5 reasons to live in Hérault 

With coast, mountains and the vibrant city of Montpellier, Hérault in Occitanie is a great place for a French holiday home or a new life in France

1. There is 87km of coastline 

Hérault is located on the Mediterranean coast of France and it is often compared to an amphitheatre open towards the sea. Indeed, the mountains coming down from the Massif Central form a kind of arena to the north of the region as the ground steadily slopes down towards the sea to the south. The 87km of coastline are made up of mostly sandy beaches from the Petite Camargue to Vendres-Plages; only at Sète and Cap d’Agde are there rocky cliffs dropping into the Mediterranean. 

2. It’s well-connected  

Hérault has a little bit of everything, the beach, the ski pistes or a country getaway are never far away. Montpellier and Béziers both have international airports. Montpellier, the most eastern city in the department, is just two hours from Spain. Further afield, you can easily make trips to Carcassone (just under two hours from Montpellier), Occitan capital Toulouse (2h away) or Nimes, under an hour.  

3. There are incredible natural sites 

Hérault has the jaw dropping Cirque de Navacelles the Salagou lake and plethora of activities to do there, the unusual rock formations at Mourèze, the majestic Pic St-Loup and the beautiful villages of St-Guilhem-le-Désert and Minerve are stunning places within a stone’s throw of most of the département. 

4. You can enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle 

Hérault boasted 2,518 hours (105 days) of sun in 2020 and has fairly even temperatures year-round. Lagoons and salt-marshes are a haven for fish and shell fish. Just inland, the plains of the Bas Languedoc are a patchwork of vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards and heath, providing the main ingredients of the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet.  

5. There are impressive properties and it’s cheaper than the Riviera 

Hérault has stunning properties from village pieds-a-terre on the market for less than €100,000 right through to million-euro châteaux and vineyards. The average property price in Hérault €2,720m² with the more expensive areas concentrated around Montpellier and the coastline.