48 Hours in Montpellier: hotels, restaurants and places to visit in the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon
This south-western French city has a charming medieval centre just 10km from the Mediterranean shoreline
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Why go now?
Bastille Day is just around the corner and the Tour de France (letour.com) also rolls into town on 13 and 14 July.
Between 8 July and 26 August, from 6-11.30pm every Friday, over 160 local wine makers from the surrounding vineyards of the Languedoc Roussillon set up stalls along the L’Esplanade Charles de Gaulle (1) for les Estivales de Montpellier (montepellier.fr) to showcase their wines. Two wine tastings cost €5.
What began as a classical music festival now extends to many different genres, with over 200 performances around the city during the Festival Radio France Montpellier et Languedoc Roussillon (festivalradiofrancemontpellier.com), from 11 to 26 July.
Touch down
Montpellier airport (2) (montpellier.aeroport.fr) is just 8km south east of the city centre; easyJet (0843 104 5000; easyJet.com) flies from Gatwick and Luton and Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) from Leeds Bradford. Aer Lingus (03333 006 6920; aerlingus.com) also launched a new route from Dublin to Montpellier this summer.
The airport shuttle bus 120 departs from outside the airport terminal on the hour every hour and takes about 15 minutes to the Place de L’Europe (3). Single fares cost €1.60. A taxi to the centre costs about €25 one-way.
Return rail travel from London St Pancras to Montpellier costs around £130 return and is a seven to eight hour journey with a change in Lyon, Lille or Paris (08432 186 186; eurostar.com). Montpellier’s St-Roch station (4) is close to the Old City.
Get your bearings
Set about 10km from the Mediterranean, the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon is a city of both the very old and very new. The shield-shaped medieval Old Town is a tangle of mellow, cobble stoned streets dating from the 10th century. Its spiritual heart is the Place de la Comédie (5), one of the largest pedestrianised squares in Europe. To the southeast, bordered by the Lez river, are Montpellier’s more contemporary quarters; the neo-classical inspired Antigone designed in 1978 by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill and Port Marianne, dotted with striking architecture such as the Hôtel de Ville (6), designed by Jean Nouvel and François Fontès and Philippe Starck’s fitness centre, bar and café, The Cloud (7) (lenuage.fr).
Montpellier’s main tourist office (8) is at 30 Place de la Comédie (00 33 4 67 60 19 27; montpellier-france.com). It opens Monday to Saturday from 9.30am- 6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm.
Check in
Right on the Place de la Comédie is the newly restored Grand Hôtel du Midi (9), 22 Boulevard Victor Hugo (00 33 4 67 92 69 61; chateauxhotels.com) with 44 rooms and a Jazz-era tone to interiors. Doubles start at €180 including breakfast.
Le Guilhem (10) 18 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau (00 33 4 67 52 90 90; leguilhem.com) is a 16th-century building with simple rooms tucked in one of the most atmospheric parts of the Old Town, close to the Place de la Canorgue. Doubles from €84, room-only.
Surrounded by vineyards, 10 minutes from the centre, Domaine de Verchant (11), Boulevard Philippe Lamour, Castelnau le Lez (00 33 4 67 07 26 00; domainedeverchant.com) is a refined, 16th-century mansion with 26 contemporary furniture-filled rooms, three pools and gorgeous spa. Doubles start at €330, room-only.
Day One
Take a hike
Start at one of the locals’ favourite places to rendezvous, the Fountain of the Three Graces on the Place de la Comédie (5). If it reminds you of Paris, that’s because it was remodelled in the 19th century in the same Haussmann-esque style as the capital. Bear right onto the cobblestoned Rue Jacques Couer and continue along the Embouque d’Or. Poke your head into the medieval style Gothic courtyard of the Hôtel de Varennes (12), one of 80 private mansions dotted around the Old City built between the 17th and 19th centuries. Bear left along la Petite Lodge to Place Jean Jaurès and continue up Rue de la Lodge, cross Rue Roch and along Rue de la Barralerie. Bear left onto Rue Montgolfier and then back on to the Rue Foch – on your right is the 19th-century, neoclassical-style Palais du Justice (13). Pass under the Arc de Triomphe (14), a 17th-century copy of the Parisian original built in honour of Louis XIV. You will arrive at the Place Royale du Peyrou (15); in front is the imposing Château d’eau monument (16) and stretching out in front of you, the Aqueduct Saint-Clement (17), built in 1754.
Lunch on the run
Join the queue outside Des Rêves et du Pain (18),10 Eugène Lisbonne (00 33 4 67 91 21 15; closed Sundays and Mondays) for one of its many delicious creations – it is considered to be one of the best bakeries in France. Or, order a cheese and charcuterie plate (€15) at specialist cheese shop La Fine Mouche (19), 12 rue Sainte Anne (00 33 4 67 54 70 47; lafinemouche.fr) and tuck in on the small square opposite.
