Passing through Occitanie and want to visit Montpellier in 1 day ? Here's a walking tour idea to discover the iconic monuments of the city of Montpellier.

The itinerary that I suggest to you below can be done quickly in 1 half-day or more calmly in 1 day and in all seasons. Indeed, its climate is mild in winters, perfect in the mid-season and hot in summer.

Personally, I discovered Montpellier on January 2nd in a dry cold but under a bright sun!

Tourism in Montpellier

Modern Montpellier, built by the greatest architects in the world, has made a place for itself next to old Montpellier and its heritage which tells 1000 years of history.

The centers of tourist interest of Montpellier are therefore important: magnificent courtyards of former private mansions, pretty medieval streets, splendid monuments such as the oldest medical university in the Western world but also green spaces, ponds, aquarium ...

And if Montpellier remains a small city despite everything, given the many sites to visit, it is preferable to get organized and plan two optimized routes so as not to waste time.

And if you would like to do a short tour starting from Montpellier, here is my road trip from Montpellier to Perpignan.

How to visit Montpellier in 1 day?

Montpellier is ideal for sightseeing on foot. Indeed, it is a pedestrian destination par excellence because cars do not circulate in the heart of Montpellier!

You therefore have the choice to visit Montpellier:

• on foot with my 2 routes below,
• by bike,
• en private tour with a guide,
• or, more original, by segway.

My tourist circuit, which you can do in the morning, allows you to visit the must-see sites of Montpellier.

Visit Montpellier in 1 day - Morning program

Here are the stages of my morning sightseeing tour which is done on foot:

• Babote Tower
• Place de la Comédie and its opera house
• Ecusson district
• Place de la Canourgue
• St. Peter's Cathedral
• Medical School
• Arceaux Aqueduct
• Peyrou promenade
• Arc de Triomphe
• Rue du Palais des Guilhems

Morning circuit - Route map

My morning walk is at a very leisurely pace. In fact, my route only covers 3 kilometers.

Click on "More options" in the map to follow the GPS

Montpellier in 1 day - Tour de la Barbote

To start my tour, you will have to go to the Tour de la Barbote. I advise you to leave your car at Parking Saint Roch which is located 400 meters from the Tower.

This tower dates from the 12th century and was part of the fortifications that surrounded the city of Montpellier. This will be our entry point into the old town.

By taking Boulevard Victor Hugo, you will arrive in 3 minutes at Montpellier's iconic square: Place de la Comédie.

Montpellier in 1 day - Place de la Comédie

Formerly called Place de l'Oeuf because of its oval shape, Place de la Comédie is one of the largest urban pedestrian areas in Europe. Dominated by the Opéra de la Comédie, this square is home to Les 3 Grâces. It is a magnificent fountain with a statue that dates from 1773.

Montpellier in 1 day - L'Ecusson

Defined by the boulevards that encircle it, the Ecusson represents the historic district of Montpellier. The Place de la Comédie, but also its elegant residences, the shaded promenade of the Esplanade, its pretty fountains, the pink granite of the Corum, make the Ecusson the most beautiful place in Montpellier!

Montpellier in 1 day - Place de la Canourgue

As you head towards the Cathedral, you will pass through the Place de la Canourgue . It is a very pretty square with lots of greenery and where it is pleasant to relax on a bench or have a drink on the terrace of a café.

All around its garden and the Unicorn fountain are beautiful old private mansions:

• theRicher de Belleval hotel which is now a luxury hotel with a gourmet restaurant,
• theCambaceres hotel,
• and the Sarret hotel that we call the "house of the Shell".

Montpellier in 1 day - Saint Pierre Cathedral

Imposing with its massive facade, this Gothic-style Cathedral is the only church in Montpellier that was not destroyed during the Wars of Religion.

You can visit this Cathedral freely, but if you prefer guided tours, the Cathedral Tourism Pastoral Service organizes free guided tours during the summer period (information at 04 67 66 04 12).

Visit Montpellier on foot - Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier was the 1st in Europe and the most important in France. It welcomed Rabelais in 1530. This faculty occupies a former Benedictine monastery from the 14th century but was completely remodeled in 1795. It is an extension of the Cathedral.

Visit Montpellier on foot - Place du Peyrou

This is a large royal square with a promenade on two levels of terraces. Created in 1688 to house a monumental statue of Louis XIV, the Place du Peyrou is also distinguished by its majestic water tower and the St-Clément aqueduct (Aqueduc des Arceaux).

