Holidays In Montpellier
Montpellier is a historic university town which is the eighth largest city in France. The centre has been transformed by Claude Vasconi’s modern Corum Conference Centre and Music Hall situated on a landscaped esplanade, and by Ricardo Bofill’s post-modern Antigone which is a new quarter near the Place de la Comédie.
The tramline is a very efficient system which effectively links various parts of the city, and the nearest beach a short drive away at Palavas les Flots.
Place de la Comedie is full of bars and cafes and is the focal point in the city where you can sit and watch the world go by. The main shopping street is rue de la Loge which leads off from here. rue Foch is perpendicular to rue de la Loge and here you will find the seventeenth century Arc de Triumph where the terraced promenade de Peyrou offers spectacular views across the Mediterranean and Cevennes National Park.
Further along from here is an aqua duct which has been modelled on the Pont du Gard outside Nîmes, and the Jardin des Plantes (163 rue Auguste Broussonnet) which is one of Europe’s oldest and most fascinating botanical gardens. (Tel: +33 4 67 63 43 22 www.jardinesdesplantes-montpellier.com
There are numerous museums to visit in Montpellier including the Musee Fabre which has an extensive collection of French, Dutch, Fleming and Spanish art between the sixteenth and eighteenth century; Musee Languedocien: Musee de l`Histoire de Montpellier; Musee Atger and Musee Agropolis.
As well as offering all the amenities of a city, Montpellier also has beaches very close by and just a short drive away you will discover gently sloping sandy beaches which are ideal for families, fishing ports, lagoons (where conservation has helped to preserve the shoreline) and beautiful natural areas which stretch from the lagoons of the Camargue which are full of wildlife and covered with pink flamingos, to the rocky cliffs of Cevennes, the Causse du Larzac and Cirque de Navacelles which all provide very spectacular and different scenery and attractions.
Route maps and details of trips to all the surrounding area can be obtained from tourist information: 13 boulevard de la République (+33 4 67 60 60 60 www.ot-montpellier.fr).s
