Villas in Hérault-Aude

Cap d'Agde and La Grande Motte suit beach families, Gruissan and Narbonne-Plage are quieter, and the Minervois suits a vineyard stay. Most of our villas are in the coastal resorts, which are packed in July and August and half shut in winter. The beaches are long and sandy, and shelve gently. Béziers, Montpellier and Carcassonne airports are all within reach.

Where

Villas: 410
From, per week: £166
Cheapest month: September
Nearest airports: Béziers Cap d'Agde is closest to most of our coastal villas, with Ryanair flights from London taking about two hours. Montpellier suits La Grande Motte, Carcassonne suits the Minervois and upper Aude, and Perpignan is closest to Leucate. Many UK routes are seasonal, so check the schedule before you book.

Where to stay in Hérault-Aude

Cap d'Agde, Marseillan and Sète (Hérault coast)

This is where we have the most villas. Cap d'Agde is a modern resort of marinas and sandy beaches, with dark volcanic rock at the headland and a separate naturist quarter at its eastern end. Old Agde, just inland, has a fortress-like cathedral of black basalt. Marseillan is a quieter port on the Etang de Thau oyster lagoon, and Sète's canals are around half an hour away. Béziers airport is about 20 minutes' drive.

Best for: Families who want a big resort with beaches, marinas and water parks

Not for you if: You want a sleepy village: Cap d'Agde is a purpose-built resort and very busy in August.

La Grande Motte and the Montpellier side (with Baillargues and Lunel)

La Grande Motte's stepped pyramid apartment blocks line a big marina and a long sandy beach, with cycle paths along the seafront. Montpellier, around 25 minutes away, has a large pedestrianised old centre and good shops. Baillargues and Lunel sit inland among vineyards, closer to the walled town of Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue. Montpellier airport is about 15 minutes from La Grande Motte.

Best for: Families and couples who want a short transfer and city trips

Not for you if: You want old stone streets on the doorstep: La Grande Motte is a modern resort of concrete pyramids.

Sérignan, Valras-Plage and the Béziers villages (Nissan-lez-Ensérune, Murviel, Thézan)

Sérignan-Plage and Valras-Plage share a long sandy shore either side of the Orb estuary, with a nature reserve of dunes and marsh between them. Valras is livelier, with a fishing harbour and seafront restaurants. Inland, a staircase of locks at Fonserannes lifts the Canal du Midi up towards Béziers and its hilltop cathedral. Near Nissan, the Oppidum d'Ensérune overlooks a drained lake laid out like a wheel. Béziers airport is around 20 to 30 minutes away.

Best for: Families who want a beach town near Béziers and the Canal du Midi

Not for you if: You want dramatic coast: the shore here is flat sand and dunes for miles.

Narbonne-Plage, Saint-Pierre-la-Mer and Gruissan (Aude coast)

Narbonne-Plage and Saint-Pierre-la-Mer sit below the Massif de la Clape, a limestone ridge of pine and vineyards with marked trails. Gruissan has an old village wrapped round a ruined tower, salt pans and a beach of wooden chalets on stilts. Armissan and Salles-d'Aude are wine villages a short drive inland, and Narbonne has a stretch of Roman road on show in its main square. Béziers airport is around 40 minutes away, Carcassonne about an hour.

Best for: Families who want sandy beaches with walks in the hills behind

Not for you if: You dislike wind: the tramontane can blow hard for days, especially in spring and autumn.

Port Leucate and Sigean (south Aude)

Port Leucate sits on a strip of sand between the sea and the Leucate lagoon, one of the best-known kitesurfing spots in France thanks to the tramontane. Oyster farmers on the lagoon run tasting shacks by the water. Sigean has the Réserve Africaine, a safari park you drive through, and Spain is under an hour south. Perpignan airport is around 30 to 40 minutes away.

Best for: Kitesurfers and families who want a lagoon and the sea side by side

Not for you if: You want plenty of choice: we have only a handful of villas here.

The Minervois and Corbières (Cesseras, Homps, Argeliers, Boutenac, Talairan)

Wine villages among vines and scrubby garrigue, with summer days that can be very hot. Homps has a port on the Canal du Midi used by hire boats, and Minerve, a walled village above two river gorges, is close to Cesseras. In the Corbières, Lagrasse has a medieval bridge and abbey, and Fontfroide Abbey is outside Narbonne. Carcassonne airport is about 40 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Couples and groups who want vineyards, village markets and a pool

Not for you if: You want a beach every day: the coast is 45 minutes to an hour away.

Carcassonne, Limoux and the upper Aude (Trèbes, Limoux, Sonnac-sur-l'Hers)

Trèbes is on the Canal du Midi about 15 minutes from Carcassonne's walled Cité. Limoux, up the Aude valley, makes the sparkling Blanquette and holds a long-running carnival on winter weekends. Sonnac-sur-l'Hers is in greener, higher country near the Cathar castle of Puivert, and fresher in August than the coast. Carcassonne airport is 20 minutes to an hour away, depending on the village.

Best for: Couples who want medieval Carcassonne, Cathar castles and cooler hills

Not for you if: You want the sea: the coast is well over an hour from Limoux.

When to go to Hérault-Aude

July and August are hot and the coast fills with French families, with slow traffic into Cap d'Agde and Gruissan at weekends and Béziers' feria in mid-August. June and September are calmer, and the sea is usually warmer in September than in June. Inland, the Minervois can be uncomfortably hot in midsummer, so a pool matters. The tramontane blows cool and dry off the land, mostly outside summer. From November to March the resorts are very quiet and many beach restaurants and shops close.