Clapiers, just across the Lez
Clapiers has 6,006 inhabitants on 7,6 square kilometres, on the immediate outskirts of Montpellier : it is the Lez that traces the natural border between the two municipalities. The village has followed the population growth of the agglomeration since the 1960s, while keeping an old centre around its church and town hall, installed in the buildings of the former elementary school.
From the accommodation, 22 minutes for a family outing
The journey to Clapiers is 14.6 kilometres and about 22 minutes by car from Saint-Jean-de-Védas. It is a half-day or full-day outing, thought for families : the village concentrates leisure facilities on a narrow space, without crowds in the centre of Montpellier.
The forest of Clapiers and its water park
The forest of Clapiers extends over 178 hectares, 122 of which are communal forests managed by the National Forestry Office, the rest in garrigue. It is crisscrossed by hiking, trailing and mountain biking trails, with a sporty and enjoyable course. Nearby, a 4-star water park campground welcomes the public all summer, complemented by tennis courts, a water playground, a skatepark and a pumptrack : what to occupy a whole day without leaving the town.
The tomato festival and the Petrols, two local traditions
Each year, on the first Sunday of September, the tomato festival hosts Claude Leenhardt Communal Park. All year round, Les Pétoules de Clapiers, a small fruit meringue sold exclusively in the village, remains the local culinary specialty. The old centre, around the church of Saint-Antoine whose 12th century wall-clocher was inscribed with historical monuments in 1980, completes the visit.
A common thought for families and sport
Beyond the water park, Clapiers has a media library, the Albert Camus Media Library, inaugurated in 2010, and several football stadiums, one of which hosted Paraguay's teams in 1998 and Tonga in 2007 for its renowned lawn in the region. A track game and a cultural walk, the "Paintres Road", are practiced in the family in the village.
A residential municipality with a tertiary economy
With 535 establishments operating as of December 31, 2019, Clapiers has largely turned to services : 151 of them, or 28.2% of the total, are covered by specialized scientific and technical activities, compared with 17.1% at the department level. However, the agricultural world did not disappear, with five farms registered in 2020, compared to 18 in 1988, oriented towards polyculture and polyfarming on 53 hectares. The village also retains its breathing spaces, such as Alban Tasso Square and Agathe Garden, in addition to Claude Leenhardt Communal Park. To prepare an exit, the Tourism-Europe-Avenir-Employment area, located in Ostau, the former youth and culture house, provides documentation on local activities, useful before going to the forest or to the water park. Even the small heritage of the village maintains this link to the land : an old wind turbine, preserved on the esplanade, recalls that before the offices and warehouses, there were mostly vineyards and wind.
Studio or duplex for a trip to Clapiers
For a family coming to enjoy the water park or the forest, the duplex offers two bedrooms, three beds and a washing machine, convenient after a day outdoors. On two, the studio remains a simple option, with its equipped kitchen to prepare a dinner reported from the weekly market of Clapiers. Both units are at the same address in downtown Saint-Jean-de-Védas, which can be booked for one night only.
To extend north-east of the agglomeration, the pages dedicated to Montferrier-sur-Lez and Stone details the neighbouring municipalities of Clapiers.
