The Hérault is the department of Mediterranean excess: a 120-kilometre coastline of lagoons and beaches, a hinterland of garrigue, vineyards and the Causses, and a history dating back to the Greeks of Marseille and the legions of Rome. This land of passage and trade has accumulated layers of architecture since antiquity, from Iberian oppida to Cathar castles, from royal citadels to medieval bastides.
Montpellier, the regional capital of Occitanie, radiates with its academic and cultural vibrancy, and its metropolitan area is home to several remarkable castles and mansions. Pézenas, a town of art and history where Molière lived and created several of his works, retains its mansions and medieval alleyways. The Château de Castries, a masterpiece of the Louis XIV style with gardens designed by Le Nôtre; the Château de Lavérune; the Château d’Aumelas on its rocky outcrop overlooking the garrigue… The Hérault boasts a rich heritage of castles that is little publicised but of great significance.
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, a medieval village ranked among the most beautiful in France and a stop on the Way of St James, and the Devil’s Bridge over the Hérault complete an exceptional heritage landscape in one of France’s most dynamic departments.