Things to do in Montpellier
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Place Royale du Peyrou
Place Royale du Peyrou is a wide, tree-lined esplanade. At the eastern end lies the Arc de Triomphe (1692) and at the western end lies the Château d'Eau. Leading from this hexagonal water tower is the 18th-century Aqueduc de St-Clément, under which there's an organic food and second-hand books market on Saturday and pétanque (a game not unlike lawn bowls played with heavy metal balls on a sandy pitch; also called boules) most afternoons.
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Serre Amazonienne
A 10-minute walk from Agropolis, this is a spectacular appendix to Montpellier's zoo. A humid hothouse replicates the Amazonian rainforest. Piranha and alligators swim in the first two tanks but it gets friendlier as you progress. Stars include a pair of bright-eyed young leopards, a family of Bolivian squirrel monkeys and flitting bats. Afterwards, you can explore the rest of the zoo, France's second-largest, for free.
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La Girafe
You're indeed greeted by a tall model giraffe as you enter. Dine in the intimate downstairs area with its ox-blood-red decor and original artwork, or upstairs beneath the cross arches of this former chapel. Chef Pascal Schmitt gets his ingredients fresh from the market and nothing but nothing comes from the freezer. Try the heavenly breast of chicken rolled around prawns with fresh coriander and satay sauce.
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Agropolis
Agropolis, 4km north of the centre, is all about food and how people around the world grow it. Historically, it follows our progression from hunter-gatherer to supermarket shopper. Fascinating stuff, it's instructive, enjoyable and pitched at both children and adults. For this and Serre Amazonienne, take tram 1 to the St-Eloi stop, from where a regular shuttle bus does a circular route.
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La Grande Motte
Further northwards, about 20km southeast of Montpellier, is La Grande Motte. Purpose-built on the grand scale back in the 1960s to plug the tourist drain southwards into Spain, its architecture, considered revolutionary at the time, now comes over as fairly heavy and leaden, contrasting with the more organic growth of adjacent Grau du Roi, deeper rooted and a still-active fishing port.
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Les Bains de Montpellier
This former public bathhouse is now a highly recommended restaurant. Tables are set around the old perimeter bathrooms where you can almost hear the gurgle and slurp of long-emptied tubs. For something light, try the assiette des Bains, a platter with salads, pasta, garnishes, vegetables and a hint of meat. If you're hungrier, select from its prime quality fish dishes.
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Musée Fabre
A delightfully spacious, superbly lit venue with one of France's richest collections of European works from the 16th century onwards, plus seven galleries of bright, dynamic 20th-century art. Its annexe, the recently opened Département des Arts Décoratifs displays in context elegant 18th- and 19th-century furniture, ceramics and jewellery.
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Palavas-les-Flots
The closest beaches to Montpellier are at Palavas-les-Flots, 12km south of the city and very much Montpellier-on-Sea in summer. Take TaM bus No 131 from the Port Marianne tram stop. Heading north on the coastal road towards Carnon, you stand a good chance of seeing flamingos hoovering the shallows of the lagoons on either side of the coastal D21.
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Tamarillos
'A cuisine of fruit and flowers' is Tamarillos' motto and, indeed, all dishes, sweet or savoury, have fruit as an ingredient or main element. Chef Philippe Chapon is double champion de France de dessert and taught a young Gordon Ramsay his pastry cooking. Go for a full meal or nibble on a lunchtime salad (€14 to €19) or special (€15).
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Roule Ma Poule
Like most places in the area, it pulls in a mainly student crowd with its decent, uncomplicated fare. Happy-go-lucky and with rapid service, it has a large terrace that spills over the square and does a filling midday formule rapide (similar to a menu but allows choice of whichever two of three courses you want.
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Chez Boris
This friendly wine bar (tapas €4 to €11, mains €13 to €20), with its regularly changing dishes and wines to match, could just as easily feature as a recommended place to eat. Early evening punters slip in for an aperitif and perhaps a snack. Later, once diners have departed, Chez Boris is also a splendid spot for a last drink.
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Restaurant Verdi
This restaurant does delicious Italian fare, especially fish dishes, in an Italian ambience (walls are plastered with posters relating to the eponymous Verdi). It has an outstanding wine list. Two doors away, Pizzeria Aïda serves pasta, pizzas and salads from the same kitchen and in a more informal setting.
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Pizzeria Aïda
This restaurant does delicious Italian fare, especially fish dishes, in an Italian ambience (walls are plastered with posters relating to the eponymous Verdi). It has an outstanding wine list. Two doors away, Pizzeria Aïda serves pasta, pizzas and salads from the same kitchen and in a more informal setting.
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Caves Jean Jaurès
Scan this attractive restaurant's range of tasty dishes on the chalkboard that the waiter props against a nearby table. A glass of wine? Select from the bottles of the day on the bar counter. Rather more? Pick from the shelves; every bottle has its price marked and the range is superlative.
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Cathédrale St-Pierre
To the north of place Royale du Peyrou, off blvd Henri IV, is the Jardin des Plantes (off blvd Henri IV) (1593), France's oldest botanic garden. Opposite the the Jardin des Plantes is Cathédrale St-Pierre with its disproportionately tall 15th-century porch.
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Welcomedia
This exciting new bar and bistro could figure just as well within the Drinking section. In the southwest corner of the Opéra-Comédie theatre, it's smart, stylish, does great regional wines by the glass and has a terrace that lords it over the square.
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place de la Comédie
With more than 60,000 students, Montpellier has a multitude of places to drink and dance. All summer long, place de la Comédie is alive with café's where you can drink, grab a quick bite and watch street entertainers strut their stuff.
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Insensé
Restaurant of Musée Fabre, Insensé is just as contemporary and tasteful as you'd expect from such a venue. The dominant shade is black: tables, chairs, floor tiles – even the pepper pots. The innovative cuisine is altogether more colourful.
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Le Petit Jardin
The Little Garden is just that: a restaurant offering imaginative cuisine, its big bay windows overlooking a shady, fairy-tale greenness at the rear. The menu, with its hints of Asian fusion, is short, simple yet with plenty of variety.
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La Nitro
There’s a critical mass of discos outside town in Espace Latipolia, about 10km from Montpellier on route de Palavas heading towards the coast. A major player is La Nitro, which thumps out techno and house.
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Le Matchico
There’s a critical mass of discos outside town in Espace Latipolia, about 10km from Montpellier on route de Palavas heading towards the coast. Le Matchico, one of the major players is good for retro music.
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Le Café de la mer
Friendly staff will arm you with a map of gay venues.
This is one of the many terraces that line the city's streets. Inside, the decor is bright and Mediterranean, the atmosphere young and convivial. Gay-friendly.
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Restaurant Cerdan
This much garlanded family restaurant carries a good list of local wines and offers five different menus, each rich in local fare with a leavening of dishes from Normandy, Mme Cerdan's home region.
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Mesdames Messieurs
As much wine bar as restaurant, this hip new venue serves mainly organic produce and has a selection of at least 15 wines by the glass. Its copious Sunday brunch (€23) will set you up for the whole day.
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La Diligence
Dine beneath attractive vaults and arches at this former cloth warehouse. Savour the creative cuisine, impressive wine cellar and elegant rear patio overlooked by a gallery of the Hôtel de Varennes.
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