Window shopping
The Grand Rue Jean Moulin (20) is where you will find most of the big brand names. Rue Jacques Couer (21), Rue de l’Ancien Courrier (22) and the Rue Foch (23) are lined with small, interesting boutiques. Meanwhile, the shelves of Le Panier d’Aimé (24), 6 rue du Plan du Palais (00 33 9 83 2998 62; lepanierdaime.fr) are stacked with local specialities; honey, wine, cheese and confectionary, including local sweets Grisettes de Montpellier flavoured with honey or liquorice.
An aperitif
A glass of the local Languedocienne wine should be your preferred tipple and there are few more picturesque places to enjoy one than sitting at one of the outdoor tables overlooking the Place de la Canourgue, Montpellier’s oldest and most beautiful square. You can choose from a list of 32 wines from the local area and beyond at L’Atelier de la Canourgue (25), 3 Place de la Canorgue (00 33 4 67 55 06 65; latelierdelacanourgue.fr). €5.
Dine with the locals
Le Petit Jardin (26) 20 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau (00 33 4 67 60 78 78; petit-jardin.com) has a magical courtyard garden and choice of two restaurants; a more formal affair and a casual bistro serving simpler dishes with salads, burgers and fish (€45).
You can sit outside on the narrow street or in the small rustic dining room at Le Pastis (27) 3 rue Terral (00 33 4 67 66 37 26; pastis-restaurant.com). The short but delicious menu here is dictated by what the chef finds on his regular market trips (€50) such as marinated mackerel, peas, pickled shallots, mint and coriander.
Day Two
Sunday morning: go to church
Montpellier has no shortage of beautiful churches, many of which are hewn from mellow, honey coloured stone. However, the fortress-like proportions of the Gothic-style Cathédrale Saint-Pierre (28), 1 rue Saint Pierre (00 33 4 67 66 04 12; cathedrale-montpellier.fr) is the most imposing. Its origins lie in a monastery and church built in 1364 by Pope Urban V. Mass is celebrated at 10.30am on Sundays. It opens daily from 9.30am-noon and 2.30-6.30pm and Sundays from 9am-noon.
Out to brunch
Set in the old Medical Royal College (29), La Panacée, 14 rue de l’École de Pharmacie (00 33 4 34 88 79 79; lapanacee.org) is an exhibition space and cultural centre dedicated to all things contemporary. It’s also home to a good café (lecafedelapanacee.com) that serves an extensive buffet brunch on Sundays from 10am (€18).
A walk in the park
Montpellier’s shady Botanical Garden (30), 1 Boulevard Henri IV (00 33 4 34 43 36 20; umontpellier.fr) is one of the oldest in Europe, created in 1593 for Pierre Richer de Belleval – it was the blueprint for many that followed all over France including Paris. It’s now part of Montpellier University, but the botanists share its verdant avenues and greenhouses – filled with over 2,000 plants – with the general public six days a week. It opens Tuesday to Sunday noon-8pm, admission free.
Take a ride
Montpellier has an extensive transport system with four tramway lines and a network of buses. The city also has over 120km cycle paths – you can easily pedal off to the seaside. The Vélomagg (00 33 9 69 39 00 99; tam-voyages.com) is the city’s rent-it-here, leave-it-there bike service with 56 stations dotted around the city. The first hour costs 50 cents and 50 cent per hour after that.
Cultural afternoon
The Musée Fabre (31), Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle (00 33 4 67 14 8300; museefabre.fr) is the city’s leading cultural institution, established in 1825 by the Montpellier-based painter François-Xavier Fabre. Its walls are hung with a rich collection of Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and French masters as well as temporary exhibitions. From now until 16 October it is staging a special exhibition dedicated to the work of Impressionist, Frédéric Bazille. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays. Admission €7.
François Rabelais and Nostradamus were just two of the distinguished former students of Montpellier University’s Faculty of Medicine (32) 1 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine. It was established in 1180 by Lord Guilhem VIII with an edict that anyone, regardless of their religion or nationality, could teach medicine at the school, which is the oldest continuously operating faculty in Western Europe. The adjoining Conservatory of Anatomy is an exceptional cabinet of curiosities with a collection of over 5,600 anatomical parts. Entry is only possible with a two-hour a guided tour booked through the tourist office (montpellier-france.com). Admission €12.
Icing on the cake
Montpellier lies just 11km from Mediterranean. In just 15 minutes you can be sunning yourself on one of the nearby beaches like Le Grand Motte. The White Beach (33) is a chic, private beach club with a restaurant and sun loungers for €19 per day (00 33 4 67 57 4098; lewhitebeach.fr).
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