Open all year round
The city’s rapid growth and daring ideas have helped it to develop a whole host of medieval, modern, Mediterranean and ancient architectural identities which can change from one district to the next, and produced by the creativity of great artists such as Jean Nouvel, Ricardo Bofill and Zaha Hadid. This makes it a fascinating place to wander around and means that even just going out for a ride on a bicycle is an amazing experience!
The streets here in Montpellier are simply teeming with life. In the city centre, the typically southern alleyways are home to antique dealers, craftspeople and designers, delicatessens and little restaurants all of which feel like closely-guarded secrets. Further on, the main squares are full of the bustle of the many colourful markets with their wonderful aromas - farmers’ and greengrocers’ markets, flower markets, flea markets, books and antiques markets , etc. Indeed, there’s enough at the Odysseum open-air shopping centre to keep you busy all day long, with an aquarium, a planetarium, an ice rink, a climbing wall, a freefall simulator, etc.
The Royal Hôtel can recommend some very welcoming spots in central Montpellier where you can soak up the city’s ambiance as you enjoy a drink, nibble some tapas or try a few other gorgeous little dishes…
- La Chistera: next the hotel. A pub with a set menu of tapas and a restaurant plus you can always be sure of an atmosphere in the evenings when there’s a rugby match on!
- The Café Riche on the Place de la Comédie: a typical bar-brasserie for a moment in the sun
- There’s always something going on at the Comptoir de l’Arc - theme nights, wine tastings, etc. And the dishes of the day offer a combination of traditional and world cuisine.
- La Morue… All the freshness and flavour of fish and seafood, lemon flavours and white wines!
- Les Halles Solanid: good, organic food and a combination of wonderful stews and dietetic cuisine.
Visiting a Mediterranean city means a trip to the beach.
Check out the ones at Palavas, Carnon or Villeneuve-les-Maguelone,
all just a few minutes from Montpellier by bus, tram or bicycle.
Take a picnic and spend the whole day at the seaside!
There are a number of venues catering to classical music fans: the Comédie and Berlioz opera houses (Le Corum) for classical music,
the Rockstore for rock nights and obviously there are the Zénith and the Sud de France Arena for major events.
As for the theatre, the Amphitheatre d’O, La Vignette, the Théâtre d’O and La Vista all offer loads of shows all the year round.
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From Sète, a town built on water, to Nîmes and its Gallo-Roman heritage, from the wild charm of the Camargue to the gentle languor of the Canal du Midi, from the “city of pyramids” of La Grande Motte to the many traditional villages and medieval cities, Occitania has so many surprises in store for travellers and offers a wide variety of possible destinations just a few miles from Montpellier.
If you want to take some time out to relax and just breathe, check out Montpellier’s many parks and gardens : the botanical garden (the oldest royal garden in France), the Parc Méric and the Parc du Peyrou, the Parc de Montcalm and the Parc de Grammont, etc. Young and old alike will fall in love with the free-roaming inmates of the Zoo du Lunaret with its Amazonian greenhouse. As far as cultural heritage goes, the Musée Fabre is a must-see (more than 700 artworks including some by Veronese, Zurbaran, Soulages, Delacroix, Courbet, etc.), as is the Saint-Pierre cathedral (southern Gothic) and the Saint-Clément aqueduct (arched aqueduct).
Like so much of the Mediterranean region, life in the area around Montpellier is closely linked to the winegrowing cycle.
Local producers love to pass on this tradition of the land,
the vines and the precious bottles by organising tours of their estates, tasting sessions and wine courses.
Occitania - and Languedoc in particular - is a region full of amazing views and landscapes. If you’d like a chance to recharge your batteries and rediscover protected areas in which nature has been allowed to run wild, you simply must take a walk along by the Pic Saint-Loup, the Lac du Salagou, the Gorges de l'Hérault or the Circus de Navacelles!
Enjoy the comfortable rooms of the Royal Hotel in the heart of Montpellier.
After a good breakfast, the city and its surroundings open up to you,
for a weekend of discovery or a business seminar.
