers outdoor tables and a blackboard menu from which you can expect to pay around €10 for a main course.

WINDOW SHOPPING

The old town's main shopping streets are Rue 4 Septembre, Rue Mairan and Rue Française. Head to the art shop Galerie Mercure at 8 Place des Trois Six (16) to see contemporary paintings in a fine 19th-century town mansion. For modern design and homeware make for funky Architruc et Balthazar (17) at 5 Rue de Monmorency. Meanwhile there's a Galeries Lafayette (18) just outside the old town area, at 9 Allées Paul Riquet.

AN APERITIF

Join the in-crowd at Le Chameau Ivre (19) (the Drunken Camel) at Place Jean-Jaures (00 33 4 67 80 20 20; open Tues-Sat lunchtimes and evenings until midnight). With tables spilling into the square, this lively wine bar serves an enormous variety of Languedoc wines, along with Spanish-style tapas dishes.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Béziers is positively buzzing with recent restaurant openings. L'Octopus (20) (00 33 4 67 49 90 00; restaurant-octopus.com; closed Sun and Mon) at 12 Rue Boïeldieu opened in early 2005 and last year acquired a Michelin star. Its three-course "menu saison" is priced at a modest €30. Completed in 2007, La Compagnie des Comptoirs (21) (00 33 4 67 36 33 63; lacompagnie descomptoirs.com; closed Sun and Mon) at 15 place Jean-Jaurès is an outlet of the Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers. This is a lively brasserie serving Mediterranean cuisine with an Asian twist here and there. Two-course menus cost from €21.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

Dating from the 11th century, the church of Ste-Madeleine (22) is a serene Romanesque building. For local residents it is a seminal landmark: it was here, in 1209, that the notorious massacre of 7,000 citizens took place. They were taking refuge from anti-Cathar Crusaders and were burnt alive. The church is open on Sunday from 10am until noon – and on Wednesday and Friday 10am until noon, Thursday from 2 to 6pm and Saturday from 10am until noon and 2 to 7pm, free admission (Sunday mass is at 5pm).

OUT TO BRUNCH

Make for Les Halles (13) where you can buy local raw ingredients – from fish to steak and vegetables – and then take them to be cooked at La Gargote, an outlet in the pretty pump room of this covered market. Expect to pay somewhere between €2 and €5 for the service.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Amazing value: a ticket for just €3.40 gives you access to Béziers' six museums (open 9am-noon and 2-6pm; closed Mondays). The Beaux Arts museum (11) at Place de La Révolution offers a collection of paintings from the 17th to the 19th centuries and an exhibition on Béziers-born Resistance hero Jean Moulin. Another outlet of this museum, at Rue Capus (23) is dedicated to Resistance hero Jean Moulin and Béziers-born sculptor Jean-Antoine Injalbert, some of whose 19th-century works can also be seen as public art around town. The natural history museum (24) is at Caserne Saint-Jacques. The Musée Bitterrois (25) at Caserne Saint-Jacques gives an overview of the archaeology and history of the town. Espace Taurin (26) at Mail Plein Sud offers an insight into local bullfighting culture while Espace Riquet (27) at 7 Rue Massol presents changing, contemporary shows.

A WALK IN THE PARK

Take a stroll around Plateau des Poètes (4), created in 1863 as an attractive green space to welcome visitors arriving at the new railway station just below. Busts of the poets (Jean-Pons-Guillame Viennet, Gabriel Azaïs and more) are dotted around the eastern side of the park.

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