Called the "Venice of the Languedoc" because of the canals and bridges that connect it to the Venetian capital, Sète is a typical seaside town. This privileged relationship with water is well represented by the numerous boats and fishing boats that crowd the port area. Very characteristic is Pointe Courte, a fishermen's district overlooking the Thau pond. The village is still today made up of low, colored houses and roofs covered with red tiles.
The city (whose toponym derives from the Latin cetus = "whale") experienced a turning point starting in 1666, when King Louis XIV ordered that Sète be equipped with a port. The construction of the port greatly influenced the economic development of the city, so much so that even today the port of Sète is second in France only to that of Marseille.
Another important aspect contributes to determining the fortunes of the city: Sète is the eastern starting point of the Canal du Midi, which together with the Garonne Canal forms the so-called canal of the two seas, which connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
In addition to being a strategic commercial outpost, Sète has also discovered a tourist vocation over the years. Those who go on holiday in these parts, in fact, often spend their days sunbathing on La Corniche (a 12 km long beach ) and taking a bath in the waters that lap the coast of the city.
Sète, as well as other French towns overlooking the Mediterranean, is full of events. The city is in fact home to numerous festivals and traditional rides: the best known and most loved is certainly the one that takes place on August 25, the day in which the patron saint St. Louis is celebrated.