The best traffic-free bike rides around Montpellier

The Phare de la Méditerranée is one of the emblematic monuments of Palavas-les-Flots, but its history is surprising to say the least: it has never been a lighthouse. At this location, the Redoute de Ballestras once stood, a military structure built in the 18th century to defend the port. After its defensive function was abandoned, the redoubt was integrated into several facilities intended to supply Palavas with drinking water. In 1943, a large concrete water tower was built around the existing structures and operated until 1997. Rather than being demolished, the old water tower was rehabilitated between 1998 and 2000 to become the Phare de la Méditerranée: an observation tower, a convention center, and a revolving panoramic restaurant. The redoubt, hidden within the water tower, was dismantled stone by stone and then rebuilt on an islet in the Étang du Levant.

From Frontignan to Palavas-les-Flots, the route follows the Canal du Rhône à Sète through one of the large lagoon complexes on the Languedoc coast. After the Étang d'Ingril and the Aresquiers, the canal successively crosses or runs alongside the Étangs de Vic and de Pierre-Blanche, then passes between those of l'Arnel and du Prévost before reaching Palavas. The canal itself is a major historical element of this landscape. Its construction began in 1701 under the name Canal des Étangs, in order to ensure continuity between the Royal Canal of Languedoc – today the Canal du Midi – and the Rhône. The route, completed in 1829, passes through Frontignan, Maguelone and Palavas before joining Aigues-Mortes and then Beaucaire. In Frontignan, its opening in the 18th century profoundly modified the landscape: the canal notably separated the former Étang de Frontignan into two complexes, giving rise to the Étang d'Ingril and that of La Peyrade.

Here, the stony path follows the Rhône canal in Sète to Les Aresquiers. This canal directly crosses the Étang d’Ingril and forms a long, straight cut within the lagoon. The pond is thus separated into two parts, while remaining in communication with the canal through several passages. This waterway resulted from the digging of the Canal des Étangs, which began in the early 18th century to connect Sète to the Rhône; the Frontignan section then became a major element of communication and goods transport. The canal has progressively transformed the organisation of this lagoon landscape, which was once much more continuous.

From the greenway, the panorama opens onto the Étang de Vic. This vast coastal lagoon of over 1,000 hectares stretches between the Gardiole massif and the Aresquiers lido. Protected within the Natura 2000 site of the Palavasian ponds and recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention, the pond forms a vast landscape of lagoon, salt marshes, and wetlands here. This opening allows its full extent to be appreciated from the surroundings of Vic-la-Gardiole.

At the exit of Palavas-les-Flots, the voie verte follows the mouth of the Lez river in contact with the ponds. The coastal river joins here the coastal plain and its lagoons, including the Étang du Grec, a vast protected wetland. Reed beds, sansouïres and halophytic vegetation make up a magnificent landscape.

The canals of Sète, nicknamed the "Venice of Languedoc", connect the Thau lagoon to the Mediterranean Sea and structure the entire heart of the city.

The greenway between Frontignan and Vic-la-Gardiole is a cycle path of about 9 kilometers, completely safe and without any elevation gain. It runs alongside the departmental road D114, offering a route of great beauty between the sea and the ponds.

The étang du Méjean (also called étang de Pérols) is a protected natural site of over 600 hectares located in Lattes, just 8 kilometers south of Montpellier. Managed by the Conservatoire du littoral, this exceptional lagoon space offers a mosaic of preserved landscapes (marshes, reed beds, sansouïres) where you can easily observe pink flamingos, white storks, bulls, and Camargue horses.