Stylish boutiques, great food and cool exhibitions… How to spend 48 hours in the chic French city of Montpellier
This southern sunny city is a très cool place to explore
THINK French mini-break and Montpellier is probably not top of the list. Quelle mistake!
With stylish boutiques, outstanding food and cool photography exhibitions, this southern, sunny city is a gorgeous place to wander.
Choose your tipple
Take your pick from hundreds of teas at Si Le Thé M’était Conté, including special house blends, then browse the shop for tea sets.
Cheese bar serves up platters of the good stuff with bread, salad and wine pairings for £10. Heaven.
The hot waiters wearing dickie bows and braces in cosy are proper cocktail pros – the Blonde Bombshell is a delicious citrus and vanilla mix, £8.50, but ask them to create something new, too.
Get snappy
Keep a lookout for bikes by street artist Monsieur BMX, which are seemingly buried into the old city walls.
Le Pavillon Populaire hosts free photography exhibitions, while old chapel La Nef houses art and ornaments.
For modern art displays and a pretty courtyard where you can catch some rays, head to .
After lush greenery? Hit Jardin des Plantes.
Think sweet
Mary Berry would adore the melt-in-the-middle cakes, £2.50, at Boulangerie Des Rêves & du Pain – winners of the French version of GBBO. Brunch at is spesh, too. Alongside eggs, sausage and bacon, you get a fruit kebab, chocolate fondue and a huge bread basket with home-made Nutella and fig jam – all for less than £10.
Book an incredible-value fine-dining dinner in the vaults at , £30 for three courses.
Be a magpie
Hit the streets around Carré Sainte-Anne and Place Saint-Roch for homeware boutiques like and De la Luce, and gorgeous jewellery boutiques including Atelier 19 and .
Miaw on Grand Rue Jean Moulin has locally made porcelain animal jewellery, which makes a cute souvenir.
RELATED STORIES
Lose the crowds
Get a guide to learn about the city’s medieval past, explore secret courtyards and climb to the top of the city’s Arc de Triomphe for brill views. cost from £6 per person.
After lunch at Comptoir Saint Paul under the church spire, £12 for two courses, grab a bike for just 30p an hour and head down the river to see the city’s modern side.
Psst… it’s only 40 minutes to the beach at Palavas-Les-Flot – and it’s flat all the way!
Kip on the square
Following a refresh last year, the boutique-style has bright, quirky rooms with rain showers and chocolates with your in-room coffees, plus an ace spot on the main square Place de la Comédie.
Rooms cost from £75. cost from £50 return.