Les Salins du Midi

Camargue


Glowing a peculiar pink in the sunlight, the vast, flat salt pans that stretch southwards from Aigues-Mortes have for centuries produced the region's famous salt. It's still done in the traditional way, with sauniers (salt workers) harvesting the salt by hand in late summer. You can visit the salt pans either aboard an electric train (1¼ hours, up to 10 daily) or on a cycling tour (three hours, two per day). Reserve ahead.

It gets very hot out on the flats – wear a hat and bring plenty of sun protection.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Camargue attractions

1. Town Walls & Tour de Constance

0.65 MILES

Scaling the ramparts of the picturesque town of Aigues-Mortes rewards you with sweeping views. Head to the top of the 13th-century Tour de Constance (in…

2. Plage de l'Espiguette

4.94 MILES

Find this attractive beach a a few kilometres southeast of La Grande-Motte. It features a nature reserve with dune systems. It's exposed to the prevailing…

3. Manade des Baumelles

9.65 MILES

Located on the Petit Rhône, this manade (bull farm) lets visitors enter the world of the gardians ('cowboys'), watching their strenuous work from the…

4. Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau

12.07 MILES

Flamingos are a dime a dozen in the Camargue, but this park is one of the best places to see the many other migratory and seasonal species that thrive in…

5. Musée Perrier

12.17 MILES

World-famous fizzy water Perrier has its source in natural springs 13km southwest of Nîmes. You can watch a 3D film that explains Perrier’s history, the…

6. Planet Ocean Montpellier

13.77 MILES

Part of the Odysseum shopping centre, this aquarium recreates nine aquatic environments, from polar waters to tropical forests. Kids will love the…

7. Église des Stes-Maries

14.28 MILES

Built on the potential first site of Christianity in the Camargue, this fortified church is of uncertain vintage, but probably hails from the 12th century…

8. Plage du Pilou

15.19 MILES

Plage du Pilou is an appealing and quiet beach that's near the small town of Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, west of Montpellier.