Montpellier



Montpellier is a nice Mediterranean city of France, the Main City of the Region Languedoc-Roussillon, with 300 members (in June 2008). Since it's a big leg in any journey from Europe to popular Barcelona by train, people here receive a lot of couch surfing requests. The population of the commune of Montpellier at the 2006 census was 251,392, whereas the whole metropolitan area had a population of 600,000 in 2006. In 2005, it was estimated that the population of the city of Montpellier had reached 248,000[1]. In 2008, the estimated population of the metropolitan area was 533,000. The city is situated on hilly ground 10 km (6 miles) inland from the Mediterranean coast on the River Lez. The name of the city, which was originally Monspessulanus, is said to have stood for mont pelé (the naked hill, because the vegetation was poor), or le mont de la colline (the mount of the hill). Montpellier is located 52 km from Nimes, 168 km from Marseille, 248 km from Toulouse. It is at a distance of 750 km from the capital of France, Paris. Montpellier's highest point is the Place du Peyrou, at an altitude of 57 m. The city is built on two hills, Montpellier and Montpellieret, thus some of its streets have great differences of altitude. Some of its streets are also very narrow and old, which gives it a more intimate feel.

HISTORY OF MONTPELLIER
Montpellier is one of the few large cities in France without a (Gallo-)Roman background.

In the Early Middle Ages, the nearby episcopal town of Maguelone was the major settlement in the area, but raids by pirates encouraged settlement a little further inland. Montpellier, first mentioned in a document of 985, was founded under a local feudal dynasty, the Guillem counts of Toulouse, who joined together two hamlets and built a castle and walls around the united settlement. The two surviving towers of the city walls, the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte are later in date, however. Montpellier came to prominence in the 10th century as a trading centre, with trading links across the Mediterranean world and a rich Jewish cultural life and traditions of tolerance of its Muslims, Jews and Cathars—and later of its Protestants. William VII of Montpellier established a faculty of medicine in 1180, recognised by Pope Nicholas IV; the city's university was established in 1220 and was one of the chief centers for the teaching of medicine. This marked the high point of Montpellier's prominence. The city became a possession of the kings of Aragon in 1213 by the marriage of Peter II of Aragon with Marie of Montpellier, who brought the city as her dowry. Montpellier gained a charter in 1204 when Peter and Marie confirmed the city's traditional freedoms and granted the city the right to choose twelve governing consuls annually. Montpellier remained a possession of the crown of Aragon until it passed to James III of Majorca, who sold the city to the French king Philip VI in 1349, to raise funds for his ongoing struggle with Peter IV of Aragon. In the 14th century, Montpellier gained a church (not yet a cathedral) dedicated to Saint Peter, noteworthy for its very unusual porch supported by two high, somewhat rocket-like towers. With its importance steadily increasing, the city finally gained a bishop, who moved from Maguelone in 1536 and sat in the neighbouring community of Montpelliéret (eventually absorbed into Montpellier proper). In 1432, Jacques Cœur established himself in the city and it became an important economic centre, until 1481 when Marseille took over this role.

At the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, many of the inhabitants of Montpellier became Protestants (or Huguenots as they were known in France) and the city became a stronghold of Protestant resistance to the Catholic French crown. In 1622, King Louis XIII besieged the city and took it after eight months, building the Citadel of Montpellier to secure it. Louis XIV made Montpellier capital of Bas Languedoc, and the town started to embellish itself, by building the Promenade du Peyrou, the Esplanade and a large number of houses in the historic centre. After the French Revolution, the city became the capital of the much smaller Hérault. Rue Foch with its typical 19th century architecture.

During the 19th century the city developed into an industrial centre. In the 1960s, its population grew dramatically after French settlers in Algeria were resettled in the city following Algeria's independence from France. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city drew attention with a number of major redevelopment projects, such as the Corum and especially the Antigone District.

More informations about the History of Montpellier on the Montpellier !

Inside Montpellier
Locals pick: Pomme de Reinette (toy shop, 33 rue de L'aiguillerie, downtown), Zoo du Lunaret, Aquarium "Mare Nostrum" (Tram 1, Odyseum), Domaine de Meric, Lac du Cres (tram 2)..

More informations about the places to visit in Montpellier on the Montpellier and even the Official Website of the Office of Tourism] !

