The hub of the city's life, is a colossal oblong square known as place de la Comédie, which is paved with cream-colored marble, has a charming fountain in its center and rows of cafés on either side, a great place to kick back and people watch.

The Opéra is located at one end of the square and the other end opens onto the Esplanade, a beautiful tree-lined promenade which ends at the Corum concert hall, designed with pink granite which also offers great views of the city from its roof top.

Thanks to its countless historical treasures, the city is officially called a 'Ville d'Art'. Many street musicians and artists as well as a variety of famous festivals contribute to its cultural life.

The city’s most famous museum, Musée Fabre, contains a large and historically important collection of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Flemish and English paintings, including works by Delacroix, Raphael, Jan van Steen and Veronese.

The warm, Mediterranean atmosphere is reflected in the day to day life of the town. Montpellier opens like an amphitheater towards the Mediterranean with its long, sandy beaches and the étangs (lagoons) with huge colonies of wild pink flamingos.

Thanks to its excellent location between Provence, the Camargue, the Cevennes mountains and the Pyrenees, Montpellier offers a wide range of excursion opportunities.

The interior is fascinating and unspoiled with many gorges, creeks and picturesque villages. This is also the largest wine growing area of the world with excellent wines to be discovered and tasted. The climate is excellent with over 300 days of sunshine and summer lasts until the end of October.

If you would like an alternative to studying on the French Riviera, this is your best choice!

Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture and customs. Below are some of our recommended highlights. Some tours and packages can be organized when booking your program, please see the program price page for more information.

city tour
In Montpellier, municipal publications divide the city into "cantons", few of its inhabitants are aware of the boundaries of these administrative regions, preferring to orientate themselves by certain well-known quartiers or landmarks. The vibrant historic centre of the city, referred to as the "Ecusson", encapsulates the varied aspects of this diverse city. A pedestrian paradise, the labyrinth of lanes is full of historic architecture, churches and hidden courtyards as well as diverse shops, bars and restaurants. Of the city walls, the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte are the sole survivors of twenty-five towers that once encircled the city.

The main streets meet around the Prefecture and the covered market, Halles Castellane, while the nearby bars of Place Jean Jaures remain crowded until late into the night. For a more intimate rendezvous, seek out the tiny Place St Ravy or elegant Place de la Canourgue. Alternatively listen to the musicians behind the church of St Roch, or under the soaring spire of St Anne - for many a symbol of the city. If the southern part of the centre is well stocked with chic boutiques, art galleries and tourists, don't forget to visit the less frequented streets and alleys of the northern side of the Ecusson. Home to the fortress-like Cathedral St Pierre and once dominated by university faculties, this area is still popular among students. Good bars, restaurants and boutiques here.

Just outside the center lie a number of Montpelliers most distinctive landmarks: the spacious Place de la Comédie. This pedestrianized square and the nearby leafy Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, are home to numerous cafés, markets and street entertainers. As for culture, the Corum conference centre, the historic Opéra the Musée Fabré, and many cinemas are also located here. On the other side of the historic centre, the Promenade du Peyrou, offers superb views of the city. France?s oldest botanical garden, the Jardin des Plantes, is also in this area.

central districts: beaux-arts and boutonnet
The increasingly sought-after districts of Beaux-Arts and Boutonnet are situated just north of the Ecusson, and have maintained individual village-like identities despite their inherent diversity. Beaux Arts, home to Montpellier's first Mosque and an active Jewish community, is particularly multicultural. Large bourgeois nineteenth-century properties, modern apartment blocks, narrow terraced housing and leafy suburban residences give it aesthetic variety.

central districts: les arceauxt
In the nearby district of Les Arceaux regular markets and games of pétanque all take place alongside more shady dealings beneath the arches of the St Clément aqueduct, from which the district takes its name. Originally a nineteenth-century working-class district on the outskirts of the city, the network of streets is home to hidden shops and restaurants. The car park at the foot of the Promenade du Peyrou is free during the evenings.

South west of the centre is Figuerolles, a lively quartier arabe where the music, language and aromas evoke the North African roots of many of its residents. Home to one of Montpellier?s cheapest markets and numerous inexpensive shops, restaurants and bars, this area is off the tourist trail. There are many restaurants and bars around the station and the adjacent Rondelet district. Dominated by busy boulevards, the district lacks any distinct identity, but concerts at the Cargo, the Antirouille and the Saxophone, and the Diagonal Centre cinema, are all popular attractions.

other districts
To the north of the central districts lies an agglomeration of hospitals and university faculties, the Hopitaux - Facultés. Further north again are the green spaces of the Bois de Montmaurand, the Zoo de Lunaret and Parc Agropolis. To the West lie the suburban districts of Plan des Quatre Seigneurs and Parc Euromedecine, site of many modern biomedical companies and research institutes. These residential areas are much quieter than the bustling centre of town.

