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The Area
The city of Montpellier is situated in the south of France hugging the Mediterranaen Sea. It has an occupation of around 260,000 people and is a cosmopolitan city because of its universities which is home to about 60,000 students. Montpellier is a great place for culture and has a great museum called "Musee Fabre" which is an idealic place for an enjoyable afternoon. It has a range of paintings from the 17th Century such as the paintings of Pierre Soulages. Arriving by Plane  Montpellier airport is located about 9km southeast of Montpellier. The airport itself is off the A9 motorway. There are shuttle buses that can take you from the airport to the city centre and visa versa. The shuttle costs around 5 Euros and takes about 15 minutes to get to the city centre. Some of the airlines operating in Montpellier airport are easy jet, Ryanair, Lufthansa and Air France From the airport, you may wish to rent a car. Renting a car can be easy enough with some of the major brands operating in the airport such as Avis, Alamo, Europcar, Hertz etc. Arriving by Train Saint Roch is the main train station in Montpellier and when you step off the train, you're just a few hundred yards away from the heart of the city centre. It is serviced by a TGV connection from Paris, 3hr 15min, Lille, 4hr 50min and Lyon, 1hr 40 min, Valence 1h 45 min, Nice 4-5h. It is also serviced by the Talgo service to Barcelona. Most destinations in Southern France are also easily accessible by rail from Montpellier. Outside the station exit, local buses and taxis are on hand to take you to your hotel. Arriving by Car From the A9 motorway, take any of the 5 exits that serve Montpellier:
On Foot This is the standard mode of travel for many within the city. Montpellier has a small city centre so walking is a very popular choice for someone getting around the city. Public Transportation Network Trams Trams in France are some of the most modern in the world and they became a talking point when they were shown to the world in 2000. Line 2 opened in 2006 and lines 3 and 4 opened in 2012. Line 1 is 15km long and starts from the northwest of Montpellier and comes through the city centre and stops in the east. Line 2 is the longest tram in France, and is brightly coloured orange. Line 3 runs from the west to the southeast and line 4 runs partially along 1, 2 and 3. Ticket costs are as follows: 1 hour is 2 Euros 2 hours is 4 Euros Buses 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€ and can be reused for transfers up to one hour from the first validation. Round-trip (aller-retour) tickets are 2.50€. Also, be warned that bus service is limited on weekends and the last buses run before 9:00 all week. Eating Out 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. 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. Museums and Attractions Montpellier's "Antigone district" which is Montpellier's most modern part of the city, it has beautiful architecture designed by Ricardo Bofill. Also worth a visit is Montpellier's "Place de la comedie" this is basically the city centre with a beautiful statue in the middle of the square called the "Three Graces" Shopping 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 and on the rue Foch. 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. Markets 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, 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. |
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