Montpellier was founded in the 1530s of the eighth century AD from the merger of two villages. Four centuries later, thanks to trade with the East, the town developed and was quite an important point on Europe's ever-popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, the place where the remains of Saint James are supposed to be located.
Since the thirteenth century, Montpellier has been associated primarily with education. As early as 1160, a law college was established there, and twenty years later a university was founded there. In the sixteenth century, Nostradamus, the astrologer and physician now most recognized for his predictions, studied at the university there.
The town is located by the sea and as such has many beaches. But in the case of Montpellier noteworthy is not only passive leisure with a drink in hand and... thank God without screens surrounding you on all sides, but a bicycle route, stretching from the Marseiilan-Plage train station, along the Chemia de Sete road along the beach, ending in Sete, or going further, even around the entire Étang de Thau lagoon. You can find the entire itinerary on the Komoot platform, for example. It should just be noted that this is an expedition of more than fifty kilometers. But the bright side of the trip is that you can finish earlier and return by train to the starting point.
A little further north is a notable nature reserve, Les Aresquiers, which, of course, you can also visit on two wheels.
If you are closer to the hustle and bustle of the city and are not fond of out-of-town excursions, Montpellier has a whole range of sights and museums that may interest you. Given that the city is quite old, we'll start with the castle, of course.
The Château de la Mogère is actually a small palace built in the 18th century by wealthy merchants. Surrounding the "castle" is a garden, which is a mixture of English garden and formal garden style. Inside you will find a sizable fountain made of thousands of small shells.
Montpellier has its own Arc de Triomphe. Passing by it you will hit the Promenade du Peyrou square, with its equestrian statue of Louis the Fourteenth and its historic 18th-century aqueduct water tower. Interestingly, an antique market appears on the square on Sundays.
On the other side of the historic center of the city, you will find Place de la Comédie, a hotspot on the tourist Bucket list of every compulsive visitor. This is the marketplace where life happens, both during the day and late at night. It's a place where you may eat well, but also expensively. This is the part of the city you should avoid if crowds scare you.
There is an airport in Montpellier. And it would seem to be the best way to get to the city. So much so that it is rare to hear about flights just to this region of France. Besides, today flights are expensive and can sometimes be quite unenvironmental. Still, rail and coach transportation seems less harmful. Therefore, we encourage you to visit Montpellier by bus, such as Our Line. Coaches Sindbad stop in the southwestern part of Montpellier, at Arret TRAM No2 on Av. du Colonel A.Pavelet, Rue de l.
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© 2025 Sindbad
Technical support, assistance, payments: Sindbad IT