Gruissan is one of the most distinctive villages on the Languedoc coast, built in a tight spiral around a ruined medieval tower (the Tour Barberousse) with streets that circle inward like a snail's shell. The old village huddles against the lagoon; a few kilometres away, the beach — where the film Betty Blue was partly shot — stretches in a long sandy arc backed by rows of wooden stilt houses. The étang de Gruissan between the village and the sea is important for flamingos and migrating waders.
Gruissan is 15 km southeast of Narbonne and makes an easy afternoon excursion. The old village is pleasant to wander; the beach is good but exposed to wind.