Montpellier

Get around

Montpellier is a compact city and walking across the whole city centre does not take long.

See

thumb|The Arc de Triomphe du Peyrou

Of particular interest in the old centre

Do

thumb | 300px | The tourist train orbits downtown Football: Rugby Union: Walking tours: many are available but they can be hard to find on the internet. A good walking tour in English can be joined on Tuesdays at the information centre. The advantage of this tour is that they have the keys to certain monuments (such as the Jewish baths and the Arc de Triomphe) that you can't get into on other tours. The view from the top of the Arc is amazing. If you prefer not to walk there is the little train tour that drives around the small streets of Montpellier for about 45 min and offers information in multiple languages.

Buy

thumb|Château d'eau du Peyrou (Peyrou Water Tower), constructed in 1689 For upmarket shoppers, the best bet is in centre-ville. There is an abundance of clothing stores, the most high-end being found on the main streets leading away from the Place de la Comedie and on the rue Foch. For those with a more modest budget, the Polygone shopping centre, also near La Comedie, contains a large variety of stores, including major French chains such as Inno and FNAC. There is also a small area in the centre where most of the 'offbeat' shops have typically clustered together, along with plenty of kebab shops and sandwicheries.

If you like to haggle and want a different experience, there is an enormous flea market every Sunday morning. Take the blue line tram all the way to the last stop at Mosson, and then just follow the crowd of people. The market sells just about everything under the sun, including brand-name clothing, movies (mostly pirated), and the usual assortment of household odds and ends. Haggling is the norm but the prices are generally reasonable to start with. The flea market (marche aux puces) is particularly well known as a place to buy bicycles, although be sure of the quality before you buy. There have been 'some' reports of stolen bikes turning up at the market as well.

Visit Sauramps bookstore (Le Triangle, at one end of la Comedie) and the Gibert Joseph book store (at the Place de la Prefecture). These independent book stores are real treasure for the city and offer…

Eat

thumb|The righthand statue of the eastern entrance of the Place royale du Peyrou Montpellier is very cosmopolitan for a city of its size and has a wide variety of ethnic cuisines available, in addition to traditional French food. The centre features a plethora of over-the-counter sandwich shops and similar places specializing in kebabs (nearly as many of these as there are hair salons and real estate agencies). If you're looking for the classic French cafe experience, try any one of the many bistros near La Place de la Comedie. For a good coffee in a more relaxed atmosphere, there's also a nice café near the Louis Blanc tramway stop.

Montpellier is dotted with eateries ranging from very touristy to truly authentic. Geography plays a large role here: the matrix of restaurants in the town square generally cater to visitors who are optimizing for convenience, but not for price or quality so much. Head away from the city centre—north, south, west, but generally not east—for a more genuine experience. Place St Roch, Place Jean Jaurès and a more sprawling area in the north-east of the city (near Basilique Notre Dame des Tables) seem to be areas with a high concentration of restaurants.

Drink

France is the country for wine and the Languedoc Roussillon region produces more annually than the whole of Australia. There are too many varieties to name here (it deserves its own wiki) but as a pointer for red try a mid-priced pic st loup. The white for the local seafood and especially the oysters is picpoul de Pinet, no need for lemon juice! During the summer months many people stick to rose, but a lot of restaurants also serve chilled red wine. For sweet-tooths, the neighbouring towns of Lunel and Frontignan produce good quality muscat and have their own appelations.

The apéritif liquor of the south of France is Pastis, which, while not for everyone, is a definite part of the local culture. Pastis should normally be served onto a single ice cube and then diluted to taste. There are, however several bizarre permutations of this drink that can be concocted using grenadine, mint syrup and orgeat (almond and rose flower).

Stay safe

As in any other large city, tourists and locals alike are the targets of scammers in Montpellier. As a general rule, beware of people putting their hand out for money. But specifically, Montpellier has a bit of a problem with foreigners who have come to the city to beg. There are several common places you see them:

Collecting for charities: People often walk around with a piece of paper claiming to be raising money for the deaf or disabled. They may pretend to be deaf while asking for a donation and for you to sign their document. If you refuse, they will put the pressure on with moans and sad faces but they're generally harmless. They have been seen pretending to be deaf, then after being refused will walk away talking to their fellow collector. Trying to help you with tram ticket machines around the main train station. Afterwards they will want money for their "service". It's also common to be asked for your change without the help with the machine. Central Montpellier is generally safe; outer areas tend to have high crime rates by French standards.

Connect

As of June 2022, Montpellier has 5G from all French carriers.

Go next

Aigues-Mortes Béziers Perpignan Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Sète