And finally Montpellier! The city that has it all!
So visiting the South of France and the Languedoc-Roussillon region would not be completed if you missed out on Montpellier.
It is a truely amazing city that has it all indeed!
- Historical part with a charming old centre and the University of Medicine with such an influence that Montpellier submitted it’s nomination of Unesco World Heritage Sites
- Modern part with colourful & different style modern tramway network and booming hi-tech business sector with extraordinary buildings
- Both above parts that just combine each other very well
- On top of that there is more diverse destination, combining city, sea, vineyards and terroir for a stay filled with fun time and discovery
- Amazing lively atmosphere – full of people young, dynamicand, filled with an unique energy
- Nice (French & international) inhabitants who care about their city and love it (you can see it in every clean street, window decorated etc)
- International environment – dynamic environment with many languages being heard there
- Very clean streets, safe areas being looked after the guards
- And it even has a Mediterranean beach! Would you believe in that?
So would you like to find out a bit more about this great city! Let me make a small introduction then and share my observations and experience I gained when visiting Montpellier.
So Montpellier is the 8th largest city of France and the 3rd largest French city on the Mediterranean coast. It’s the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and the Herault department.
It is the fastest growing city in the country over the past 25 years. And the whole metropolitan area has a population of over 560,000. What’s interesting is that Montpellier is known for its significant Spanish population, heritage and influence.
There are so many places to visit that one day is not enough! I had one day and I did pretty well with exploring the city.
Top places I visited in Montpellier and can recommend are:
- La Place de l’Europe so called Antigone located in the east part of the city and looking so impressive!
- Place de la Comédie – the main focus point of the city, with the Opera Comédie – amazing place to be in with the small part attached, ideal for a picnic
- A walk through the historic centre full of many so called hôtels particuliers (majority of them have medieval roots)
- The Jardin des plantes de Montpellier. It is the oldest botanical garden in France, founded in 1593 – SUPER!
- The 14th-century Saint Pierre Cathedral – stunning and amazing
- The Porte du Peyrou, a triumphal arch built at the end of the 17th century, and the Place Royal du Peyrou built in the 17th century – these are my favourite places in Montpellier
- The Saint Clément Aqueduct looking good but not that impressive once I have seen Pont Du Gard
- A number of châteaux, so-called follies, built by wealthy merchants which surround the city
- Impressive looking Shopping Centre called Polygone. Oh well, i could not resist and not to visit…afterall I am a women, what’s more I am shopaholic!
The places I didn’t manage to visit but were recommended:
- The Musée Fabre apparently very good
- The La Serre Amazonienne, an tropical rain forest greenhouse – sounds like a place to go
- The Tour des Pins, the only remaining of 25 towers of the city medieval walls, built around 1200 – sounds even more interesting
- The Tour de la Babotte, a medieval tower
- The Antigone District designed by Ricardo Bofill from Catalonia– I cannot recall seeing it but would love to
- Musee Villa Loupian
- Chateau de Flaugergues -this is a private castle on the edge of Montpellier.
- Parc zoologique de Montpellier
- Aquarium Mare Nostrum
So as you can see one day is not enough. I might come back to Montpellier in the future. There are too many places I still want to discover in the city and on top of that this is a really great place to be and spend time in! You can get the positive energy, you can have fun, you can discover things and you can admire the colourful, rich history of the city. Check out the virtual tour on here and fell in love with the place! And when you decide to go, get your map and guide from here.
