Montpellier City Break from the UK — Weekend Guide & Itinerary

Overview

Why Montpellier for a city break?

Montpellier is one of France's youngest-feeling cities — a third of the population are students, the Place de la Comédie thrums with café life and the narrow medieval streets of the Écusson (the old town, named for the shield shape of its medieval fortifications) hide hôtels particuliers of extraordinary Renaissance and baroque quality. The city gets 300 days of sunshine a year — making it one of the sunniest cities in France — and the Camargue wetlands, the Pic Saint-Loup wine country and the beach resort of Palavas-les-Flots are all within an hour. The quality of food and wine available in Montpellier at ordinary prices makes it one of the best-value southern French city breaks from the UK.

From London and several UK airports it's two hours — Ryanair flies from Stansted and Luton; easyJet from Gatwick and Bristol; Jet2 from Manchester. Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport is 8km from the centre (Tramway line 1 to the city centre, 25 minutes, €1.70). Go from April to October for the outdoor terrace life; June to August for the beach and the outdoor concerts (Montpellier Danse and the Festival de Radio France are both world-class events in summer).

Where to stay & explore

Montpellier's best neighbourhoods

L'Écusson (Old Town)

The medieval shield-shaped old town — the Place de la Comédie, the Fabre Museum, the hôtels particuliers and the most concentrated historic architecture in Languedoc.

Antigone

Ricardo Bofill's extraordinary 1980s neoclassical social housing quarter south of the old town — a coherent piece of urban architecture on an extraordinary scale.

Gambetta & Figuerolles

The most diverse and creative neighbourhood — independent restaurants, the best coffee, the most local daily life in Montpellier.

Things to do

What to see in Montpellier

1

Musée Fabre

The finest art museum in southern France outside Marseille — an extraordinary collection assembled by François Xavier Fabre (a Montpellier painter who studied under David, befriended Napoleon's family in exile and accumulated one of the finest private collections in Europe). The permanent collection covers Flemish and Dutch old masters, French classical painting (Courbet, the finest Courbet collection in France outside Paris), Impressionism and a superb collection of contemporary art. Free on the first Sunday of each month.

2

Place de la Comédie and the Écusson

The Place de la Comédie — locally called "l'Oeuf" (the Egg) for its oval shape — is the social heart of Montpellier: the Opéra Comédie (19th-century Italian Baroque), the Three Graces fountain and café terraces that fill at all hours. Walk north into the Écusson: the medieval street grid conceals extraordinary hôtels particuliers (private palaces of the 17th and 18th centuries) behind plain stone facades. The Promenade du Peyrou (a 17th-century terrace above the city with a triumphal arch and the finest view of the Pic Saint-Loup mountains) is a ten-minute walk.

3

Antigone Quarter

Ricardo Bofill's 1980s masterwork — a kilometre of neoclassical social housing conceived on the scale of a Roman imperial forum, with colonnades, pediments, friezes and a dramatic perspective towards the Lez river and the sea. Built as public housing but with the architectural ambition of a palatial ensemble. The most striking piece of 20th-century urban design in France outside Paris and arguably Europe's greatest social housing project.

4

Pic Saint-Loup wine country and the Camargue

The Pic Saint-Loup AOC wine region begins 20km north of Montpellier — the dramatic limestone peak of the Pic Saint-Loup rises above a valley of Syrah and Grenache vines producing some of the finest red wine in Languedoc. Several domaines (Château de Cazeneuve, Domaine de l'Hortus) receive visitors. The Camargue wetlands — 20km south — are the finest birdwatching habitat in France: flamingos, herons and the iconic white horses and black bulls of the gardians. Bus from Montpellier to Aigues-Mortes (1 hour) for the medieval walled city and the Camargue edge.

Food & drink

Where to eat in Montpellier

Tamarillos

Modern French / Écusson

The finest modern French restaurant in Montpellier — a seasonal tasting menu using Mediterranean and Languedoc produce with classical technique. The wine list focuses on Languedoc and Roussillon producers of serious quality. Small, intimate, book weeks ahead.

La Diligence

Traditional French / hôtel particulier

The most atmospheric restaurant in the old town — in a 17th-century hôtel particulier with an extraordinary stone courtyard, serving classic southern French cooking: brandade de morue, grilled fish, wild boar stew with chestnuts. The courtyard setting in summer is the most beautiful in Montpellier.

Les Halles Laissac

Covered market / city centre

The finest covered market in Montpellier — Languedoc cheeses (Pélardon, Roquefort from the Aveyron), oysters from Bouzigues (the finest in France outside Brittany), the local Picpoul de Pinet white wine and the extraordinary variety of southern French produce. The market restaurants at lunchtime are the best-value meal in the city. Open Tuesday to Sunday.

Itinerary

3 days in Montpellier — a suggested itinerary

Day 1

Musée Fabre, l'Écusson, Comédie terrace, Languedoc dinner

Tramway from the airport to the city centre (25 minutes). Musée Fabre for the Courbet collection and the Dutch and Flemish masters. Walk through the Écusson — find the hidden hôtels particuliers, the Promenade du Peyrou at the top for the mountain view. The Place de la Comédie in the late afternoon for a café terrace coffee. Explore the medieval streets for the best wine bars (the Languedoc wine culture is excellent and affordable at any bar). Tamarillos for dinner (booked ahead).

Day 2

Antigone quarter, beach, Bouzigues oysters

Walk through Antigone in the morning — the Bofill ensemble, the river perspective, the extraordinary scale of the neoclassical social housing. Tramway to Palavas-les-Flots (30 minutes) for the beach — Mediterranean swimming, the lighthouse, the traditional fishing boats. The Étang de l'Or (the lagoon between Palavas and Montpellier) produces the finest oysters in France outside Brittany at the Bouzigues mussel and oyster farms (village of Bouzigues, 25km west — taxi or bus). Return to Montpellier for a long dinner at La Diligence.

Day 3

Pic Saint-Loup or Aigues-Mortes, one last Picpoul

Bus or taxi north to the Pic Saint-Loup wine country (20km) — the Domaine de l'Hortus for a tasting (book ahead at hortus.fr), the village of Lauret for lunch, the dramatic limestone peak visible from every vineyard. Alternatively: Aigues-Mortes (40km south, bus) — a 13th-century completely walled city on the edge of the Camargue, with extraordinary flamingo sightings from the Rampart walk. Return to Montpellier for a final glass of Picpoul de Pinet (the local dry white, perfect with seafood) before the tram to the airport.

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