Sete France Riviera

451 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Celestyal Cruises (23 Cruises)

Celestyal Discovery

1828 Passengers
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Oceania Cruises (43 Cruises)

Oceania Allura.

Oceania Allura

1200 Passengers
68000 tons
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises (26 Cruises)

Seabourn Cruise Line (51 Cruises)

Seabourn Ovation.

Seabourn Ovation

40350 tons
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Silversea Cruises (19 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (263 Cruises)

Viking Jupiter1

Viking Jupiter

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Viking Neptune1

Viking Neptune

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Viking Saturn.

Viking Saturn

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Viking Sky.

Viking Sky

48000 tons
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Viking Star

Viking Star

47800 tons
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Viking Vela.

Viking Vela

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Port of Sète, France | Cruise Port Guide

You hear Sète before you see it: gulls crying over the fish auction, the engines of returning trawlers, halyards clinking along the canals. Then the town reveals itself, terraced between its hill and its lagoon, crossed by water on every side. Ships dock at Quai d'Alger, right at the edge of the centre: five to ten minutes on foot and you find yourself beside the Canal Royal, amid colourful façades and moored boats.

Born in the 17th century to give the new waterway of the Midi an outlet to the sea, Sète was built between the Mediterranean and the Étang de Thau, stitched together by waterways crossed by twelve bridges. The people of Sète call it the singular island, and the phrase captures the island pride of this town of fishermen, poets and singers.

The canals and the Pointe Courte

The walk naturally begins along the Canal Royal, where the famous water jousts are fought in summer: two boats launched at each other, jousters perched on their raised platforms, and the whole town holding its breath, a living tradition since 1666. Heading up toward the lagoon, the Pointe Courte district lines up fishermen's shacks, nets set out to dry and watchful cats; this village within the town, immortalized by Agnès Varda's first film, seems oblivious to the century passing by on the other side of the bridge.

Mont Saint-Clair and the Cimetière marin

Above the rooftops, Mont Saint-Clair keeps watch. Bus line 3 reaches its slopes, unless you prefer a brisk climb on foot; up top, the panorama takes in the rooftops, the beaches, the Étang de Thau and the Mediterranean as far as the eye can see. On the hillside, the Cimetière marin, the seaside cemetery, terraces its white tombs facing the sea: Paul Valéry, a native of Sète, rests there in the very setting of his most famous poem. The museum bearing his name stands right next door, and a little lower down, the Théâtre de la Mer, an amphitheatre set in a former fort facing the waves, hosts summer concerts.

Brassens, tielles and oysters

Another local hero, Georges Brassens, has his memorial house, the Espace Georges-Brassens, where the poet's voice accompanies the visit. For food lovers, there's no missing the tielle, an octopus and tomato pie that bakeries still sell warm, nor the oysters of the Étang de Thau, raised in the beds you can see from the heights; oyster-farming villages such as Bouzigues, on the other shore of the lagoon, make for a delicious excursion. The central market hall, a few streets from the canal, brings the best of all this together under one roof. Another institution: macaronade, a pasta dish in sauce that Sète families defend with delightfully stubborn bias.

The port call in practice

AttractionAccess from Quai d'Alger
Canal Royal and downtown5 to 10 minutes on foot
Market hall and Espace BrassensOn foot or a short bus ride
Mont Saint-ClairBus line 3 or climb on foot
Bouzigues and the Étang de ThauBy excursion

The port call is best savoured without a rigid schedule: a market in the morning, a quayside terrace at midday, the climb in the afternoon. Art lovers will step into the Musée Paul-Valéry or the MIAM, a museum of modest arts that celebrates whimsy, while walkers follow the corniche toward the beaches.

As the ship departs, when the singular island folds back behind its breakwater and the hill shrinks on the horizon, a Brassens song readily comes to mind. Sète has a rare talent: it turns a simple port call into a refrain you're still humming long after putting back out to sea.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the Quai d'Alger, on the immediate edge of the centre. Five to ten minutes on foot brings you to the Canal Royal, among the coloured facades and moored boats.
The Canal Royal and the covered market on foot, then the climb to Mont Saint-Clair on the number 3 bus. Those two halves fill the day. The excursion to Bouzigues, across the lagoon, needs more time.
Because it is stitched with waterways crossed by twelve bridges, stacked between its hill and its lagoon, between the Mediterranean and the Étang de Thau. The phrase captures the island pride of this town of fishermen, poets and singers, created in the 17th century to give the Midi canal a sea outlet.
A tradition alive since 1666, contested in summer on the Canal Royal: two boats driven at each other, jousters perched on their platforms, and the whole town holding its breath. If your call falls during the jousts, look no further.
A fishing village within the city, up toward the lagoon: huts, nets hung to dry, watchful cats. Immortalised by Agnès Varda's first film, the quarter seems to ignore the century passing on the other side of the bridge.
On the number 3 bus, which reaches its approaches, or on foot up a steady climb. The panorama takes in the roofs, the beaches, the Étang de Thau and the Mediterranean as far as the eye can see.
The cemetery terraced on the hillside facing the sea, where Paul Valéry, a son of Sète, lies in the very setting of his most famous poem. The museum bearing his name stands alongside, and a little below is the Théâtre de la Mer, built into an old fort facing the water.
The tielle, an octopus and tomato pie the bakeries still sell warm, and oysters from the Étang de Thau, raised in the beds visible from the heights. Another institution: the macaronade, a baked pasta dish Sète families defend with cheerful bad faith. The covered market gathers the best of all of it.
The singer was born here, and the Espace Georges-Brassens is devoted to him, with the poet's voice accompanying the visit. As the ship leaves and the singular island folds behind its breakwater, one of his songs tends to come back.
Yes, two that are nothing alike: the Musée Paul-Valéry on the hill, and the MIAM, the museum of modest arts, which cultivates whimsy downtown. Walkers may prefer to follow the corniche toward the beaches.