Montpellier
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Montpellier [1] is a city in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southwest France. It is the capital of Languedoc.
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[edit] Get in
[edit] By car
From the A9 motorway, take either of the 5 exits that serve Montpellier:
- Vendargues
- Montpellier Est
- Montpellier Sud
- Montpellier Ouest
- Saint Jean de Vedas
The A75 is free of charge between Clermont-Ferrand and Montpellier.
[edit] By train
Montpellier's main train station is Montpellier St. Roch. It is serviced by a TGV connection from Paris, 3hr 15m, Lille, 4hr 50m and Lyon, 1hr 40m, Valence 1hr 45m, Nice 4 to 5 hrs. It is also serviced by the Talgo service to Barcelona. Most destinations in Southern France are also easily accessible by rail from Montpellier.
[edit] By plane
Montpellier Méditerranée Airport, formerly Fréjorgues Airport, is situated on the outskirts, a bus service operates to the centre of Montpellier.
The airport is well connected to the main airports of Europe and France:
- Paris
- Rennes
- Nice
- Nantes
- Lille
- Strasbourg
- Clermont-Ferrand
- Bastia
- Ajaccio
- London
- Frankfurt
- Copenhagen
- Alger
[edit] By boat
The nearest sea port, situated in Sète has ferry crossings to the Balearic Islands, Mahgreb and Corsica.
[edit] By coach
There is a coachstation situated in the city centre, less than 500m from the main train station.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By bike
The tourist information has a map Montpellier à.vélo, which shows you where the best places to go by bike are, and also indicates places where it is dangerous to cycle. The city has a nice network of bike lanes, often separated from traffic for added safety. There is also a bike path running alongside the Lez, which starts in Montpellier and runs along the river all the way to the beach at Palavas-les-Flots. The ride from the city to the beach takes about an hour.
Bikes may be rented from the TAM velo office, located near the train station, just past the McDonald's.
[edit] By bus
Montpellier has a comprehensive public bus system. Many buses leave from stops in front of the train station. Buses use the same tickets as the tram; you can purchase tickets from the automatic machines located at each tram stop, or you may purchase tickets from the driver. If you purchase a ticket from a machine, be sure to validate it in the machine when boarding. One-way tickets cost 1.40 euro and can be reused for transfers up to one hour from the first validation. Round-trip (aller-retour) tickets are 2.30. Also, be warned that bus service is limited on weekends and the last buses run before nine o'clock all week.
The most notable bus lines for visitors are line 28, which runs from the Port Marianne tram station to the beach at Palavas les Flots, and L'Amigo late night bus, which runs from the main bus stop in front of the train station to the nightclubs on the outskirts of town. Please note that the 28 is often crowded, and that in addition, the last stop is actually a twenty-minute walk from the beach itself. Still, this is the best way to get to the beach if you do not have a car.
For more information, see the website for Montpellier Transport.
[edit] By car
There are several parking lots in the city centre. However, it is inadvisable to travel in the city centre by car, it gets busy, you will get stuck in traffic and it's not very well signposted. Also, many areas of Montpellier are currently undergoing large-scale construction, and there is a large pedestrian-only zone in the centre that makes getting around by car almost impossible for non-residents. Your best bet is to park by a tram station and travel in by tram.
[edit] By tram
The Montpellier tram service features two lines that form an 'X' across the center of town. A third is currently being planned.
The trams tend to be very pleasant way of travelling across the city, they are clean, comfortable, and offer a better view of the city as a whole than traveling on buses. Trams arrive every three to five minutes at peak hours but less frequently at night, once every fifteen minutes. One major advantage of the tram is that it operates until midnight, making much more of the city easily accessible after dark. Ticket prices are the same as for the buses and the tickets are interchangeable.
Purchase tickets before boarding. A day pass is available, and recommended for anyone who plans to see anything outside of the centre. Longer-term passes are available as well from the TaM office situated across from the train station.
[edit] See
Of particular interest downtown,
- La Place Royale du Peyrou
- Les Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden)
- La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, L'Ecole de Médecine, and Le Musée d'Anatomie
- L'Hôtel des Trésoriers de la Bourse
- La Place de la Comédie
- Musee Fabre - art museum.
[edit] Do
- Visit Sauramps bookstore (Le Triangle, at one end of la Comedie) and the Gibert Joseph bookstore (at the Place de la Prefecture). These independent bookstores are real treasure for the city and offer a wide variety of topics and languages.
- Hear music. Montpellier is a large university town and receives many music festivals, mostly during the summer.
- See a film at one of the many small theaters. Student discounts available and the selection is great.
- Take a walk on the Esplanade one day when the weather is nice, (most of the time). Lined with trees, benches, a couple of outdoor restaurants, and often the tents of a market selling clothing and food, the Esplanade is a lovely place to spend the afternoon. Eat a crepe, watch the people go by.
[edit] Buy
For upscale 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. For those with a more modest budget, the Polygone shopping center, 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 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.
[edit] Eat
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' (referred to in North America as donairs or gyros). 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 cafe near the Louis Blanc tramway stop.
[edit] Drink
France is the country for wine, and the Languedoc region's wine production has been improving its reputation for several years now. It is often possible to get quality wine for a lower price than one would pay for wines from other regions of France such a Bordeaux. The regional specialty tends to be rose or blush wines. Frontignan, a small town near Montpellier, is particularly known for its muscat, a very sweet wine.
The typical 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 by pouring a small amount into a glass and then mixing it with three or four times the same volume of cold water. The taste is somewhat similar to licorice. If you want to really want to drink like a native, this is the way to go.
[edit] Bars
- The Greyhound Pub, Place de la Comedie. English themed pub that serves a wide variety of beers and other alcoholic drinks. Very friendly service, especially for English people.
- Le Macadam, located Rue des Deux Ponts. not far from the railway station and the famous rockstore. With a nice international atmosphere (with special "american", "erasmus" nights), ideal for students. It has a pub part on the ground level, and a "club" part in the basement. [2]
- The Martin's Club, 8 Rue de la Monnaie. A cosy, exotic lounge bar that proposes a wide range of exotic coctails, narguiles (hookah pipes), teas, and a lot of themed parties. The staff is very friendly. [3]
- Le Corto Hole in the wall located near the Faculte de Medicine in the centre. Quality beer and a must for anyone who likes the atmosphere of a small bar. Be sure to check out the basement - one table has been jammed into a tiny grotto for a literal 'hole in the wall' experience.
[edit] Clubs
- Oxymore - R'n'B/Dance music with cheap drinks.
- Cargo - Dance music, affordable drinks, located near the train station in the center of town. Student friendly.