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Prefecture and commune in Occitania, France
Photo: Laurent Mercat, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Montpellier is the principal city in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southwest France. It's been one of the fastest growing cities in France since the 1990s. As a result, it has very modern districts on the outskirts that are in stark contrast to the old winding roads of the city centre. The town is home to a lot of students due to the presence of the University of Montpellier which has the oldest medical school in Europe, and, as such, Montpellier has a very young feel to it.
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Old Town
Ecusson is the old town of Montpellier. Its streets twist and turn under stone arches and are named after the old businesses that resided there. The old businesses have long been replaced by modern ones but the old town has maintained its historic feel. It's easily accessible from Place de la Comédie by walking up Rue de la Loge, although Rue de la Loge is wide and very modernised and you should head off the main roads to get into the small windy streets. Place St Roch is a particularly nice area that is worth heading towards.
A pretty square that contains many bars, cafes, restaurants, murals and Saint Roch Church.
La Place Royale du Peyrou
A three-hectare esplanade established in 1689 on the west side of the old town (Écusson). It contains the Château d'Eau and a big statue of Louis XIV on a horse. It's also very close to the Aqueduc Saint-Clément and to the Arc de Triomphe.
Porte du Peyrou
A triumphal arch inspired by Porte Saint-Denis in Paris. You can climb to the top but you can only get access on one of the walking tours from the information centre. The view is amazing.
Botanical Garden
A historic botanical garden and arboretum established in 1593. It is France's oldest botanical garden.
University of Montpellier, Faculty of Medicine, the world's oldest medical school still in operation in these historic buildings. The building also houses Le Musée d'Anatomie, however this is closed for renovations until 2025 at the earliest montpellier-france.com/offers/museum-and-conservatory-of-anatomy-montpellier-en-3834808
The largest private mansion in the old town, owned by successive treasurers of the stock exchange, it has a grand courtyard, staircase, and garden.
The main focal point of the city and contains the Three Graces fountain.
An art museum established in 1825. It underwent a €61.2-million renovation which was completed in 2007.
Neo-classical architecture district. Built on the site of the former Joffre Barracks and designed by Ricardo Bofill.
A deconsecrated church that has been converted to a contemporary art gallery. The church is in the old quarter of Saint-Anne, with narrow streets typical of the medieval era.
A tower that was built as an observatory on top of the ramparts of Montpellier, it's an interesting building and contains some good restaurants.
Montpellier were relegated in 2025 so they play soccer in Ligue 2 the second tier. Their stadium (capacity 33,000) is 8 km west of city centre.
They play 15-a-side rugby in Top 14, the French top tier. Their stadium (capacity 15,000) is 2 km southwest of town centre.
Take a walk on the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle one day when the weather is nice (it is most of the time). It's lined with trees, benches, a couple of outdoor restaurants, and often the tents of a market selling clothing and food and is a lovely place to spend the afternoon. Keep to the well-lit part at night unless you wish to buy drugs or be mugged or both (this has improved since a new police station was opened close by). The police station is next to the tourist information building.
The zoo has an outside part with lions, bears, etc. (free admission), and an inside part with an Amazonian forest (about €6). Unfortunately, it is closed until late 2028.
Start off from the Place de la Comédie, walking past the Ibis Montpellier Comedie hotel (the tall step hotel), through the interior of the Centre Commercial le Polygone (the large shopping mall), and down the entire Antigone district, until you reach the river (around 20 minutes walk). Enjoy the tremendous neo-classical architecture, the symmetries, the patterns and the scale of it. At the end you can look back at the beautiful semi-circle buildings folding around you from where you came, and ahead is glossy and stylish the regional council building (Languedoc-Roussillion region). There are several restaurants at the banks of the river.
A little further out of town but easy to get to is the beach. If you've hired a car there are many beaches in the area but if you're relying on public transport the easiest beaches to get to are Carnon and Palavas. Carnon is normally recommended as the nicer of the two but it depends what you like. The town of Palavas-les-Flots is more developed with restaurants and bars on the beach. Carnon is mostly residential along the beach and is a very simple beach with few if any amenities. To get to them take the green tram (Line 3) to Pérols Etangs de l'Or. From there you can either walk, hire a bike (there is a Vélomagg hire station right at the tram stop) or, for Palavas, catch the "Ligne 1" shuttle bus, for Carnon catch the 633 "Navette des plages". If you're walking or biking, you will cross an estuary and come to a roundabout. Left over the river is Carnon, right is Palavas. The walk is next to (but not on) a major road and is not pretty. The bus from Carnon leaves from Place de France (Tram line 1) instead; the bus is route 106. Timetables are available to download from the operator's website; Hérault Transport
French cuisine
French
British
French
Laotian
Situated in a small alcove/court yard off the side of Rue de la Loge, it's a cute little cafe/restaurant with a small but tasty menu. A good choice when you're near Place de la Comédie and don't want to settle for the more touristy restaurants.
A Thai restaurant with a French twist. The menus are typically a Thai curry or a large Thai-inspired salad with an appetiser, dessert or Thai beer.
Down home cooking
Original meals and charming service.
8 Rue de la Monnaie. A cosy, exotic lounge bar that proposes a wide range of exotic cocktails, narguiles (hookah pipes), teas, and a lot of themed parties. The staff is very friendly.
Fairview claims to be from Anglo-Saxon inspired coffee shop, but most of that influence comes from Australia, which is a good thing when it comes to a good latte.
It makes a good latte.
Small Boutique Hotel 3 Stars
Free Wi-Fi & phone.
Lockout from 10:00-15:00 every day.
3-star hotel in the centre of town, offering 69 rooms, free Wi-Fi, flat screen & Canal+, bathroom.
Oceania
4-star hotel and spa in a beautifully renovated 18th century building. All hotel guests get free access to the swimming pool, spa, hammam, and gym. Restaurant and separate bar on site.
By train
Montpellier is well-served by trains, with both high-speed services from Paris (3 hr) via Lyon (1½ hr) with some trains starting in Lille (5 hr).
By bus
There is a coach station in the city centre, less than 500 m from the main train station.
By car
From the A9 motorway, take any of the 5 exits that serve Montpellier:
By boat
The nearest sea port, in Sète, has ferry crossings to the Balearic Islands, Maghreb and Corsica.
By bike
The tourist information office have a map Montpellier à vélo, which shows you where the best places to go by bike are and places where it is dangerous to cycle.
By bus
Montpellier has a comprehensive public bus system. Many buses leave from stops in front of the train station.
By car
There are several parking lots in the city centre. However, it is inadvisable to travel in the city centre by car as it gets busy, you will get stuck in traffic, and it's not very well signposted.
By tram
The Montpellier tram service features five lines: line 1 from west to east (Mosson<->Odysseum) line 2 from south-west to north-east (Saint-Jean-de-Vedas<->Jacou) line 3 from west to south-east…
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Montpellier/Méditerranée · International · MPL
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