The Hérault Gorges remains an unspoilt and particularly wild site, 30 minutes from Montpellier.
The Hérault Valley constitutes a fresh ‘oasis’ in the middle of the garrigue, an ideal place for leisure activities such as canoeing, hiking or climbing... From Saint-Bauzille-de-Putois to Saint-Guilhem-the-Desert, the river provides a multitude of opportunities for swimming.
In this exceptional landscape of Mediterranean hills, don’t miss the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert — take a stroll through one of the most beautiful medieval villages in France on the Saint James of Compostela Way and discover the Val de Gellone, a stone backdrop of breathtaking cliffs with thyme, oak and pine all clinging on. It’s a landscape made up of stone and sky.
At its heart nestles the legendary town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert, its old streets having basked under the Languedoc sun for twelve centuries. Its houses, thrust against each other and topped with tiles weathered by the sun and the passage of time, are not all remarkable, but they all bear the traces of their past in their architectural details; their arches, their lintels, their mullioned windows...
Developed around the Gellone Abbey, the village has retained a strong medieval imprint, constituting a whole village of rare harmony.
This 'Grand Site', is one of the most beautiful villages of France and its abbey is now classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under the Saint James of Compostela Way in France.
For more information: Saint-Guilhem le Desert
For more information: Gorges de l'Hérault