This French Coastal Town Was Very Different Than We Expected
Three months in Sète in the winter gave us a clear feel for the town, the nearby day trips, and the kind of stay that makes the most sense here. New to our story? Start from the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUCnnhlKYk0&list=PL4kGiHocVcCi9MpqmybLDHk1F28MLmjqB&index=1
What’s Inside This Episode
In winter, most of Sète is closed, quiet, or tucked away. The beach exists, the fishing culture exists, the Mediterranean is right outside — and almost none of it is accessible from November through February. The walks went in different directions every day, the Wednesday farmers market briefly flooded the streets, the overlook at Mont Saint-Clair put the whole geography in perspective. By the end of the first month, we had a pretty clear picture of what Sète offers in winter.
Three supermarkets did most of the work — a giant Auchan about 45 minutes on foot, a Carrefour City we went to specifically for Speculoos ice cream and a decent wine selection, and a Monoprix around the corner that we hit more than anywhere else. Boulangeries four times a week. Two restaurant meals in three months — a pizza place called Pizzaiolo and an Indian spot called Cap India Sète, because almost everything else was closed for the season.
The errands were easier than expected. Laundromat called Laverie del Dauphine right around the corner — four euros for a six-kilo wash, a euro thirty for ten minutes of drying. Pharmacies everywhere. A hardware store called Droguerie Lubrano that turned out to stock wallpaper, fish tanks, kitchen supplies, and keys. La Poste for the CPAM paperwork, handled mostly through self-service. One haircut under twenty euros.
Getting around: flat and walkable, with one reliable bus system. A ten-pack cost ten euros. The number 8 bus turned out to be free — we didn’t know that until we were almost ready to leave.
By month two we knew we wouldn’t choose another long stay. For a day trip or a long weekend, Sète delivers. For a quiet week of long walks and no agenda, yes. For us, there wasn’t enough variety for another long winter stay. Summer opens the town up and brings August pricing that runs two to three times the winter rate.
We needed a stable address. We had one. That part worked exactly as planned.
#slowtravel #sete #southoffrance #franceliving #retirementtravel #earlyretirement #lifeafter50 #fulltimetravel
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CHAPTERS
00:00 — We Lived in Sète for 3 Months
01:02 — What Our Days Actually Looked Like
04:17 — How We Ate for Three Months
07:02 — The Errands That Became Routine
11:09 — How We Got Around Sète
13:33 — By Month Two, We Knew
14:30 — Would We Come Back (And For How Long)
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25 Comments
Thanks for vetting Sete for us and sorry it didn’t fit your needs for winter. Looking forward to your next adventure! I’m living vicariously through you two.
I’ve not been to Sète, but there are a lot of places in France like that during the winter.
That’s why I prefer bigger cities.
They may be cold December-February, but at least, there’s a lot of variety.
I love when coastal town sleeps in cold season, when streets are empty, quiet, such a dream.
Thanks for your insight! I've not considered France for slow travel for that amount of time but I definitely appreciate honest reviews like this one!
I wish you answer your own question.
What did you miss in Sète ? How do you imagine your future life ? What are your needs ?
That's how I felt about Sete w/o spending that much time
The winter gave us the clear feel for this town
When the street are empty quit such a dream ilove when the town sleeps in cold winter
If you were doing three months somewhere in winter, what would you need it to have? For us, Sète needed to work as more than one quiet town. It needed to be a base. So we tested four nearby towns by train — and each one felt completely different. → https://youtu.be/xjmIcx4ZUdM?list=PL4kGiHocVcChh4Cbx6aVYLS9_7KdsRlC4
Nice video. I visited Agde and by the sea, early spring, I had the same experience not much going on.
It’s not per say the quiet, but if I felt bored. I took Beziers off the list because of this. Also the whole commute from Montpelier that impacted my decision do not plan to have a car would be okay with trains and buses 😊😊😊
I agree about sete too small to live I liked Montpelier much bettrr
The french riviera is the eastern side of the french med coast and its busy (past Toulon). From Spain to Montpellier it's still the Med but it's not the same landscape (the french riviera has the alps). The western med is more quiet.
Well, in summary, you are looking for a busy place all year long, with what you call “variety”… and there is really only one city in our country that can truly provide that: Paris.
