Climb Mont Saint Clair in Sète

Panoramic views from Mont Saint Clair

Dominating the Mediterranean at 175-metres high, Mont Saint-Clair is an ancient volcano that gives Sète its distinctive silhouette. Its summit offers a magnificent panorama of the town’s canals and its port, the citadel of Richelieu, the lighthouse and the famous marine cemetery where Paul Valery, a French writer, poet and philosopher was laid to rest in 1945.

A little further on is an impressive view of the sandy coastline, which separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Thau lagoon, the lagoon’s oyster beds, the Gardiole massif and in the background, the Canigou mountain in the Eastern Pyrenees, which you can see on clear days.

The belvedere offers a strategic point of view to discover Sète, so particular. Built around its ports and canals providing a passage between the sea and the Thau lagoon, the town is connected by nine bridges, all of which are to be discovered. Sète well deserves its nickname of “singular island” or Languedoc’s little Venice.

Explore the small paths of Mont Saint Clair on foot and stroll around the traditional villas from the early 19th century while enjoying breathtaking views at every turn!

The ascent: walking route

Climb the 225 steps and enjoy a 360-degree landscape with a view of the Mediterranean, the port, the Thau lagoon, and the coastal barrier with its vineyards and beaches.

From our holiday home in Sète Le Pouffre , turn right onto Grande Rue Haute. Go straight ahead, turn left on rue Garenne and then immediately left on Rue de Villefranche. Continue on Rue Louis Ramond, which becomes Rue Belfort. Turn left on Impasse des Lauriers then turn left on Chemin de Biscan Pas to take the steps to reach the summit. Time to climb: 19 minutes, 1.1 km. Directions on Google Maps here.
From Le Piade, our holiday apartment in Sète, walk up Rue de La Revolution, turn right on Rue du Maire Aussenac, then turn left on Rue de la Caraussanne and turn right on Rue Louis Ramond, which becomes Rue Belfort. Turn left on Impasse des Lauriers then turn left on Chemin de Biscan Pas to take the flight of stairs to reach the summit. Time to climb: 27 minutes, 1.7 km. Directions on Google Maps here.

At the top, you will be rewarded for your effort! The belvedere offers a plunging and striking view of Sète, the port, the sea as well as the Languedoc coast. The cross at the summit was inaugurated on 19 February 1983 and replaces the one destroyed by the violent storm of 1982.

The Saint-Clair cross

Mont Saint Clair’s cross embraces the town and is to Sète what Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado is to Rio or what the Statue of Liberty is to New York. It is lit up after dark, all year round.

The luminous cross perpetuates the fire that the people of Sète lit on 12 July 1932 to celebrate the saint St Clair after which the mountain is named. A marble plaque on the back of the cross, nestled in the plinth, has these words engraved (translation): “From the top of the Cross Jesus looked at the city. Standing at his feet Marie was crying. May the Cross watch over those who lifted it up”.

Close to this cross, a Stele offered by the teachers of Algeria killed during the war of independence was inaugurated in 1990.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette chapel

At the top is the Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette chapel where masses are regularly celebrated. This chapel is dedicated to the Virgin who appeared on 19 September 1846 before two children from the village of La Salette-Fallavaux in Isère.

Overwhelmed by the announcement of the apparition of the Virgin at La Salette, in 1864, Henri Gaffino, senior parish priest of Sète and its ports, had the idea of establishing a sanctuary at Mont Saint Clair in honour of this apparition.

This chapel is a traditional place of pilgrimage. Every 19th of the month, a mass is celebrated there.

In 1861, the chapel was rebuilt. From the outside, the chapel looks more like a fort than a place of worship because before the creation of the town of Sète, Duke Henri I de Montmorency, governor of Languedoc, had a fort built on the site of an ancient Roman ford after chasing pirates from the island. The chapel is based on the remains of sections of military walls, which somewhat explains its severe appearance.

The statue of the Virgin was erected in 1866 to commemorate the town’s bicentenary. Its bell tower also served as a geodesic landmark.

As you open the door, you will surely be amazed by the frescoes created by the painter Bringuier from 1951 to 1953, which cover the entire building. The part of the chapel dedicated to Saint Rita and Our Lady of the Chapel is also covered with ex-votos (offerings made to God at the request of grace or in thanks). A visit to the Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette chapel will not leave you indifferent!

Pierres Blanches national forest

The Pierres Blanches national forest boasts an amazing view of the Thau lagoon and its oyster beds. From the chapel, take the Chemin des Pierres Blanches on the right for 1.5 km (15 minutes walk) at the other end of the hill to the state-owned Pierres Blanches forest, ideal for walkers.

The Pierres Blanches national forest with its 27 ha of pine trees offers hiking trails with extraordinary views of the Mediterranean. From the belvedere and the orientation table, take in the breathtaking panoramic view of the lido, which runs between the sea and the lagoon.

Marked hiking trails in the pine forest with the scent of thyme are traced. Discover nearly 400 species of plants, of which around 40 are relatively rare, and are described in panels along the trails. Enjoy a welcome break at the numerous benches and picnic tables.

Before becoming the national forest of Sète, this area served as a gardening and grazing area for the families of herders (sheep, goats, cows) who occupied the little stone houses of Mont Stain Clair called “baraquettes”. During the Second World War, the trees of Mont Saint-Clair, in particular the holm oaks, were used by the people of Sète for their heating. The Germans occupied the area to survey for any possible disembarkation.

In 1972, faced with the threat of urbanisation, it became a “state forest” managed by the National Forestry Office to guarantee its vocation as a natural space in the long term. Today, the ONF and the municipality of Sète are investing in the site to offer the public a welcoming space, maintain the diversity of landscapes and natural environments and guarantee the sustainability of the forest.

The descent

To go back down, simply retrace your steps or take bus no. 5 to Le Pouffre or the town centre.

If you are not quite ready to go back to the town, walk down to La Corniche beach (20 minutes walk; 1.6 km) and go swimming and then take the return bus line 7 at the Ifremer stop and get off the Commissariat stop for our holiday apartment Le Piade. Otherwise, take bus no. 5 at the Notre-Dame Souveraine du Monde stop and get off at the Cimetière Marin stop for our holiday home Le Pouffre.

Mont Saint Clair by bus

If you don’t want to walk up Mont Saint Clair, take bus no. 5 at the Cimetière Marin stop from our house Le Pouffre or from the J. Baptiste Marty Promenade in the town centre.

Enjoy the visit!

NB: All photos were taken by Leigh and Mehdi Kamraoui and they are the property of lepouffre.com. They are therefore not free of rights.