France · Occitania · Cities of art
a young city a few miles from the Mediterranean, with a fully pedestrian centre
Montpellier is one of the liveliest cities in the south of France: medieval lanes, elegant squares, a strong student presence and the sea a few miles away. By motorhome it is a strategic destination, easy to reach from Italy, perfect as a stop on the way to Spain or as a base for the Occitan coast between Sète, Palavas-les-Flots and the Camargue.
Sleeping
You do not take a motorhome into the centre: narrow streets, traffic, pedestrian zones and tram lines. The three options are the ring of the city, the serviced area at the harbour of Palavas-les-Flots and the campsite at its gates.
243 Rue du Comté de Melgueil, 34000 Montpellier
a public car park in a residential area, fifteen minutes on foot from the centre and close to a tram stop. It has nothing for motorhomes, no fresh water, no waste disposal, no electricity: it is a city car park and nothing more. There is a police station nearby, which helps you rest easy.
Port de plaisance, 34250 Palavas-les-Flots
it is not in Montpellier but on the sea, at the marina of Palavas-les-Flots: sixteen kilometres from the centre, about twenty minutes by road. Every pitch has its own electricity post, and there are drinking water, a waste disposal area, toilets and showers with free access, free wifi and bins for general waste and for recycling. In return for the distance you sleep at the harbour, with the beach a few steps away.
130 motorhome pitches
Rue de la Première Écluse, 34970 Lattes
at Lattes, at the gates of Montpellier and four miles from the beaches. Wide shaded pitches, a dedicated waste disposal point and a small shop. The centre is reachable by public transport or by bike along the cycle path, about twenty minutes. We have not stayed there ourselves, and those who have are of rather mixed minds.
Getting around
Seeing
The centre can be crossed in an hour, but between the square, the panoramic terrace and the contemporary quarter you see three different cities. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Square · free entry · 43.60858, 3.87963
the beating heart of Montpellier, a large square full of cafés, restaurants and street performers, dominated by the Opéra Comédie and with the fountain of the Three Graces at its centre. From here you enter the medieval maze of the Écusson, made of lanes, workshops and small shaded squares. It is the first walk to take to get your bearings, best towards sunset.
Viewpoint · free entry · 43.61135, 3.86965
a panoramic terrace above the city, with formal gardens, the equestrian statue of Louis XIV and a view that opens as far as the aqueduct and the hills. At the far end stands the Château d'eau, the little temple that closes the perspective above the basin. This is where you pause after walking the streets of the centre.
Monument · free entry · 43.61115, 3.87240
the Porte du Peyrou, one of the historic gateways to the city, at the start of the promenade. Arches, coats of arms and reliefs celebrating Louis XIV. You walk under it coming from the pedestrian centre, and from there the view opens onto the gardens.
Church · free entry · 43.61319, 3.87413
recognisable from a distance by its porch on two enormous conical pillars, which form a canopy over the entrance, and by the mass of pale stone that closes the street.
Walk · free entry · 43.60769, 3.89481
designed by Ricardo Bofill, a sequence of squares, colonnades and monumental geometry in a reworked neoclassical style, from the Place du Nombre d'Or to the river Lez. It is reached on foot or by tram from the centre along the pedestrian axis. This is the city's most recent face, with wide spaces and water features.
Monument · free entry · 43.61145, 3.86852
the Arceaux, the double row of arches that carries water to the Château d'eau of the Peyrou. They are seen from the height of the promenade, with the lower town on one side and the hills on the other.
When
an international festival of contemporary dance, with companies from all over the world.
Remember
Montpellier · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
The most typical dish, to cook again at home.
Looking
6 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.