Nicolas Bonzom has been covering Montpellier news for eleven years for 20 minutes, and twenty years that he has been pacing this city up and down, since he fell for it, when he was a student at the University of Letters. So Clapas (the small name of the sub-prefecture of Hérault), this Montpellier resident with the accent of Carcassonne knows it, almost by heart.
If you had to describe your city in a few sentences…
Montpellier is so plural that it is difficult to describe it in a few words. It has, first of all, the assets of a big city, and it is impossible to get bored there, so much it is full of wine cellars, musical bars, bouis-bouis, huts or small musical or theatrical scenes. It is not for nothing that it is one of the most student metropolises in France. But, surprisingly, even if buildings are springing up there like mushrooms, this metropolis has managed to remain (for now!) on a human scale. We walk up and down its Ecusson without ending up on the kneecaps, and, by knowing good spots, we manage to get green, far from the crowd. And then Montpellier, it is, when the beautiful days arrive, a warm atmosphere, which makes you want to never leave it.
What is the place not to be missed?
Place de la Comédie, of course. This is where, for decades, Montpellier residents meet, at the foot of the Three Graces. This is where we meet, among friends, for an aperitif. This is where Tinder dates first meet. And it is there that the disputes are born, since the revolt of the wine growers, in 1907, until the last demonstrations against the Reform of the pensions.
What is the must-see neighborhood?
It depends for what ! For a coffee (or for the traditional Sunday brunch), the Canourgue is the place to be. This magnificent place, in the heart of the Ecusson, is full of sunny terraces, to fill up with vitamin D. To drink a little mousse, it is rather in Saint-Roch that it happens. In this district dominated by the church of the same name, we are halfway between the warmth of the Lyonnais Bouchons and the fervor of the English bars. If it’s an architectural stroll you’re looking for, head to Port-Marianne. This district hypewhich should have been a real marina before the project fell through, is home to some of the craziest buildings in the city: the Nuage by Philippe Starck, the blue ship of the Town Hall or the unmissable White Tree.
Must-see historical monuments
First, Maguelone Cathedral. This millennial fortress, nestled between the ponds and the Mediterranean, is a popular place for lovers of walks. There is a very special serenity. Except when the peacocks that live on this estate howl. In the city center of Montpellier, the Peyrou is a must. This royal square, guarded by the statue of Louis XIV, is a marvel, especially when the sun goes down. Impossible, too, not to make a detour to Saint-Pierre Cathedral, the Gothic jewel of the Ecusson.
A corner of paradise sheltered from tourists
The Lez. This river, which crosses Montpellier, is full of magical places, preserved from the crowds. At its source, in Prades-le-Lez, or very close to the Agropolis park, for example. Imagine a picnic at Picpoul de Pinet, in the shade of a century-old tree, at the edge of a small waterfall, in the middle of an urban forest. A moment of happiness that only otters can disturb. Yes, because there are otters, which paddle in the Lez. So if you want to be, too, safe from otters, I don’t know what to tell you.
A place to go green
The Cres lake. This large expanse of artificial water, built in an old limestone quarry, is very popular with Montpellier residents, as it is so pleasant. The water is clear, the surroundings are wild, it’s ideal for taking a dip without braving the crowds, by the sea. In addition, there are some very cute ducks that live there. Finally, they are less so when you take out the Pélardon and the sauciflard, because these not shy waterfowl cackle at your feet until you deign to leave them crumbs.
A typical local activity
Summertime. For twenty years, these “guinguette” meetings have been an institution in Montpellier. At the Estivales, imagined by the AOC Languedoc syndicate to promote local wine, you pay 6 to 7 euros for the entrance, and you leave with a screen-printed glass in the colors of the event, and two tasting vouchers, which allow you to be served cannons (in moderation!) by the many winegrowers themselves. It’s the anti-paillotes. It’s ultra-friendly, not necessarily very expensive, and very simple. It is such a success that there are now all the time, all summer, in Palavas-les-Flots, at the Domaine d’O, in Sommières, in Lattes, in Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone or in Salinelles.
