Sète

This Mediterranean port town in southern France's Hérault department, Sète is built across canals between the sea and the Étang de Thau lagoon, climbing up to the Mont Saint-Clair headland — a geography that earned it the nickname "Venice of Languedoc." The canal-threaded centre is walkable and food-focused, with a working fishing port still active alongside the seafront. The town is the birthplace of poet Paul Valéry, singer Georges Brassens, and theatre director Jean Vilar, and has produced a string of visual artists including Robert Combas and Hervé Di Rosa.

• Population40,736
• Nearest water0.4 km
• Nearest mountain0.7 km