Outside Montpellier
In the area of Montpellier, you can also visit: St Guillem le désert (by bus), le pont du diable, la grotte de Clamousse, Le ravin des Arcs (car needed), La Cathédrale de Villeneuve-les-Maguelone at Villeneuve-les-Maguelone (bus and bike), many surrounding cities easily accessible by train (Sete, Agde, Nimes, Avignon, Orange...), Cirque de Mourèze, Cirque de Navacelles and countless great river spots..

Free Wifi/Internet Access
Many Internet café can be found around the train station.

Here are some places where you can have some Wifi/Internet Access:


 * Bibliothèque Municipale Centrale - Adress: Quartier Antigone - 218, bd de l'Aéroport international - Tel: 04 67 34 87 09
 * CRIJ - Adress: 3, avenue Charles Flahault - Tel: 04 67 04 36 66
 * Maison Pour Tous Georges Brassens - Adress: Quartier La Paillade - Place Jacques Brel - Tel: 04 67 40 40 11
 * Point Cyb Association La Gerbe - Adress: 19 rue Chaptal - Tel: 04 99 74 24 34
 * e3jd Espace Echange Entraide Jeune Diplômé - Adress: 6 Boulevard Louis Blanc 34 000 Montpellier - Tel: 04 67 54 31 98
 * ECM Kawenga - Adress: 21, boulevard Louis Blanc - Tel: 04 67 06 51 66
 * Cyber base de Montpellier Agglomération - Adress: Cyber Base Immeuble La Coupole Sud 275 rue Léon Blum - Tel: 04 67 99 61 37
 * Maison Pour Tous François Villon - Adress: Quartier Les Cévennes - Tel: 04 67 45 04 57
 * espacepro_cci - Adress: Accueil Info Service Saint-Côme Montpellier Centre 32 Grand'rue Jean Moulin 34944 Montpellier Cedex 9 - Tel: 0499515400
 * Lieu d'accès multimédia/association lieu ressources - Adress: 15 rue Jacques Draparnaud 34000 Montpellier - Tel: 04.67.92.43.33
 * Maison Pour Tous Léo Lagrange - Adress: Quartier La Paillade - 155, avenue de Bologne - Tel: 04 67 40 33 57
 * LAM Cévennes Association Aclé - Adress: Maison de Quartier Jean-Pierre Chabrol 921, Avenue Louis Ravas 34080 - Montpellier - Tel: 04 67 63 05 13
 * Point Cyb Nouas Alco - Adress: 925 rue d'Alco - Tel: 04 67 10 02 17
 * PIJ - Adress: 136 rue de Bari - Tel: 04 67 45 51 10
 * Lieu d Accès Multimédia Paillade - Adress: Centre Social CAF 410 Avenue de Barcelone 34080 Montpellier - Tel: 04 67 72 82 82
 * Pôle centre ville - Association des Lieux Ressources de Montpellier - Adress: 38 rue Proudhon 34090 Montpellier - Tel: 04.67.79.95.95

Nice & Cheap Places to Eat

 * Saigon Fast food : Cheap and great Vietnamese food, 6 av George Clemenceau


 * Le petit Tokyo : Best Japanese food in town, expensive, 11 rue A. Olivier


 * La Pizzéria du Palais : Italian nice pizzas, 22 rue du Palais-des-Guilhem


 * Fleur de Jade : Neo Vietnamese dishes, cheap, 16 rue Boussairolles


 * Nuni Ki : Japanese specialties, expensive (min 14 euros), 26 rue Terral


 * Les 3 Brasseurs : Flammkuech and beer, a bit industrial, Odysséum


 * Canaille : Nice Italian restaurant, 7 place du Petit Scel

Places for concerts/gigs

 * Le Rockstore


 * Le Jam


 * Victoire 2


 * Le Trioletto


 * Le Up And Down


 * Le Mojomatic


 * La TAF/secret place


 * La pleine lune


 * Le Baloard

Places for drinking

 * The Up And Down : 5, Rue du Pila Saint Gély (a street near the Corum and the Musée Fabre)


 * The Rebuffy Pub : 2 Rue Rebuffy (going to the Arc de Triomphe on your left-hand side)


 * The Shakespeare : 12, Rue de la Petite Loge (in a little street behind Place Jean Jaurès)


