As part of our early December trip to Barcelona, Nik and I decided to break up the drive from Nice with a couple of stops. On the drive to Barcelona, we stopped in Narbonne, France to enjoy dinner at Les Grands Buffets. For the return trip to Nice, we spent a quick overnight in Montpellier, France where we got a nice taste of the city.
Staying in Montpellier
Montpellier is the third-largest French city near the Mediterranean coast, behind Marseille and Nice, and the seventh-largest city of France overall.
The drive from Barcelona was pretty easy until we got a tad lost finding the hotel entrance. Once we sorted that out, we checked into the Courtyard by Marriott Montpellier. It was fine for the night and conveniently located by the Montpellier tram system which we used to get into city center.
Related: Read about our experience at Les Grands Buffets!
Montpellier Christmas Market
We chose to stay in Montpellier partly so we could check out its Christmas market. It was quite cute, though much smaller than the one in Nice.
Located in Place Royale du Peyrou, the market offered a few food and drink options including the usuals – pretzels, raclette, beer and a Champagne stand.
We enjoyed strolling through the market and seeing the different views around the city.
Montpellier Water Tower and Aqueduct
The Christmas market entry is just across from the Arc de Triomphe while the back of the market is located by a water tower which leads to the Saint-Clément Aqueduct, an 18th century aqueduct.
The Saint-Clément Aqueduct, also known as the Arceaux Aqueduct, draws its name from the double layer of arches extending over 800 meters.
Both landmarks are stunning, and it’s incredible to see their preservation despite being centuries-old.
On one side of the aqueduct is a photo of Jean Moulin, considered a hero of the French Resistance for his efforts to unify the different resistance groups into a single organization under General Charles de Gaulle.
In 1943, Moulin and several fellow Resistance leaders were arrested in a suburb of Lyon. Many theories circulate as to what exactly happened, including who may have betrayed them. They were sent to Montluc prison in Lyon where Moulin was brutally tortured by Nazi officer (and head of the Lyon Gestapo) Klaus Barbie, known as the “Butcher of Lyon” for having personally tortured prisoners. The exact circumstances of Moulin’s death remain uncertain, though many believe he died while being transported by train to Germany.
The plaque caption translates to:
It was in this place that the most famous photograph of Jean Moulin, hero of the Resistance, President of the National Council of the Resistance, was taken by his friend Marcel Bernard, during the winter of 1939-40. His sister, Laure Moulin, chose this photograph for the ceremony of transfer of his ashes to the Panthéon, on December 19, 1964.
Exploring Montpellier
After our time at the Christmas market, Nik and I proceeded to explore the city by foot relying on Google Maps to help us find a few spots to check out for food and drink.
As we walked through Place des Martyrs de la Résistance in Montpellier’s historic center, we realized we hadn’t done nearly enough planning or research before our visit.
Place de la Comédie is another area we randomly walked through where I was awed by more gorgeous architecture.
Opéra national de Montpellier uses two main buildings for its performances including the Opéra Comédie, built in the Italian style and opened in 1888.
Food and Drink in Montpellier
Our first stop was Broc Café, a stylish Brasserie with a lot of terrace seating. We stayed for a drink before moving on to Hopulus Brewpub. Hopulus gets an A for its space with vaulted stone ceilings, but the bartender and beer selection were average.
Next we made our way to Microbrasserie La Barbote which was a cool space. Seating upstairs to eat and drink and some sort of comedy club downstairs. The night we were there, a drag show was taking place.
La Barbote had a nice variety of beers on draft, with 12 taps. They also had a pretty decent food menu with some good bar eats. The poutine was outstanding as were the fried chicken and spicy cheddar bites. We’ll definitely return to this spot.
After La Barbote, we returned to our hotel and called it a night. Even during our quick overnight in Montpellier, Nik and I covered a fair amount of ground, but we’d both love to come back and spend more time exploring the Old Town and diving deeper into the city’s fascinating history.