The must-try dish
Carbonara pasta from Lorenzo, the Italian from Les Halles du Lez. A madness. It is Lorenzo, a former cook of the brothers Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, who is in charge of this corner to die for, Vitaa al dente, where you eat fresh homemade noodles like nowhere else. And then typing in Lorenzo’s Carbonara will also allow you to go for a walk on the side of the Lez market, a very nice food court, a pioneer in Montpellier, where locals flock every evening. It’s beautiful, and it’s good.
If we had to eat in only one restaurant…
Anisette & Skewers, in Carnon. How did we not come up with the idea before? This restaurant, by the sea, offers its customers the opportunity to devour homemade skewers, grilled over a wood fire, in front of their eyes. There’s something for everyone: chicken, beef, West Indian blood sausage, prawns, merguez (the most incredible skewers, advice to connoisseurs), tuna, cuttlefish… Offered between 6 and 7 euros each. There are even flame-roasted camemberts. Yes, I know, you are hungry now. Me too.
The must-visit store
The Emmaus bookstore. If you like to read books, you will love this shop, located in the Emmaüs center in Saint-Aunès, one of the largest in France. Regularly stocked with donations from Hérault residents, this store has thousands of references on its shelves. There are heaps and heaps of novels, tourism books, cookery books, science fiction, comics, children’s books, magazines… A real treat for those who love old books. There is enough to spend hours and hours there. Of course, it’s not expensive. Plus, we’re doing a good deed.
A typical expression to know
“The Montpellier quarter of an hour”. No one in Montpellier knows where this expression comes from. But she is on everyone’s lips. According to this tradition, any good self-respecting Montpellier resident does not arrive at 8 p.m., when he has a date at 8 p.m. But at 8:15 p.m. It also works for 9 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. Each time, according to this very well-known adage in Montpellier, you should put, all the time, 15 minutes in view of the person who hangs around. It is also customary, in the capital of the Hérault, to evoke this good old “Quarter of an hour from Montpellier” as soon as one arrives in the thick of it. For a friend, it’s ok. But for a job interview, I’m not sure.
The true cliché about your city?
We have the most beautiful trams in the world. We’re not going to pretend to be modest, yes, it’s true. In Montpellier, each of the four (and soon five) lines has a different dress: blue and white swallows for One, flowers of all colors for Two, the seabed for Three and gold for Four, the last two having been designed by Christian Lacroix himself. La Cinq, which will launch in 2025, was imagined by Barthélémy Toguo, star of contemporary art. White and green, it will show plants, parrots, crocodiles, fish, salamanders and human faces, linked by vines. In 2019, the Montpellier tramway was even voted the most beautiful in France, by 15,000 readers of 20 minutes. It’s true that they are beautiful, these colorful trains, when they wind through the old Montpellier.
And the fake?
That one is superficial. The Montpellier residents, superficial? No way ! We are even… Holala, I’m thinking of something, I know a great cocktail bar in Montpellier where they frost the edges of the glasses with sugar of all colors! It is absolutely insane! You absolutely have to see this, it’s going to be a hit on Instagram!
Unusual information to know about the destination
Séverine Ferrer was born in Montpellier. Yes, the Séverine Ferrer of “Fan de”. It’s crazy.
What you should never do when you come here
Ask at the Tourist Office if you can visit the studios ofsuch a big sun. They will answer you very nicely, because they are very nice, at the Montpellier Tourist Office. But, as they keep repeating all day long, no, you can’t visit the studios of the France 2 soap opera. The series is shot in Vendargues, in the depths of an industrial area, and it’s not, unfortunately, open to the curious. On the other hand, the Tourist Office regularly offers visits to the places of the Ecusson where such a big sun regularly poses its cameras. This super interesting walk is led by Magali, a guide lecturer like the others: she is one of the dressers and costume designers of the France 2 series. So, inevitably, her little tour of the Ecusson is full of fascinating explanations behind the scenes of the soap opera.
The object to take in your suitcase
A small solar fan, to be fixed on his cap. Yes, yes, it exists, look this way. It’s ridiculous, yes. But no one will blame you when the thermometer passes 40 degrees. We will envy you, even. Because it’s hot in Montpellier. But, then, very hot. The Montpellier residents are not crazy enough to venture into the Comédie at the height of summer. Or else, we pass there, very quickly, and we don’t stop. In June 2019, the mercury rose to… 45 degrees in the square. So yes, with this fan you will look like a piòt (a fool, a turkey, in Occitan). But one piòt fresh.