Montpellier, is located on the southern coast of France. Its town center has about 250,000 residents, with another 250,000 in the greater metropolitan area. With over 300 days of sunshine, a mix of medieval and modern architecture, a thriving arts scene and a young vibe thanks to the city’s universities, there is plenty to see and do within Montpellier’s “Ecusson” or city centre.
The city’s heart is the Place de la Comédie, a wide-open space featuring the city’s opera house, the Three Graces fountain and the outdoor cafés that line its borders. Just off the Comédie is the Esplanade de Charles de Gaulle, an urban green space that houses sculptures, a children’s play area, a bandstand, and several food, flower and craft stalls. The Esplanade is also the “front yard” of the Musée Fabre, which features a stunning permanent collection of Dutch portraits as well as works by Rubens, Courbet and Poussin, to name just a few.
However, Montpellier works best for the traveler when used as a convenient base for exploring the area. Mediterranean beaches are 8kms away and easily accessible by local public transport. There are frequent train departures to Marseilles, all the popular Provencal towns as well as Bordeaux, Toulouse and Carcassonne. And Montpellier is equidistant from Nice, Paris and Barcelona, each four hours away by train.
Contributor
Christine grew up on the Jersey Shore, travelled all over the U.S. as a kid, was a bagel-eating New Yorker for 14 years, and moved to Rome in 2002; since 2005 she called Montpellier, France home.
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Map of Montpellier