Mont Saint-Clair and Pierres Blanches via the small paths

Beautiful views along the entire route, a few steep slopes, and especially the stairs taken earlier to reach the huts. The originality of this hike lies in the fact that it takes you across Mont Saint-Clair, the Pierres Blanches National Forest and the seaside. Best done outside of summer as most of the route is exposed.

This hike may be prohibited depending on the fire risk level. Remember to check the map.

Details

26357565
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.04 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 390 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 391 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 176 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Théâtre de la Mer car park (free), Promenade du Maréchal Leclerc.

(S/E) Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and take the ramp that leads to Rue Jean Vilar. Turn right, then take Chemin du Cimetière on the left. Climb the stairs to reach Impasse des Agaves and turn right.

(1) Enter the cemetery and cross it from the top (this avoids taking a road). Take the stairs on the left, passing in front of Jean Vilar's grave. When you leave the cemetery, turn right and walk along the Paul Valéry Museum and then the beautiful Mediterranean garden where caper bushes grow, among other plants. Turn left to enter, cross it and come out higher up on Chemin du Phare.

(2) Turn left. Pass in front of the Saint-Clair lighthouse and follow the very steep road uphill.

(3) At the three-way junction, turn left onto Chemin de la Mogeire. Go up the stairs, turn left and then take the first street on the right, Chemin de la Chabanette. Come out onto Chemin de la Huitième Station and turn right. Arrive at Chemin de Saint-Clair and continue right for a few dozen metres.

(4) Turn right onto Chemin du Mas Rousson, which descends and includes a long staircase. At the end of the staircase, turn right. Walk past the Paul Valéry secondary school and admire its architecture and that of the Paul Bert school below. At the bottom of the street, admire two graffiti murals, then turn left onto Rue de Villefranche.

(5) Walk past the school steps and take the opportunity to look at the ground of Impasse Canilhac opposite. Go around the school and start another climb up Rue Louis Ramon, then Rue de Belfort. After Impasse des Acanthes on your right, take the steps of Chemin de Biscan Pas, which climb up to the Mont Saint-Clair observatory.

(6) Take the time to enjoy the view, then cross the car park to reach the Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Salette. Continue the walk past the cross and turn left onto Chemin des Pèlerins.

Turn right to take the Chemin de la Montmorencette staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, turn left and then left again onto Chemin du Glacis. At the intersection with Impasse de la Grenouille, take the stairs on the left, continue right on Chemin du Glacis and then turn right onto the Craque staircase.

(7) Turn left onto Chemin de l'Anglore and continue along this path, veering right at the three-way junction. Continue straight ahead until you reach the entrance to the Pierres Blanches National Forest.

(8) Take the path straight ahead to the intersection and turn left. At the second intersection, take a wider path on the left, then take a small footbridge on the right that leads to the orientation table.

(9) Beautiful viewpoint. Table and picnic area. With your back to the table, take the path that leads to a refreshment bar and take the wide path on the right before you get there. Be careful to take the next small path on the left, which is not very visible and winds through the oak trees. At the end, go down the rounded steps, turn right and take the botanical path (sign) opposite, which descends through the prickly pear trees. At the bottom, turn left onto Boulevard Jean Mathieu Grangent.

(10) At the roundabout, turn right onto Rue d'Aquitaine, cross Boulevard Joliot Curie and take Rue du Dauphiné opposite. At the end, turn left onto Chemin des Quilles and join Route de la Corniche. Turn left.

(11) After the relay antenna, take the stairs that lead along the beach below the road on the small path. At the end of Plage du Lazaret, after the lifeguard station, pass between the beach and the buildings, pass Pointe du Lazaret and continue to Plage de la Vigie. Turn left to reach Rue de Savoie and follow it to the right.

