Montpellier
City Guide by Greg Taylor
Welcome
to Montpellier, Languedoc's fastest-growing city
Montpellier
really is special. What's more - very few people outside France have
understood just what a fantastic city this is. Broad boulevards lined
with shady plane trees, a huge car-free central square laid out in the
1700s surrounded by elegant balustraded buildings, even a vast triumphal
arch - you name it, Montpellier's got it. Oh, and it's just minutes away
from the beach, too.
If
you're in the market for chic boutiques, designer wine bars, electronic
music and art house films, then Montpellier is the place for you.
Languedoc-Roussillon's capital city is arguably the chicest spot on
France's south coast, and it certainly pulls in the punters. An extra 18,000
folk make Montpellier their home every year, and the burgeoning student
population (an estimated 70,000) means that the nightlife, fashions and
café culture tend to cater to Bright Young Things, with a reasonable
helping of up-market wine bars, modern restaurants and smart stores
targeting the sizeable community of lawyers and doctors.
Visitors
tend to start their Montpellier sightseeing on the central expanse of
Place de la Comédie, seduced by its café terraces and imposing, 19th
century opera house. All well and good, but to escape the gawking
tourists and Saturday afternoon out-of-towners, hot foot it up the
pedestrian-only sweep of Montpellier's rue de la Loge into the ancient,
most attractive part of town known as l'Ecusson.
Eat,
drink and be merry
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Halfway up on the right, the
street widens out to form a square covered in café chairs and tables:
welcome to Place Jean-Jaurès, home of Montpellier students and other
twenty-somethings (the copious weekend brunch at Pain et Cie is highly
recommended). Head up the street, hang a right just before the
Préfecture (beside the post office) and you'll hit Place Marché Aux
Fleurs; on the other side of Montpellier's Préfecture lies petite but
perfectly formed Place Chabaneau. Both are ideal for people-watching
and a pre-dinner apéro; on the former, Le Café de la Mer is a friendly,
long-established Montpellier gay haunt, while on the latter, Esprit Vin
is the young professionals' bar of choice.
A
multitude of wine bars have recently sprung up in Montpellier,
mushroom-like, and they are a great way to sample the region's many
excellent appellations and Vins de Pays.
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Among
the best are Le Comptoir (rue du Puits-du-Temple), Mi Barrio (rue du Plan
d'Agde) and the Times Café (rue des Teissiers), all within spitting
distance of the church of Montpellier's patron saint, St. Roch.
Well-chosen wine lists, tasty platters (think fresh baguette paired with olive
tapenade, sun-dried aubergines, paté, garlicky charcuterie and goats
cheese) and a buzzy vibe make for value-for-money good times.
Take
some time to wander around the handsome ancient buildings and elegant
hôtels particuliers (private mansions) of Montpellier's historic centre;
don't miss the 14th century Cathédrale de Saint Pierre, the 16th century
botanical gardens (le Jardin des Plantes) and the imposing Arc de
Triomphe lookalike at the end of rue Foch (see below). The narrow back
streets and attractive squares of Montpellier's 'Ecusson' are packed with
bistrots serving southern French cuisine; Place Candolle and Place de la
Chapelle Neuve are perfect for al fresco dining.
With
its two Michelin stars, contemporary décor and vast dining room, Le Jardin
des Sens is the place to splurge in Montpellier, but there are umpteen
more accessibly-priced gourmet options, like Les Vignes (rue Bonnier
d'Alco, just off Place Marché aux Fleurs), Prouhèze Saveurs (avenue de la
Pompignane), La Réserve Rimbaud and its fabulous riverside terrace
(avenue St. Maur), or La Maison de la Lozère (rue de l'Aiguillerie). On
boulevard Louis Blanc, Le Baloard serves well-priced modern French fare
in a funky setting, or for a more exotic experience, try Nuniki's great
value sushi on rue Terral, or the Laotion cuisine of the humble, keenly
priced Bane Lao (rue Rhin et Danube).
Must-see,
must-do
Contemporary
culture is available in spades in Montpellier. Every summer the city
hosts dance, music and theatre festivals showcasing work by leading
international artists. Classical music, ballet and opera are regularly
staged at the Corum and Comédie, but thanks to the tender years of
Montpellier's 250,000-odd inhabitants (43 per cent of the population is
under 30), experimental electronica, leftfield films and challenging
choreography are always on the agenda, too.
Unlike
neighbouring Nîmes, Montpellier does not have a contemporary art museum,
but the recently renovated Musée Fabre has a vast collection of 17th,
18th, 19th and 20th century works (including a whole floor devoted to the
gorgeous paintings of Pierre Soulages) and is the perfect place to while
away an afternoon. Plans are afoot to create a new art space within the
former Montpellier School of Pharmacy, on rue de l'Ecole de Pharmacie,
but meanwhile La Panacée hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary
work: be sure to check out its characterful buildings and courtyard.
