Montpellier in France bubbles with history and vitality, thanks to student population
Our guide Yulia is leading us through the buzzy streets of Montpellier, where teens and 20-somethings are breezing past us on foot, on bicycles, on electric scooters and on the trams that trundle along palm tree-lined boulevards.
The population of Montpellier is 300,000 and about a quarter are students. The youthful zest is appropriate for a place that is, says Yulia, really 'a baby of a city - especially compared to somewhere like Nimes'.
While Nimes - an hour's drive east of here - is famed for its ancient Roman legacy, Montpellier was 'only' founded in AD985.
Now France's seventh biggest city, it eludes the radars of many travellers but on this Albatross tour, we're using it as a base to explore a swathe of the country's south, day tripping to the likes of Nimes and Avignon and returning to Montpellier for evening strolls and alfresco wining and dining in its tree-shaded streets, squares and courtyards.
This morning, however, we are enjoying a guided walk with Yulia, who leads us through the city's oldest district, L'Ecusson. In French, that translates to a type of shield, which is fitting as that's roughly the shape of the enclave, where there's a beguiling blend of the old and the new.
Yulia pauses outside spots of interest (including the birthplace of St Roch, Montpellier's patron saint) and she leads us into interesting nooks that we'd otherwise miss (notably a 13th century basement mikvah, a Jewish bath used for purification rituals).
Montpellier has long been a melting pot. While many of today's residents have family roots in France's former African and Caribbean colonies and overseas departments, the city was cosmopolitan even in the Middle Ages, when it was home to Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations and on the pilgrimage route between Rome and Santiago de Compostela.
With the Mediterranean coast just 10km away (and accessible via the River Lez), it was a thriving trading hub too, especially for spices and textiles.
Also key to the city's development was its university, officially established in 1220, and issued a papal bull by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289. Montpellier excelled (and still does) in law and medicine.
Perhaps the most famous person to study here was the 16th century astrologer, physician and apothecary Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus.
There are statues and busts of other esteemed alumni in and around the city's historic university buildings, like the Faculty of Medicine, the oldest practising medical school in the world.
It neighbours the 14th century gothic cathedral and the city's botanical gardens, which are the oldest in France. Called the Jardin des Plantes, they were founded by King Henri IV in 1593 and are flush with species from across the globe.
Our walk with Yulia has opened up new avenues and alternative spots in Montpellier and the good news for us is that, as well as our outings to other places in the south of France, we still have several more days and evenings to savour this delightful, sun-kissed city.
+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Albatross Tours. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.
+ A five-night stay in Montpellier is included on Albatross' 16-day La Grande France Tour, which begins in Paris and ends in Nice. It is priced at $10,987 per person (based on two sharing) or $14,087 (solo) and has departures on August 17 and August 31, 2025. See
albatrosstours.com.au
+ If visiting Montpellier independently, you can take the train here from Paris in about three and a half hours. For times and tickets, see
sncf-connect.com
+ For more information on visiting Montpellier, and for details on official guided walking tours, see
montpellier-france.com
+ To help plan a trip to France, see
france.fr
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