{"id":13354,"date":"2013-05-28T08:10:44","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T12:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/?p=13354"},"modified":"2013-07-01T12:29:53","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T16:29:53","slug":"video-tour-montpellier-south-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/28\/video-tour-montpellier-south-france\/","title":{"rendered":"South of France Video Tour: Montpellier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-l38QRZDt2U\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"585\" height=\"329\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In this first video tour of the South of France, we\u2019ll explore the thriving <strong>city of Montpellier<\/strong>! Montpellier is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, just 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of the border of Spain.<\/p>\n<p>The city is well known as a summer holiday destination, but Montpellier is also very attractive to visit off-season as well. Because of the mild climate it never gets too cold, and every year a winter holiday market is held in the city. Culturally there\u2019s also a lot to see and do in the city, from museums to beautiful architecture. When it comes to shopping Montpellier definitely has a lot to offer, as the city boasts many boutique stores and big department stores. Lastly, Montpellier is also a student city, so the nightlife is very diverse. In this article we\u2019ll expand on the Montpellier video tour and show you what Montpellier has to offer during the milder days of the year!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/maps.google.fr\/maps\/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=208857790003288562267.0004cce41b98108258ae5&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=m&amp;ll=43.616442,3.881264&amp;spn=0.049711,0.10025&amp;z=13&amp;iwloc=0004cce42b52fb675c333&amp;output=embed\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"585\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Explore the Area Around the Place de la Com\u00e9die in Montpellier<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13359\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/montpellier-opera-house-place-comedie-france.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Montpellier\u2019s Op\u00e9ra Com\u00e9die\" width=\"585\" height=\"389\" \/>\n\t<div>The Op\u00e9ra Com\u00e9die in Montpellier<\/div>\n<\/div>The tour kicks off at the well-known square, the Place de la Com\u00e9die. This is the main square of Montpellier, and it\u2019s often considered to be the heart of the city. The square is named after the Op\u00e9ra Com\u00e9die, which is located at the southwest side of the square. Directly facing the Op\u00e9ra is the Three Graces Fountain, which is over 200 years old. Around the square you\u2019ll find many cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces where you can enjoy a glass of wine while overlooking the square. In wintertime the Place de la Com\u00e9die is turned into one big Christmas Market. To the northeast of the square you\u2019ll find the Esplanade de Charles de Gaulle, which is a nice small park.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discover the Mus\u00e9e Fabre<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13357\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/montpellier-gallery-indise-museum-fabre.jpg\" alt=\"Image of a gallery in Montpellier\u2019s Mus\u00e9e Fabre\" width=\"585\" height=\"439\" \/>\n\t<div>One of the galleries in the Mus\u00e9e Fabre in Montpellier<\/div>\n<\/div>Right next to the park and just two blocks north of the Place de la Com\u00e9die is the Mus\u00e9e Fabre. Founded by the painter Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Fabre in 1825, the museum has now become one of the largest in the South of France. The museum displays artwork from the 17th Century to the 20th Century, and even has a gallery promoting modern art. The museum was recently completely renovated, and the result is definitely something to see. The Mus\u00e9e Fabre is open every day of the week except on Mondays, and the general admission price for the permanent collections is just 6 euros.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shopping at the Polygone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re up for an afternoon of shopping after soaking up some culture, the large shopping center Polygon just east of the Place de la Com\u00e9die is the place to go. The Polygon houses several global brand stores such as H&amp;M and Zara, but also features many great French fashion stores. Probably the best known of these is the Galeries Lafayette department store, which has its famous flagship store in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to be able to quickly drop all your newly acquired things at home before heading off into the city again, why not stay in a <a title=\"Vacation Rentals in Montpellier\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/south-france-apartment\/vacation\/montpellier-region\">vacation rental apartment in Montpellier<\/a>? By staying in an apartment you\u2019ll have much more space, and you\u2019ll be able to feel what it\u2019s like to live in Montpellier like a local! You\u2019ll also be able to prepare your own French cuisine in your vacation rental apartment, which can save you a lot of money on restaurants!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Head into the Ecusson: Montpellier\u2019s City Center<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13355\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/tour-babote-montpellier-french-architecture-ecusson-neighborhood.jpg\" alt=\"Image of an old French building in Montpellier\u2019s Ecusson\" width=\"585\" height=\"395\" \/>\n\t<div>Old French architecture in Montpellier\u2019s Ecusson<\/div>\n<\/div>The Ecusson is the historical city center of Montpellier. The city center boasts many great French boutique stores, fantastic restaurants, cute cafes and lots of cobblestoned winding streets. One of the main streets of the city center, Rue Foch, leads west to Montpellier\u2019s own Arc de Triomphe. The grand Arc is definitely a sight to see, as is the Promenade Peyrou next to the Arc. The Promenade Peyrou is the highest point of Montpellier, and as such gives you a great view of the surrounding hillside as well as the ancient aqueduct that leads here. To find out more about what to see and do in the city center, check out <a title=\"48 Hours in and around Montpellier\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/12\/48-hours-montpellier-south-france\/\">48 Hours in Montpellier<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shopping and Leisure at the Odysseum<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13358\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/montpellier-odysseum-mall-shopping-center-leisure.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Montpellier\u2019s Odysseum\" width=\"585\" height=\"385\" \/>\n\t<div>The modern Odysseum in Montpellier<\/div>\n<\/div>For lovers of more modern architecture, the Odysseum complex is a place to explore. The Odysseum was built in a new urban style, and combines a big shopping center with fun activities. As such, the building houses a large aquarium, a planetarium, a bowling alley, a rock climbing wall and an ice-skating rink in wintertime. Furthermore, the Odysseum houses stores such as H&amp;M, Zara, Ikea and Apple. The complex also includes 16 different restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to get to the Odysseum is to take tramway 1. Incidentally, the tram is a great way to travel around Montpellier, as it goes to all corners of the city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Modern City Planning: Montpellier\u2019s City Hall &amp; Antigone<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"img aligncenter size-full wp-image-13356\" style='width:585px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/montpellier-antigone-neighborhood-aerial-view.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Montpellier\u2019s Antigone neighborhood\" width=\"585\" height=\"404\" \/>\n\t<div>The Antigone neighborhood in Montpellier<\/div>\n<\/div>For another display of modern architecture, pay a visit to the brand-new City Hall. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the contemporary glass building is loosely based on the Arc de Triomphe. The main hall, as well as the surrounding grounds, is open for the public to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Antigone is an older but still quite innovative display of architecture. Architect Ricardo Bofill designed the Antigone neighborhood as one big project. The buildings in the neighborhood were designed in the neoclassical style, and feature grand columns and pediments. The Hotel de la R\u00e9gion was also based on the Arc de Triomphe, which is somewhat easier to recognize than with the new City Hall.<\/p>\n<p>We hope you\u2019ve enjoyed this small tour of Montpellier. Of course there\u2019re still a lot of great places in the city we didn\u2019t get to discuss here. What\u2019s your favorite spot in Montpellier?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this first video tour of the South of France, we\u2019ll explore the thriving city of Montpellier! Montpellier is located on the coast of the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[144],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13354"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13568,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13354\/revisions\/13568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}