Visiting
en famille? Montpellier has two major child-pleasers. A short bus-ride to
the north brings you to the Serre Amazonienne, an Amazonian hot house
full of ferns, fig trees and palms, plus tropical fish, flora and fauna
(my kids adored the anteater, the giant spiders, the bat cave - and the
impromptu rain forest storm). At the other end of Montpellier, Montpellier's
brand new aquarium, Mare Nostrum, is an undersea world of wonder
featuring 3,500 exhibits and 300 species of marine life; take tram line
number 1 and jump off at Odysseum.
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Splashing the cash, bagging
bargains
Shopaholics
can indulge their habit in Montpellier's centre. Many shops in rural
France are traditionally closed on Mondays, but most of Montpellier's
stores are open all week bar Sunday. Well-known names like Galeries
Lafayette, Habitat, Zara, Benetton, FNAC and Gap can be found in the
charisma-free zone that is the Polygone shopping mall (between Place de
la Comédie and the Antigone quarter).
For
more recherché labels, head back into the Ecusson and the side streets
branching off rue de la Loge (rue de l'Argenterie and rue de l'Ancien
Courrier offer rich pickings). A pedestrian zone, this shopper's
paradise is the place to snap up stylish menswear, womenswear,
footwear, jewellery, leather goods, eyewear, fragrances and homewares.
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Hunting
for timeless French classics? Try the Lacoste store on rue Saint Guilhem;
on rue de la Loge, French chain La Compagnie des Cotonniers stocks hip,
understated womenswear, and for ultra-chic kids' clothes, Petit Bateau is
on the same street. The rue Saint Guilhem boasts a couple of fancy
tableware outlets in the shape of Guy Degrenne and L'Emprin, as well as
the excellent Puig fromagerie and the Maison Régionale des Vins et des
Produits du Terroir (a long name for a fine wine and specialty foods
emporium).
At the
corner of Montpellier's rue Saint Guilhem and rue de la Loge stands the
covered market of les halles Castellane, selling mouth-watering fresh
fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, charcuterie, cheese and bread. Stop to
stock up on picnic provisions and then take a seat outside for a
refreshing glass of chilled white wine (un ballon blanc) or a noisette
(espresso coffee with a splash of foamed milk).
And
so to bed
When
you're ready to drop, the swishiest beds in Montpellier are at luxury
B&B Baudon de Mauny, an 18th century hôtel particulier in one of the
Ecusson's nicest streets. Owners Nathalie and Alain de Bordas have
created five stunningly stylish rooms, combining carefully preserved
original features with contemporary chic (urbanites travelling with
babies should ask for rooms on the second floor with access to the well-equipped
kitchen). Prices start from €160 a night.
In the
pretty Montpellier neighbourhood of Place de la Canourgue, surrounded by
cafes and antique shops, three-star Hotel Guilhem (rue Jean-Jacques
Rousseau) has 34 rooms in a 16th century building with a leafy garden;
equally charming is the two-star Hotel du Palais (+ 33 (0)4 67 60 47 38),
or for modern comfort and a view of the Place de la Comédie, there's the
New Hotel du Midi.
Some
history
True,
Montpellier isn't as old as nearby Nîmes, but it does have a rich past
dating back to medieval times when it started out as a farm. The
settlement soon swelled with the arrival of merchants importing and
selling spices. Business boomed and the town grew to become second only
to Paris by the late 1200s. A university was founded at this time
attracting students from all over Europe.
However,
much of Montpellier's early successes were wiped out by the Reformation
and around 1600 the city had stagnated. Leftist traditions have always
been strong in Montpellier - the French national anthem, La Marseillaise,
was born in the university here. Today, though, the city is keen to
present its progressive and dynamic face - the latest Montpellier
showpiece is a state of the art supertram network fit for the 21st
Century which will even run out to the beach.
Montpellier's Top 5:
Place de la Comédie. Montpellier's main square
crowned at its southern end by the elegant 19th century opera house. This
is the place to sit and sip a coffee in one of the main cafés which line
the place.
Saint
Peter's Cathedral. Known for its two rocket-shaped pillars which support
a stone canopy above the main door, this bulk of a building dates from
the 14th Century. The interior though is sadly lacking anything of
interest.
Rue de
la Loge. Montpellier's Oxford Street, stuffed with shops and boutiques
selling everything from chewing gum to designer clothes. It runs from the
Place de la Comédie to the centre of the old town. Another popular
square, particularly for young people, is the Place Jean-Jaurès is
roughly half way down the street.
Antigone
district. This is Montpellier at its most modern. Get here by walking
through the Polygone shopping centre in Place de la Comédie. Using
Ancient Greek motifs and designs as inspiration, this ultra-chic suburb
of flats, shops and restaurants is certainly eye-catching if a little
O.T.T.
Musée
Fabre This is the place to come to get your art fix when you're in
Montpellier. One of the best collections anywhere in France of old
masters from Flanders, France and Italy. This truly impressive array of
paintings is mainly the work of a local artist and collector who
bequeathed them to the city in 1825.
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About
the Author: Greg Taylor moved to the beautiful Languedoc region of
southern France in March 2003 and co-founded the world’s leading
authority on the region for both property hunters and holidaymakers
alike. Click here to visit our Languedoc City Guides page
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