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Valras Plage, and St Pierre la Mer
Valras Plage, and Vendres Plage are the closest seaside resorts to Beziers, They are comparatively small, but with extensive clean beaches, and views along the coast to the Pyrenees.
Although they are named as being seperate places they merge into one
resort. 
Accomodation here, is mainly in private rented houses. There are few hotels, and no high rise
accommodation as found on the Spanish Costas. At the southern end there are a few campsites, one of the largest is "La Yole", popular with English campers.
The beach at Valras has every modern facility, and the beach is cleaned
daily to a very high level. There is an un supervised, and wilder beach to the east of the river Orb. Here, the fauna, flora and sand dunes are protected by the coastal conservation organisation. You can visit this beach, by crossing the Orb by ferryboat. There are plenty of organised sporting activities on the main beach that include, children's games, jogging, gymnastics, volleyball, and sandball. It is also possible to learn to sail.
There are many free concerts, and discos at the Théâtre de la mer. Many lively café terraces, and restaurants offer a gastronomic delight.
Valras-Plage has a professional fishing port, and also a leisure harbour. The port
 has a friendly atmosphere, and is an ideal place to relax for boating enthusiasts. You'll find a warm welcome, and helpful information at the harbour master's office. It is the home of the local National Sea-Rescue Society's launch.
It is possible for the amateur fisherman to fish from the breakwater
at the entrance to the River Orb
Once night falls, Valras-Plage rocks to the rhythm of all kinds of music. There is a wide variety of entertainment on offer, from orchestras to singers on café terraces, to open-air theatre, fairground rides, and the cinema, not to mention dances, firework displays, discos, and the casino.
Office
de Tourisme de Valras Plage. Vacances en Mediterranee.
SAINT-PIERRE LA MER
This seaside resort has an excellent, long sandy
beach, a large yachting marina, and an enormous food and craft market -
daily during the summer months.
Just inland from
St Pierre
is ‘Le Clape’. Owned by the Coastal Conservatory, the exceptional
landscape of The Clape consists of some 12500 acres of outstanding landscape, consisting of high chalk cliffs near the sea, and pine forests
that cover rocky and rugged headlands interspersed with vinyards. An extraordinary blend of fauna
and flora can be admired in this area. Vineyards abound, producing
quality controlled wines of the “Coteaux du Languedoc-la Clape”.
St
Pierre la Mer, and its neighbour Narbonne-Plage, are like ghost towns
during the winter months, with just a couple of hundred people
resident, but in the summer, St Pierre La Mer becomes a thriving
beach resort town of more than 100,000 people!
Le gouffre de l’œil doux.
Just a short
distance inland on the hills of La Clape is Le gouffre de l’œil doux.
A natural phenomena, that is well worth a visit. You have to park
your car in a marked car park and walk a 2 or 3 kilometers. This is
an excellent area for picnics.
GRUISSAN
Gruissan, a short distance south of Valras Plage, and the seaside resort
of St Pierre la Mer is one of the ‘new’ resorts. Started in 1974, to take some of the tourist pressures off Provence. Gruissan
was originally a fishing village, on a small island, surrounded by
marshland. The narrow streets of Gruissan village encircle the ruined
13th century castle tower.
At Gruissan there is a large marina for sailing boats, that has been developed by building several yacht basins, surrounded by shops and holiday apartments. This area is also known for its saltpans.
There is a Casino, and four nightclubs, also plenty of night life in the
bars, and restaurants, where you can dine, while
overlooking the marina, and listen to live musicians playing all types of
music.
http://www.gruissan-mediterranee.com/favicon.ico
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