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Department of Tourism Herault - Site includes information on accommodations, holiday offers, wine & food, outdoor activities, a searchable list of museums, gardens and parks under culture. The website has an English version. |
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Montpellier, France
The Office of Tourism has as website at www.ot-montpellier.fr with a English version. There is a section on Events-Festivals that will keep you up-to-date on what’s going on. In addition there is information on museums, parks, restaurants and all that good stuff one needs to know while exploring this beautiful city. Check out the Montpellier City Pass, it is good value for your money. The carpark under the the Place de la Comédie is central and convenient. When you walk up the steps from the carpark the Tourist Office is located nearby at Allee Jean de latte de Tassigny, Espanade de Comedie Tele: 04 67 60 60 60 (northeast of the Place de la Comedie, alongside the park the runs parell with the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle). The Musee Fabre reopened in 2007 after an extensive renovation. Given it it is a provincial museum the collection is surprising good and spans the 15th century to the 21st century. There is a room with paintings by by Frederic Bazille who was born in Montpellier and tragically died at the age of 28 in the Franco Prussian War. Bazille was friends with Monet and Sisley and shared a studio with Renoir. The museum also has works by Gustave Courbet. The building is of interest as well with a mix of new and old architecture. Originally the building was a Jesuit College and today one of the best museums in the south of France. Around the church of St-Roch in the medieval part of the city you will find boutiques and restaurants. The church itself has a lovely stained glass window above the altar. If you are planning on seeing a concert or some other cultural activity in the evening you probably will not be able to have dinner because most restaurants don’t start serving until around 7:00 (at the earliest) and usually don’t stay open past 10:00. Some bars/brassiers do start serving food early, but once again most people have drinks around 6:00 and tend to eat later. What I like to do it have a decent sized lunch at a nice restaurant around 1:00. Most restaurants serve lunch between 12:00 and 2:00. Around 6:00 or 7:00 before the concert I will stop off at a cafe for a coffee and light desert. After the concert if I am feeling peckish I will stop in at a brassier (most are usually open late ) for something light. Some restaurants in the summer do stay open late, but Montpellier is not Paris, London or New York. For those who are not staying in Montpellier and who have a least a hour drive it might be good idea to spend the night in Montpellier. On my last trip I attended a concert and it did not end till around 10:30. I was not staying in Montpellier and I did not arrive back where I was staying until around 12:00. A long drive after a concert is not fun. It would have been much easier had I spent the night in Montpellier. Restaurants: La Diligence, 2 pl Petrarque Tele: 04 67 66 12 21. Cuisine: Regional. Great ambiance. The stone vaulted ceiling in fabulous and the homemade duck foie gras is especially good. Click on the link to their website and take a look at menu. Moderately priced. La Posada, 20 rue du Petit-St-Jean Tele: 04 67 66 21 25. Moderately priced. Cuisine: Provencal and Mediterranean. Casual and friendly. Reservations advisable. Le Petti Jardin, 20 Street Jean-Jacques Rousseau Tele: 04 67 60 78 78. Moderate to expensive. Regional cuisine with a twist. Oozes atmosphere. The dining room overlooks a beautiful garden with a fine view of the cathedral. If the weather is nice and they are seating in the garden I would opt for it. Reservations recommended. Entertainment: Orchestre National Montpellier Languedic-Roussillon performs in the L’Corum. I have attended twol concerts and enjoyed them both. I do hope one day to attend a concert, dance performance or an opera in the rather grand Opera Comedia. I adore old opera houses built in the 1800’s. For performance schedules and information on the opera houses go to www.opera-montpellier.com. The website is only in French. Festivals: Printemps des Comédiens - June & July -Includes theatre productions at the Chateau d’O Festival International Montpellier - June & July - Dance Festival Radio France et Montpellier - July - Music Festival International du Cinema Mediterranean - October - Film
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Pezenas www.paysdepezenas.net Office of Tourism for the town Pezenas. The website is in only in French. |
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Sete Vieux Port, France Along the Quai General-Duran there are restaurants and bars buzzing with activity. Between Sete and Le Cap d’Ade there are 20 kilometers of sandy beaches. For more information go to the Office of Tourism’s website at www.ot-sete.fr (there is an English version). Beaches/Resorts: France La Grande Motte is a seaside resort complex built in the 1960s s right near Montpellier. The website has an English version. Palavas-les-flots beach is down from La Grande Motte. To get there you can take a Montpellier city bus. Le Cap d’Agde (there is an English version of the website) is another resort area about 54 kilometers from Montepellier. The website has an English version. The Regional Tourism Committee of Languedoc-Roussillon a website that has a section of beaches/resorts of the region. For more information go to www.sunframe.com (there is an English version of the website). |
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