Often overlooked for the more popular Dordogne or Charente by international buyers, the Hérault offers the best of both rural France and seaside resort towns.
It’s a wonderful department in the French region of Occitanie, on the Mediterranean coast.
The department enjoys an average of 300 days of sun a year, is close to the coast, rivers, lakes and mountains. Restaurants are cheap and homes are affordable.
Partner of Your Overseas Home, Real Estate Languedoc, has a range of beautiful properties in the Hérault and wider Occitanie region and can assist aspiring France homebuyers in their property search. Simply enquire with them using the link below and someone will be in touch.
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Pont Vieux, Béziers. Image: PAUL ATKINSON via Shutterstock.
How to get there
The Hérault is 1h 50 minutes on a plane from London Gatwick (LGW) and it takes 12 hours to drive via the Eurotunnel.
Its closest airport is Mediterranee Airport (MPL) in Montpellier. If you’re from north of Manchester in the United Kingdom, there aren’t any direct flights, therefore you’ll layover in Amsterdam (AMS) from where you can fly directly to Montpellier. The flight from Amsterdam is 1h 50 minutes.
Montpellier is a personal favourite of mine, and has a buoyant property market.
Montpellier
Montpellier is the third largest city on France’s Mediterranean coast. It’s renowned for neoclassical gothic architecture, modern developments and its contemporary art museums. You can easily fly to Montpellier from Heathrow and Bristol year-round and it’s a wonderful place to visit and live.
Despite being in the south, the city isn’t on the sea. The city centre is 11km from the coast, making it a popular destination for second homes and holiday homes. In the city itself, no cars are allowed, so you’re plunged into a pedestrian-only area from St Roch train station, which gives the town an old-world feel that locals appreciate.
Nearby Marseille attracts more tourists year-round than Montpellier, which is usually only packed with tourists in high summer, but a lot of them are from other areas within France. Those who come to visit Montpellier, come for its art, museums and beaches.
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Harbour in Sète
Sète
Sète is a 17th-century port city in Occitanie that borders the Étang de Thau, a biodiverse saltwater lagoon. Famous for its winding canals, Sète is often referred to as the “Venice of Languedoc” for its enchanting port and art collection.
Much like Montpellier, Sète is home to a renowned museum, the Musée Paul Valéry, where you’ll find a rich collection of European art by artists who include Degas, Cézanne and Matisse. Alongside the permanent exhibitions, the museum hosts internationally famous exhibitions throughout the year.
In terms of the city, it’s a densely populated area where people from all four corners come to appreciate the beauty of the south of France. It’s become a property hotspot in the last few decades with a range of apartments for sale overlooking the canals.
Due to its location, fishing is extremely popular and ferries, both commercial and cargo, from across the Med come to rest in the city’s harbour.
Sete, a seaside resort in the Herault, France
Bèziers
Béziers is where I’d like to live if I were in France. They say the locals are among the friendliest in France. There are four sandy beaches just 15km from the city and, if you head inland, you’re just ten minutes from the heart of the Languedoc countryside.
It’s one of the oldest cities in Europe and is said to have become a Roman colony in 36 BC! The city has vastly improved since then (especially the roads) and life there offers a village-like atmosphere in a city.
Béziers is famous for the annual Feria de Béziers, a festival celebrated every August that is centered around bullfighting. The five-day event attracts visitors from all over – numbers have been known to total a million!
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Haut Languedoc mountains
Autignac
Our real estate partners at Real Estate Languedoc have a range of beautiful properties in Autignac, so we thought it only right to talk about the appealing commune.
Located 58 kilometers from Montpelier and just 3km from Bèziers, Autignac is a quiet, relaxing working village. It’s surrounded by vineyards, rolling countryside and looks out on the Haut Languedoc mountains. If you’re looking to buy property in an authentic French village, look no further.
From Autignac, the beach is just 30 minutes away and High Languedoc National Park is just five minutes from the village. Plus, like any French village, all the essential amenities are right on your doorstep – result!
Property for sale in Hérault
Freddy Rueda Sarl, estate agent for Real Estate Languedoc said, “Hérault is really the place you want to be.”
He said, “the average sale price in the Hérault is €200,000. You can find homes for sale from as little as €50,000, but it won’t have much outside space and will likely need work doing. The top end of the property scale ranges up to €1.5 million euros – but you will find luxury properties in the South of France.
A budget of €400,000 will get you a beautiful villa, with great views (of the coast or countryside), four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large garden and a pool.
Enquire with an estate agent today
You might also like:
- Discover the four corners of Occitanie in southwest France
- Download your FREE French Property Guide
- Discover the different property types in France
