After visiting five cities in Spain, we headed north into France to visit Montpellier. With a population of about 322,000 in the city proper and 813,000 in the metro area, it is France’s seventh-largest city. Since 1990, it has experienced strong economic and population growth. The University of Montpellier, not far from where we stayed, is one of the oldest universities in the world and is home to the oldest medical school still in operation. The 80,000 students there and at other local colleges comprise 25% of the city’s population, giving it a noticeable youthful vibe.
The Place de la Comédie is a large pedestrian plaza in the center of town, lined with restaurant tables and umbrellas. In contrast, most of the streets were very narrow, and many were inaccessible to cars.
Click or tap here to view a webcam of Place de la Comédie. You might spot trams coming or going along the left side, next to the row of plants.
Paris is not the only city with an Arc de Triomphe! Admittedly, Montpellier’s is smaller.
This statue of Louis XIV sits in the center of the expansive Promenade du Peyrou. Behind it is the Château d’eau du Peyrou.
There’s a tree-lined walkway with benches on either side of Promenade du Peyrou.
The Château d’eau du Peyrou. That translates to “house of water,” i.e., a water tank.
The two-tiered Aqueduc Saint-Clément leads up to Château d’eau du Peyrou. It dates back to 1766, and still supplies water to the city’s fountains.
The Préfecture de l’Hérault (a local government building), behind a square called the Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance. This was about a block from our apartment.
Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle is a lovely green space that adjoins Place de la Comédie.
Montpellier’s colorful trams run on circular routes throughout the city, providing convenient public transportation. They are free for residents and 2€ for non-residents.
L’Arbor Blanc (The White Tree) is an apartment building on the east side of the City.
Young Mozart at Musée Fabre.
Espace Dominique Bagouet is a small free-admission museum exhibiting works by regional 19th- & 20th-century artists. We enjoyed their current exhibition, The Magnets, by Marion Fayolle.
We enjoyed our visit to Musée Arts Brut, a museum dedicated to “raw” or “outsider” art. It had one room devoted to the works of Paul Amar (1919–2017), who created all of his art using painted seashells. He started creating his art when he was 55 years old.
As we do in many places, we visited the Jardin des Plantes, France’s oldest botanical garden.
After an 8-hour train trip from Valencia to Montpellier (with a 1-hour, 45-minute transfer in Barcelona), we arrived at the train station at 7:45 PM. By the time we reached our apartment and settled in, it was at least 8:30. We just wanted someplace nearby for dinner. We found Bistrot des Musées, a cozy restaurant with a few outdoor tables in a small open space among the narrow streets near our apartment. We lucked out: Dave’s steak, Jeff’s prawns, and the Viognier wine hit the spot after a long travel day.
When we saw all the outdoor dining on the Place de la Comédie, we knew we had to eat there at least once. The weather was perfect, and Le Café Riche proved to be an excellent choice. Jeff’s “Le Chic Chicken” sandwich was stacked so high that he ate some of the meat separately. Dave’s “Le Riche Burger” was generous, as well. The lemon cheesecake with red berry coulis made a delicious finish.
During our visit to Strasbourg, France, last year, we enjoyed the best chicken cordon bleu we’ve ever tasted. We hoped to enjoy that dish again during this visit, so we searched for a restaurant that served it. Surprisingly, there were very few, but there was one within walking distance. We went there twice during their posted open hours, but sadly, it was closed both times. We chose Le Café Des Arts as our plan B. No cordon bleu, but our dinners were good.
Our visit to Montpellier was marked by other unexpected closures, too. Two of the art museums we hoped to visit were closed while they transitioned from one exhibition to the next.
Still, we enjoyed our stay in Montpellier. It is one of the oldest cities we’ve visited. But thanks to its large student population and the influx of new residents, the city seemed vibrant.
Our apartment building was built in the late 1700s. Our apartment was two floors up and there was no lift, so we got plenty of stair exercise. We were thankful we packed light!