Visit Montpellier on foot - Arceaux aqueduct

The 18th-century Saint-Clément aqueduct (or Arceaux aqueduct) was built to supply Montpellier with water. It connects the Saint-Clément spring to the water tower (see below) on the Peyrou promenade over a distance of 14 kilometers.

Visit Montpellier on foot - Hôtel de Guidais

The Hôtel de Guidais is a typical example of the private mansions of the Montpellier heritage. Classified as an historic monument, it was built in the 18th century by Isaac Guidais (architect) for his own use. The mansion and its gardens can be visited all year round by appointment: 09 50 44 12 01.

Visit Montpellier on foot - Arc de Triomphe

The Porte du Peyrou is decorated with bas-reliefs exalting the victories of Louis XIV and thus forms an Arc de triomphe.

Visit Montpellier on foot - Rue du Palais des Guilhem

Taking rue Foch (Haussmannian facades and chic boutiques), you will turn on your left to take rue du Palais-des-Guilhem.

There you can admire beautiful private mansions and discover the old Jewish quarter of Montpellier.

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Visit Montpellier in 1 day - Afternoon program

For this afternoon, I suggest we explore the modern part of Montpellier , which was designed by great architects who admirably shaped these new districts of the city.

Here are the sites that you can discover by following my afternoon tour in Montpellier:

• The Château de Flaugergues
• Garden plants
• The Fabre Museum
• Antigone space
• The Jacques Coeur Basin
• The White Tree
• Planet Ocean Aquarium

Afternoon circuit - Route map

Click on "More options" in the map to follow the GPS

For this afternoon tour, I recommend that you take public transport or rent bikes because the distances are further between the sites to visit ...

The Château de Flaugergues

It was in 1696 that Etienne de Flaugergues, adviser to the Court of Auditors of Montpellier, acquired this splendid castle of Flaugergues with the appearance of an Italian villa. It is surrounded by magnificent gardens (classified and labeled "Remarkable Garden") and by a vineyard which has always belonged to the same family for 10 generations.

You can book a tour (discovery of the Château, the Château's wines + gardens): Château de Flaugergues

Garden plants

This Jardin des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France. Created in 1593, it is an integral part of the heritage of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier. Equipped with temperate and tropical greenhouses, there are many Mediterranean species (hackberry, holm oaks, filaria).

The Fabre Museum

This art museum was founded in 1825 thanks to donations from the Montpellier painter François-Xavier Fabre . The collections were later enriched by donations from other patrons and artists such as Bazille and Soulages . Visitors can admire works presented chronologically from the Renaissance to the present day.

Antigone

The new Antigone district can be accessed via the Le Polygone shopping centre . This modern district was created in the 90s to connect the centre to the banks of the Lez where the new faculties and the regional council building are located.

The Jacques Coeur Basin

In the heart of the Port Marianne district, take a short trip to the Jacques Coeur basin (water jet thirty meters high). A promenade lined with palm trees is arranged there with good little restaurants and bars ...

The White Tree

What a surprise, this building is simply amazing. Several renowned architects (the Japanese Sou Fujimoto, the French Nicolas Laisné and Manal Rachdi) have created a real monument!

I recommend going all the way to the top because there's a restaurant and a bar perched on the 17th floor ! From there, you can enjoy a 360° panoramic view of Montpellier, the Mediterranean Sea and, in the distance, the Pic St Loup.

Watch the video: The White Tree voted the most beautiful building in the world!

L'aquarium

Personally, I haven't visited it but I know it's worth it. Indeed, the Planet Ocean Montpellier aquarium is a complex which brings together an aquarium and a very interesting planetarium. It is located in the Odysseum area.

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Apartment rental in Montpellier

A rental in Montpellier? I recommend the Privilege Hotel Eurociel Center Comédie. Indeed, this establishment offers fully equipped apartments just 350 meters from Place de la Comédie. 

With its excellent value for money, it is a good plan for a tourist stay in the heart of Montpellier.

Recommended apartment in Montpellier

If you have to choose accommodation yourself, be sure to choose a safe neighborhood… See the neighborhoods to avoid in Montpellier

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Hotel in Montpellier

Barely more expensive than an Airbnb, treat yourself to a 4-star hotel with a swimming pool located 4 minutes from Place de la Comédie: the Oceania Le Métropole Hotel.

Recommended hotel in Montpellier

Do you like the South of France?

So here's my weekend around Carcassonne

my romantic getaway to Collioure

a great weekend getaway in Marseille

or a stay on the most beautiful beaches of the Hyères Islands