Montpellier

Young and vibrant, this capital city is a changing face of southern France

The capital of Lower Languedoc, the ancient university city of Montpellier is renowned for its medical school, founded in the 13th century. Nostradamus qualified as a doctor here, and Rabelais studied at the school. Petrarch came to Montpellier in 1317 and stayed for 7 years. It’s still a city of young people, as you'll notice if you sit at one of the cafes on the heartbeat place de la Comédie, with its 18th-century Fountain of the Three Graces. It's the living room of Montpellier, the ideal place to chat, people-watch, or cruise.

Today Montpellier is a bustling metropolis with a population of 380,000, one of southern France's fastest-growing cities, thanks to an influx of new immigrants. Although some suburbs are dreary, the city has a handsome core, with tree-flanked promenades, broad avenues, and historic monuments. From late June to early July, fans of classical and modern dancer travel to the city for the Festival International Montpellier Danse. And if bending an elbow while holding a glass of wine is, in your opinion, a sport, consider a wine-lover's tour of one of the architectural oddities of Montpellier's wine district.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.