The coastal plain
From Portiragnes-Plage to Vendres-Plage, the territory hugs the Mediterranean. This coastal plain extends for about 45 km along the Mediterranean coast. If the lagoons are more frequent in the east, going up to Bouzigues and the Thau lagoon, the Biterrois coastline has two coastal rivers that animate the coast: the Libron and the Orb. The Libron has its source in Laurens, north of Béziers. Nearly 44 kilometers separate the river from its source to its mouth in Vias where it flows into the Mediterranean. Crossing Lieuran-les-Béziers and Boujan-sur-Libron, this river, of quiet nature, can nevertheless become a tempestuous torrent, carrying mud and gravels during the torrential rains which suddenly fall on the littoral. The Orb is inseparable from the Biterrois region and Béziers, whose lands it waters. Taking its source at an altitude of 884 meters, in the mountains of Escandorgue, the river joins the Biterrois plain a few kilometers from Cessenon-sur-Orb, northwest of Béziers. After Lignan-sur-Orb, it enters the city of Béziers where it crosses the Canal du Midi. The latter spans the river thanks to the Canal-Bridge: this structure is designed to help barges pass at this level where the course of the Orb is too low in summer, and too high in winter because of the river's flooding in this season. About fifteen kilometers downstream from Béziers, the Orb waters Sérignan, then flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Valras-Plage. These two cities are emblematic places of the coastline. If the Orb largely contributed to the development of its fishing ports, Sérignan-Plage and Valras-Plage are today two seaside resorts of human size. With 9 kilometers of beaches, all of which are classified as "Pavillon Bleu", this part of the Biterrois coastline enjoys the presence of the Orpellières Nature Reserve. Straddling the communes of Valras-Plage and Sérignan, the reserve is classified as "Natura 2000", and its biodiversity is protected on an area of 167.74 hectares. Don't miss the opportunity to discover the "Maïre" and the "Riviérette", the protected lagoons of the site, thanks to the short hiking trail for walkers and cyclists. And to have a global vision of the landscape, climb the 71 steps of the Belvedere located at the Orpellières: a striking panorama of the Orb and the Mediterranean, the lines of the Pyrenean massif and the crests of the Espinouse Mountains will open up to your eyes.
Béziers, the acropolis of Biterrois
The oldest city in France, Béziers, (ancient Baeterrae, 625 BC), is built on the Saint-Nazaire hill, a natural promontory from which the city looks like a semaphore. The Saint-Jacques hill was used as an outpost for the surveillance of the city (remains of fortifications have been found). These natural elements constitute the last foothills of the Massif Central before the landscape opens up towards the plain of the Bas-Languedoc. Overlooking the Orb River, Béziers stretches its geography between the sea and the mountains: the Mediterranean is only fifteen kilometers away while the Caroux and Espinouse massifs are only fifty kilometers away. A central position in this natural region of the Biterrois, which has always favored exchanges and migratory flows. One thinks in particular of the Domitian Way which, linking Italy to Spain, crosses the city of Béziers. Even today, Béziers is at the heart of the communication routes: the A9, linking the Rhone Valley to Spain, the A75 Meridian, coming from Clermont-Ferrand, and the A61 to go to Carcassonne, Toulouse and Bordeaux. By air, Béziers is open to the national and European territories with its Béziers-Cap d'Agde airport. The SNCF station in Béziers hosts 10 daily TGV connections from Paris, and the local TER network connects the major cities in the region. Benefiting from the mildness of the Mediterranean climate, Béziers enjoys a beautiful luminosity (more than 300 days of sunshine per year), which is favorable to crops and tourists! However, autumn and sea winds bring their share of Mediterranean episodes where heavy rains cause regular floods. Béziers is the largest municipality in the department and has a moderate urbanization. More than half of the municipal surface is natural and agricultural space, mainly planted with vines. The richness of the clay-limestone soils combined with exceptional sunshine and the freshness of the sea spray favor the cultivation of vines and give this terroir a unique character. With 17 municipalities, the Béziers Méditerranée agglomeration covers an area of 303 km2 for a population of 125,921 inhabitants. These towns are all classified as tourist towns, and the towns of Béziers, Villeneuve-les-Béziers, Sérignan and Valras-Plage are classified as "Tourist resorts".
Hills and foothills, nuanced reliefs
The landscape of the hinterland of Béziers is dotted with foothills whose relief has been softened by wind and erosion. Stretching from east to west, from the communes of Valros and Montblanc to those of Cazouls-lès-Béziers and Nissan-lez-Ensérune, these reliefs are wine hills. The vineyard represents more than half of the area of Béziers. It is easy to understand why Béziers Méditerranée has been awarded the "Vignobles & Découvertes" label. Each hillside, each foothill boasts rows of vines like pearls delicately strung on a necklace. Under the Biterrois sun, the vineyard piedmont unfolds its grapes. The climate and the geology of the territory contribute to the blossoming of the vine. To realize the impact of this culture on the geography of the area, take a step up. The hill of Corneilhan, upstream from Béziers, offers a viewpoint from which the vines and the Biterrois foothills can be seen. At the northern end of the Biterrois region, the vines run around small hills, the piochs. In Alignan-du-Vent, the pioch du Travers dominates the plain of the Peyne, the vineyards and the wine villages from its 112 meters. Spaces without great geological variation, facilitating the hikes. Preserved geographical areas, opening on vast spaces, exhilarating landscapes underlining the attractiveness of the destination Béziers Méditerranée.