Even Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille, Brest, Strasbourg, Nantes, Montpellier, or Nice will probably seem too quiet for you during the winter season…
I lived in Paris and its suburbs for more than 30 years, and now I live in the countryside in Occitanie, not too far from Bordeaux, where part of my family has lived for more than a century, so I visit quite often. I also had family near Marseille and in Brittany where there is Brest and Rennes, so I know those "large" cities fairly well. Nowadays, we go to Toulouse when we want to experience things we can’t find in the countryside: major art performances, museums, large live concerts, etc. But all these cities are still really quiet during winter, no matter how “big” they are compared to Paris…
So yes, only Paris would truly provide what you seem to be looking for. Paris is a fantastic city, but also an exhausting and expensive one.
The real question I have in mind is: what exactly are you looking for? 😉
I live in Brisbane, Australia where the summers are ugly and never ending – we have 7 months of unbearable humidity and heat from September till May. So this year we'll be heading to Annecy, France for those 7 months during their autumn, winter and early spring. We only go overseas to Europe (and hopefully, one day, to north America/Canada) during the winter to escape the summers.
We gave much thought to where we'd base ourselves – we wanted to be near water like a river, canal or lake that is easily accessible to allow for many nice long walks. We chose Annecy, despite being quite expensive as the lake and the many surrounding villages and towns are easy to get to by public transport and having large cities like Lyon, also not too far, (we are used to BIG distances between towns and cities in Australia) by a fast bus or train. We also intend 3 – 4 day stays throughout France in the hope of getting a feel for other cities and towns as well. My husband and I love to sketch and paint outdoors with watercolours and we know France would be an artists paradise with all the beautiful architecture and scenery everywhere you look – which is NOTHING like Brisbane…
We have spent 6 months in Budapest during the winter and we looooooved it – yes, it was cold but as long as you were well dressed and kept moving it didn't bother us (our winter's in Brisbane are sooo mild only requiring a few extra layers of clothing and closed in shoes for about 3 months – and then the ugliness of the humidity and heat starts again). The only thing that really stops us from getting out and about is heavy rain but light rain doesn't stop us. Even if we weren't escaping the summer I'd still go to Europe during autumn and winter because we have no autumn in Brisbane and to me it's the most beautiful of seasons when the foliage changes colour and the atmosphere feels slower… We don't like large crowds at all, it makes traveling and being out and about sooooo hard and exhausting just trying to avoid everyone… Sete is one of the places we plan on having a 3-4 day stay. Thanks for giving us a look around, cheers Magdalena
Living in a city/town for a few months, gives you a broad and real feel for it. As you stated, Sete worked out for you regarding your paperwork. Now it's time for your next adventure! Waiting for your next video, Scott and Liza.
Having been to Sete several times, I can confirm a weekend is enough (and that's at any time of year!). People often, understandably, underestimate how cold and wet the Mediterranean is in the winter. My first winter in the south of France really surprised me. Well done for sticking it out for 3 months, but I guess you had to, as you needed the fixed location.
Thank you for this posting. The comments below are very insightful also. We are planning doing the same this Fall, but have not picked a location yet. Do you have any recommendations, based upon your experience?
How long did it take to get your CPAM paperwork back after you filed? We're at day ninety but we move to a different apartment Friday.
We felt the same about Montpellier ypu know it in a month they u get board without a purpose to life . Food is awful no spices or strong tastes. It’s a beautiful city buy only if u are happy living in an apartment block. There are thousands of them being built and agents trying very hard to get you to buy one instead of a house. No real nice houses available under 750000 euros upwards . Things to consider if u r thinking here
Sète was not for me either…nope.
Have you folks found any location that you like better than Lyon? What is your final goal in this slow travel? Are you planning to settle in France and just looking for the best climate-city combo? I am asking because I am in exactly the same situation. I cannot see better place in Europe than France for US citizens. Slovenia was on my list but taxes are strangely high and then Croatia is wicked awesome but the Summers are brutally hot. Ticino is gorgeous but wealth tax is unpredictable and it bites.
Shouldn't the title say " …very different FROM what we expected"?
Béziers in the winter; someplace in the Charante in the summer.
Thinking that fishermen fish during the day is not a pro-tip. 😢