On the last day of my tour across the south of France to see prehistoric painted caves, we arrived in Montpellier. It had been a week since we were in a real city; I admit to being a bit reluctant to leave those picturesque villages and charming country inns behind. Our historic hotel, the Grand Hotel du Midi, was close to Place de la Comédie (Comedy Square).
I helped a friend from Namibia figure out which city train to take to visit a friend when she left the next day. She was not used to reading transit maps in big cities. The lines were so colorful!
Before our new friends all went their separate ways, we walked around the historic city center.
Across from Saint Roch Church, a building with painted windows and doors.
One of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Montpellier was established in 1220. It is known for the oldest medical school, still in operation, with famous alumni such as Nostradamus, Rebelais, and Petrarch.
If I had had an extra day in Montpellier…
I saw the crowd gathering as I returned from the walk, but was relieved to miss the action. I later learned that nationwide demonstrations of Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste, New Anticapitalist Party, called “Block Everything” around France, closed highways and traffic in many cities, spurred by government austerity measures. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd in Montpellier. Dozens were arrested.
Scoping out my plan for the next day, I found the central train station. It would be crowded in the morning.
South of France trip: Saintes, Saint-Césaire, Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave, Lascaux, Les Combarelles, Pech-Merle caves, L’Aven d’Orgnac, Sarlot, Chauvet, Montpellier, Arles, Marseille, Cosquer
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Ruth Rosenfeld 
You captured so many wonderful photos, dear Ruth. I’ve been to France many times, but never to Montpellier. It looks like a wonderful city to explore, especially as it is not too far from the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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Thanks so much, Aiva, my friend! You have a good day as well.
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🥰🥰🥰
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Beautiful!
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Thank you, Jyothi!
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It’s been over a decade since I visited Montpellier, but I remember how lovely Place de la Comédie was. Looks like it hasn’t changed a bit! A beautiful city in the south of France 🙂
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A city with so much history and historic architecture is not likely to change that much. I would have liked to take a photo of the Place without all the people or just a few, but that was not possible!
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I guess I barely knew of this city’s existence. It looks good.
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It wasn’t on my radar at all either, but was worth a day or more to wander.
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The colouful trams next to the old buildings is an interesting contrast. Overall the city looks like it is a bit quirky, or atnleast you found its quirks. Maggie
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I have an eye for the quirky! Thanks, Maggie.
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You do!! 😊
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😄
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The paintings on the walls and windows, and the couple of bicycle fixtures are eye-catching.
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It’s fun to find some humor and art in these otherwise staid looking cities. Some life in the classical. Thanks, MrsW.
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Thank you for yet another lovely travelogue of amazing sites.
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My pleasure. And thanks for your visit and always interesting comments.
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How beautiful 🙂 The street art looks lovely, and I love the fun touches like the bike on the side of the wall!
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Thanks, Hannah! Those bikes made me smile. Nice to see art and humor in a classic setting.
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You have such fun adventures. Thanks for sharing them with us through your photos and commentary.
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It’s my pleasure. Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment.
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It’s always a bit jarring to go from a quaint village to a big city. Montpellier looks like it has a lot of character and colour.
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True. And that’s a good description of the flavor of Montpellier. Thanks.
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Lovely architecture and photos!
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Thanks so much, Diana!
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I’ve never been to Montpellier. It looks a lovely and rather elegant city 😀
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It had never been on my radar, but was a pleasant visit, and yes, elegant in its classical architecture.
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The city seems very characterful and handsome. I’d enjoy discovering the architecture and street art.
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The classical architecture brought out the history of this interesting city. And the art was a nice surprise. Thanks, Leighton.
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