(12) At the roundabout, turn right and, immediately after the building, take a small path on the left that runs along the cliffs to the Rose Roc sculpture. Continue along Promenade Maréchal Leclerc to reach the nearby car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 10 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.55 - alt. 33 m - Entrance to the cemetery
  3. 2 : km 0.85 - alt. 61 m - Chemin du Phare
  4. 3 : km 1.19 - alt. 82 m - Three-way junction
  5. 4 : km 2.22 - alt. 150 m - Mas Rousson path
  6. 5 : km 2.86 - alt. 29 m - Entrance to Paul Valéry High School
  7. 6 : km 3.62 - alt. 174 m - Mont Saint-Clair
  8. 7 : km 4.93 - alt. 48 m - Chemin de l'Anglore
  9. 8 : km 5.62 - alt. 68 m - Entrance to the Pierres Blanches forest
  10. 9 : km 6.74 - alt. 122 m - Orientation table
  11. 10 : km 7.9 - alt. 26 m - Aquitaine roundabout
  12. 11 : km 8.67 - alt. 4 m - Relay antenna staircase
  13. 12 : km 10.12 - alt. 17 m - Roundabout
  14. S/E : km 11.04 - alt. 10 m - Car park

Worth a visit

Notre-Dame de la Salette Chapel.
Graffiti in Mas Rousson.
Saint-Clair lighthouse.
Paul Valéry Museum.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Musimon
Musimon
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb, physically demanding hike with lots of steps! Magnificent views throughout this highly original and varied route.
The reward after passing through the forest is an extraordinary view and a great orientation table!
The car park is very close by, so it's busier, but it's worth it.
I stopped for lunch at the open-air café near the viewpoint just before the descent to the sea. It was very nice.
Then, when I got to the sea, I took a welcome dip to relax my muscles and prevent aches and pains... around 16°C, I think.
It was a real treat to discover Sète.

Machine-translated

La Godasse Folle
La Godasse Folle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant afternoon hike. Beautiful climbs and challenging descents with young children. Diverse landscapes including urban, forest and coastal areas. So very enjoyable. Another way to see Sète. Definitely worth doing again, but avoid the hot periods as there are no water sources except for a fountain in the park of the Municipal School of Fine Arts. Thank you for this route, which allowed us to see Sète in a different light.

Machine-translated

auflo
auflo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, perfect for exploring this upper part of Sète. There are indeed a lot of steps, especially on the way down, which can be limiting if you're not very agile or have poor eyesight, like my wife. But it's well worth it. Thank you very much for this route!

Machine-translated

Abeille 74
Abeille 74

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Quite a strenuous hike due to the climbing up and down stairs in the town. The route becomes more interesting towards the end when crossing the Pierres Blanches national forest

Machine-translated

7oise
7oise

hello,
thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed it

Machine-translated

mauruuru 2
mauruuru 2

Hello,

Hike completed on 13 April 2025.
an urban hike that allows you to discover the town of Sète, passing by the maritime museum, the cemetery, the lighthouse, Mont St Clair and the Pierres Blanches estate.
There are no markings, but the route is easy to follow (thanks to the tracker) and takes you to the heights of this town for wonderful panoramic views.

Thierry

Machine-translated

Grugru
Grugru

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant stroll

Machine-translated

mauruuru 2
mauruuru 2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk that allows you to discover this city from a different angle.
There are lots of stairs, but it's an urban walk with magnificent views and beautiful architectural discoveries.

Machine-translated

90rando
90rando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely surprise in the hills above Sète, with beautiful views and elegant staircases.

Machine-translated

titichezleskiwis
titichezleskiwis

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The start of the trail is very steep, but the rest is more accessible. You can take a break in a pleasant spot at the top of the forest section. The walk is particularly worthwhile for the views.

Machine-translated

Fernandez Benjamin
Fernandez Benjamin

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

An interesting walk to discover Sète. Perhaps a bit too many stairs for average walkers.
Crowded around Mont Saint Clair and at the top of Pierre Blanche. Best avoided in hot weather, I think.
thank you for this suggestion. Enjoy your walks! See you soon

Machine-translated

7oise
7oise

thank you

Machine-translated

valy38
valy38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We started from the beach car park, so we added an extra kilometre, but it's a great route for discovering the town's beautiful views. Thanks to the author, I would never have gone there otherwise. I did everything with the map, so I had no trouble finding my way around.
Be careful with your knees, though, as there are lots of ups and downs

Machine-translated

belhadj
belhadj

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very interesting hike...!

Machine-translated

Claraazimut
Claraazimut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this walk with my dog. It allows you to see the must-see sights of Sète if you're not familiar with the area! The route is mainly urban, but there are some varied sections along the coast and in the forest. You can extend your walk by strolling along the cliff top path!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.