The western suburbs of Les Cevennes and La Chambette are characterised by small clusters of flats and spacious villas. The village of Celleneuve enjoys a cinema, shops and bars as well as one of Montpellier's oldest churches, Sainte Croix. By the banks of the Mosson lies the park of the eighteenth-century folly, the Domaine de Mosson, and the 1998 World Cup football stadium, Stade de la Mosson, whose large car park hosts a weekly flea market. Recently linked to the city centre by a tramway, La Paillade has a multicultural flavour. Dominated by multicoloured tower blocks, this lively district has several cultural, sporting and administrative centres, but there is no real nightlife.

tour des pins
Twenty five tours once reinforced the medieval walls and gateways of the city, of which only two have survived. One of these is this solitary 23 metre high tower standing among cedars in a small park. A Protestant refuge in the 16th century, the tower was used as a prison during the French revolution and now houses the city archives. A plaque commemorates the birth at Montpellier in 1208 of James the Conqueror, king of Aragon.

tour de la babotte
This 26 metre high tower is one of only two surviving towers (the other is the Tour des Pins) of the medieval city ramparts that once encircled the city. In the 18th century the tower was transformed into an observatory by the Académie Royale des Sciences in order to study a total eclipse of the sun. The tower subsequently underwent various modifications including the construction of the distinctive turrets and upper lodge, and the opening of the lower gateway in 1795. Today the tower serves as a meeting place for the astronomical society of the region.

place de la canourgue
Just behind the busy avenue Foch, this tranquil square was not always so calm. It was once the site from where protestant canons fired on the Cathedral over which it offers a superb view. The adjacent 18th century Hôtel de Belleval was once the Hôtel de la Ville from 1816 to 1971. This site was also once the lodging of religious friars from Maguelone from which the Occitan word Canorga is derived. While passing beneath the leafy nettle trees of the garden, don't forget to admire the Unicorn fountain sculptured by Etienne d'Antoine.

carré st-anne
The soaring steeple of the church of Saint Anne is one of the most visible landmarks of Montpellier. Situated in a pedestrianized zone of the city centre, the church is no longer used for religious worship and today houses a city art gallery which regularly exhibits the work of artists from Montpellier and elsewhere. The artwork tends to be contemporary, including painting, photography and sculpture.

cathédrale saint-pierre
Despite lying in a relatively out of the way part of the historic city centre, and unknown even to many residents of Montpellier, the exterior of Saint Pierre Cathedral is distinguished by its twin towers rising above the surrounding buildings. The current entrance is by the unassuming doorway in Rue du Cardinal Cabrières, next to which one can still distinguish the marks of shots fired by Royalist troops in 1815. Worth noting is the recent restoration of 19th century stained glass windows and the many paintings, most notably the demise of Simon le Magicien by Sébastien Bourbon (1621).

place st-ravy
At the crossroads of four streets, this little square was created at the end of the 19th century, revealing an old facade of the adjacent Hôtel de Jacquet bearing the vestiges of 14th century gothic windows and the colourful fresco. The enormous residence was built in the 18th century and among its many names was called the Palace of the Kings of Aragon and Majorca. Crowned by a large fountain the falling water renders the square a marvellous and unexpected oasis in the centre of the city.

esplanade charles-de-gaulle
This wide promenade extends from the Place de la Comédie up to the rose-coloured Corum building. Trees and fountains welcome those seeking to escape the summer heat or bustle of the city center.The far end of the esplanade looks out across the northern district of the city and the stairs leading up to the roof of the Corum offer an even wider panorama. On the west side of the esplanade is the Musée Fabre while to the east is the museum's pavillion and the Champ de Mars gardens - within this space are several contemporary statues (notably Baldini's Le Vent) as well as classical ones. The mini-train and horse-drawn carriages also use the esplanade as their point of departure for tours of the city.

place de la comédie
Situated between the train station, the historic city centre and the Polygone shopping centre, this immense, pedestrianised square is the heart and soul of Montpellier. Deriving its name from the first theatre built in the 18th century on the site of what is now the Opéra, this expansive square is the site of major open-air shows as well as daily street entertainment. At the centre of the square, beneath the handsome facades of the surrounding nineteenth century buildings, is the fountain of the Three Graces. You can make the acquaintance of the three goddesses, Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia while sipping your coffee at one of the numerous cafés lining the square.

musée fabre
This museum is housed in an old high school which was itself a former Jesuit college during the 15th and 16th centuries. Today the museum displays paintings of major European artists and schools of the 15th to 18th centuries, including Ingres, Véronèse, Courbet and Brueghel. There is of course a major collection of the works of Bazille, a painter from Montpellier whose rich family lived in a large townhouse on the Rue Jean Moulin and whose fortune supported other painters including Monet (1840-1926). There are also sculptures, ceramics and contemporary works by Degas and Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955).

aqueduc saint-clément
Despite its remarkable similarity to the roman "Pont du Gard", this aqueduct was built in the 17th century. The construction supplied water from the St Clemént spring 14 km away to the water tower beneath the Promenade de Peyrou and allowed the embellishment of the city by numerous fountains. The two levels of arches which support the water channel over the last 800 metres have led to the city district beneath receiving the name of "les Arceaux". Beneath its arches can be found an organic market (Tue & Sat mornings), table-tennis tables and regular games of "pétanque", all of which benefit from the space and shade created by this imposing structure.

promenade du peyrou
This long, raised promontory extends out from the city centre towards the Arceaux district. From this high point the view extends from the Mediterranean to Pic St Loup and beyond towards the gorges of the Herault to the north of the city. A historic site from where the canons of Louis XIII bombarded the city during the siege of 1622, the Peyrou was also a place of execution during the revolution : the guillotine replacing the statue of Louis XIV. Today the site is much calmer and enhanced by continually changing flower beds and majestic magnolias. A perfect spot for a summer stroll beneath the shade of the many trees while admiring the swooping flight of martins.