A dozen kilometres south of the city by road, PALAVAS is the bathing station for the citizens of Montpellier – a concrete sprawl with little to recommend it apart from the presence of the sea, though there's plenty of summertime activity in the discos and the rip-off quayside bars and restaurants. The best place to swim and sunbathe is a little way to the west off the long flat strand that borders the marsh, where some of Europe's few flamingos feed, and herons, egrets and other sea birds squabble and dive. Here also is the Cathédrale de Maguelone (daily 9am–7pm), dating mainly from the twelfth century, pale and grey and fortress-like on an island of vines and pines in the middle of the marsh. In the Middle Ages there was a thriving town here, and its cathedral was declared by Urban II to be "second only to that of Rome". However, the cathedral is all that remains of the settlement, which was largely destroyed by Louis XIII because of its Protestant leanings. Cavernous and cool, the strong, simple church interior is the venue for a music festival in the second half of June.
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