Béziers Christmas Market

On the Allées Paul Riquet, the long plane-tree-lined promenade that runs through the centre of Béziers, the festive season takes on a southern feel. The Béziers Christmas market lays out its wooden chalets in the shade of the trees, overlooked by the statue of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the local man who dreamt up the Canal du Midi. Close by, Saint-Nazaire Cathedral watches over the Orb and the Pont Vieux. Winter here keeps a Languedoc mildness, and you can wander between the stalls without shivering for long. It's a Christmas of the south, where mulled wine steams next to an oyster stall and the local accent rings out between two waffles.

Allées Paul Riquet and Place Jean Jaurès in festive dress

The Christmas village stretches along the allées, with some thirty chalets run by craftspeople and producers. Handmade jewellery, scented candles, handcrafted tableware, wool and seasonal jumpers: the makers take the top end of the promenade while the food stalls set up further down. Walking the promenade from one end to the other is the best way to come across a piece you won't find anywhere else, and to chat for five minutes with the person who made it. A giant tree made up of around a hundred trees stands as a landmark, surrounded by light-up unicorns, elves and gingerbread men that delight the youngest visitors.

The allées themselves tell a story. Laid out in the 19th century, they bear the name of Pierre-Paul Riquet, born in Béziers, the man who linked the Atlantic to the Mediterranean with the Canal du Midi. His statue stands in the middle of the promenade, and in December the garlands around it dress it in seasonal lights. Walking there, between plane trees wrapped in lights, you can feel that the town treats this spot as its living room. This is where the people of Béziers gather for the Feria in August as well as for the end-of-year festivities, and the Christmas market fits into that habit of living outdoors, on the promenade, whatever the season.

A little further on, Place Jean Jaurès has the most elaborate illuminations. Its musical fountain comes alive to the great Christmas classics, with a light show dancing on the water. In the evening, the garlands are reflected on the façades and the décor comes into its own. It's the kind of stroll that pleases children as much as parents lingering at a mulled wine stall. You happily drift from one square to the next, sea air at your back, without ever really feeling cold.

Local produce and Languedoc specialities

The south has plenty to fill a festive hamper, and the Béziers Christmas market shows it well. You'll come across the petit pâté de Béziers, a bite-sized pie of minced pork and herbs wrapped in crisp puff pastry, served at family meals for generations and perfect as a warm aperitif. It's the speciality that sums up the town: simple, generous, a touch rustic. Stalls selling nougat, fruit jellies and calissons complete the sweet line-up, alongside hot chestnuts to nibble as you walk.

When it comes to wine, the Languedoc leads the way. Picpoul de Pinet, crisp and briny, is a perfect match for seafood. The reds of Faugères and Pézenas, more full-bodied, stand up to a festive roast. The producers at the chalets offer tastings, explain their cuvées and let you leave with a case under your arm. For shellfish lovers, Bouzigues oysters, farmed in the nearby Étang de Thau lagoon, often find their way onto end-of-year tables, frequently sold in baskets ready to take away.

• The petit pâté de Béziers, served warm, as an aperitif or a snack between stalls.
• A glass of spiced mulled wine to warm your hands, and you can recreate the mulled wine recipe at home.
• Raclette, golden waffles and crêpes for those small evening hungers.
• Languedoc wines, from Picpoul de Pinet to the reds of Faugères, to take home for the holidays.
• Bouzigues oysters from the Étang de Thau, a last-minute gift idea for a seafood Christmas Eve.

It's all eaten on the go, a cup in one hand, a hot paper bag in the other. No need to sit down: the market is enjoyed on your feet, moving from one stall to the next, with the smell of mulled wine and sugar mingling with that of the fir trees. And if you're looking for a gift that's out of the ordinary, a bottle of Picpoul or a basket of oysters always goes down well under the tree.

Entertainment, opening hours and getting to Béziers Christmas market

The programme runs throughout December. Concerts, bandas, peñas and competitions liven up the allées, and an ice rink sets up under the plane trees for a few open-air glides. The bandas, brass bands inherited from the summer Feria, bring out their instruments for the occasion and give the market a warmth that's pure Béziers. Younger visitors climb aboard a little train that tours the town's nativity scenes, a well-established tradition in Béziers, where people love setting out their santons (clay figurines). A living nativity and a Christmas parade complete the calendar of highlights, with exact dates announced each year by the town hall.

The open-air ice rink, set up under the plane trees on the allées, is especially popular with families in the late afternoon. Children take their first steps on the ice while parents keep an eye on them from a nearby stall. With the funfair and its rides nearby on Place du 14 Juillet, there's enough to fill a whole afternoon without leaving the centre.

The 2026 edition runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, on the Allées Paul Riquet and Place Jean Jaurès. Detailed opening hours for this edition are still to be confirmed with the town before planning your outing. Entry is free, as you'd expect for a market set up on a public promenade.

Béziers is easy to get to. By train, the station is about ten minutes' walk from the allées, so you can visit without a car from Montpellier, Narbonne or Sète. By car, several car parks in the centre (including those on the allées and on Place du 14 Juillet) let you park before walking to the market. As the promenade is all on one level, it's easy to get around with a pushchair or a wheelchair.

What to see around the Christmas market

Béziers is well suited to a full day out. Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, perched above the Orb, gives a wide view over the plain and the medieval Pont Vieux, especially lovely under a clear winter sky. You climb through the lanes of the old town up to the forecourt, and the panorama over the vines and hills rewards the effort. The Baltard-style market halls, built in 1891, are also worth a look for their iron framework and the morning bustle inside.

The Canal du Midi is never far away, and it's something of the town's soul. The nine Fonseranes Locks, the water staircase Riquet designed to carry barges up a steep slope, can be visited all year round and take on a peaceful charm in winter. Seeing the allées that bear his name covered in lights, then walking along his great work, brings the story full circle for the man who shaped Béziers. The café terraces on the allées stay open for a coffee or a hot chocolate between purchases.

To continue your tour of the region's markets, the Montpellier Christmas market and its big, lively squares are well worth a visit, as is the Carcassonne Christmas market at the foot of the medieval Cité. Further south, the Perpignan Christmas market adds a Catalan touch to the Occitan festivities. Enough to string together several Christmas moods in one weekend, between the sea and the hinterland.