Get a taste of the city just a short drive away in vibrant and historic Montpellier. With a rich medieval history, fascinating museums, a dynamic nightlife, excellent shopping, and the jewel that is the Place de la Comedie at its heart, Montpellier is considered one of the best places to go in Europe.
Montpellier's Place de la Comedie on a January afternoon
Set six miles inland from the French Mediterranean, Montpellier was a trading centre with links across the sea in the 10thcentury. Today, you can soak up the atmosphere of 1000-year old stone buildings in the maze of medieval alleyways in Montpellier’s historic centre, where you can find antique shops, luxury fashion and décor shops.
The fountain at Place de la Comedie
The historic centre juts up next to the spectacular and sunny Place de la Comedie, a grand and enormous square built around a magnificent fountain and flanked by the opera house, intriguing shops, and sidewalk cafes.
The Flower tram in Montpellier
La Comedie is always buzzing with energy and is the perfect place for a lunch in the sunshine. You can park in a 1000-car underground lot that you can’t see from the street, and take one of Montpellier’s colourful new trams to explore the city’s ultramodern side at the futuristic Odysseum shopping centre, with more than 100 stores and restaurants.
Clean, efficient and attractive trams in the south of France
The Montpellier tourism office offers guided tours that take you into the city’s secret gardens and historic French places. Check them out at http://www.ot-montpellier.fr/en/guided-tours-in-the-city.
The carousel at Place de la Comedie
Another reason a day trip to Montpellier makes it one of the best places to visit in France is all the family-friendly activities in Montpellier, including an aquarium, the zoo, a planetarium and even an ice-skating rink.
A pigeon at Gare de Montpellier Saint Roch, the train station, surveys his domain
La Comedie
the little people-mover train parked near the traditional market at La Comedie