 * The O'Carolans Irish Pub : 5, Rue du Petit-Scel (next to the St Anne Church)


 * Couleurs de bières : 48, rue du Faubourg St Jaumes (next to the Philippidès Stadium)


 * The Circus : 3, Rue Collot (next to Place Jean Jaurès)


 * The Charlie's Beer and The Temple Bar : 22, Rue Aristide Ollivier


 * Kaboum : 18 rue du Saint Sépulcre


 * Fitzpatrick's Irish Pub : 5, Place Saint-Côme

Places for dancing

 * The Cargo : 5, Rue du Grand Saint-Jean (next to the train station) // Salsa and Merengue free class is organised every Tuesday from 8pm to 10pm


 * The Australian : 108, Rue de Rhodes (next to Place de l'Europe)


 * The Huit : 8, Rue de l'Aiguillerie (next to Place Jean Jaurès)


 * The Macadam Pub : 1, Rue des deux-ponts (next to the train station)


 * The Apollo Jazz Café : 129, Avenue de Palavas (next to Rond-point Près d'Arènes) // Swing free class every Thursday from 7pm to 10pm


 * The O'liver Irish Pub : Odysseum Montpellier // Swing free class every Tuesday from 8:30pm to 10pm


 * Salsa dancers can find weekly events here

Places for DISCO DANCING !!!

 * La Villa Rouge : Route de Palavas (great gay/lesbian nightclub, you can't miss it if you like good electro sound, it's all red...)


 * L'O Bar : 63, Chemin du Mas de Gau (cool nightclub too ; the pool opens in summer!)

Urgency Couch request
Montpellier group has a dedicated sub group for finding a couch by sending mass request HERE. Reminder: asking for a couch on groups is considered very impolite unless it is on specifically dedicated groups!

Meetings
Meetings are held by the local group every first week of the month. More gatherings irregularly happen, whether it's for theater, coffee, beach or restaurant. Just check out what's up on the group ("couchsurfers of Montpellier").

Meetings organiser
Every people can organise a meeting but generaly for the monthly meeting, it's :

Jeff or Michael

FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE</FONT>
Montpellier's population growth is among the greatest in France, and many CS users contact the locals to find a place to rent for studies... Here is some tips when looking for a place to rent:

Finding free classifieds (appartments and house sharing):

colocation montpellier - roommates montpellier

Kijiji

Vivastreet

Ecologis

Cityvox

Coloc Forum

CRIJ de Montpellier

CROUS de Montpellier

Locations de vacances - Vacation rental

There is no use for paying sites such as colocation.fr, appartager.com ...

If in town you can consult ads at La Boutique Logement (1 bis, rue de la Vieille) and Espace Montpellier Jeunesse (6 rue Maguelone ).

If you want to use real estate professional you may want to avoid Immobis or Foncia.

Finally there's also the Youth hostel (but many people are not very satisfied with it) and family stay.

FINDING A SCHOOL TO LEARN FRENCH</FONT>
For short term (weeks, months), there's many private schools, people have been satisfied with:

http://www.accentfrancais.com/     around 800€/month

http://www.alliance-montpellier.org/index.htm   around 400€/month

http://www.odyssea-mtp.com/     around 800€/month

http://www.lsf.fr/

For longer term (1 semester and more), best pick is IEFE. They also do summer sessions of four weeks, in July and August.

FINDING A JOB</FONT>
Try le CROUS, Espace Montpellier Jeunesse or ANPE.

TRANSPORTATIONS</FONT>
Montpellier has a very enjoyable carfree center. It is thus a good pick to visit it using anything but a car. Train station is located right in the center of the town and from there you can visit the whole downwtown just by walking.

Beach is 15km away from Montpellier. Roads, cycle lanes and buses can get you there. This site (in French) has info on getting to the beach from Montpellier with no car.

How to get to Montpellier</FONT>

 * By carpooling:

You can find a driver or passenger to share the ride and cut on travel cost. In France carpooling is very popular and is called "covoiturage".

Try Envoiture.fr to get to Montpellier.


 * By car:

From the A9 motorway, take either of the 5 exits that serve Montpellier:

- Vendargues - Montpellier Est - Montpellier Sud - Montpellier Ouest - Saint Jean de Vedas

The A75 is free of charge between Clermont-Ferrand and Montpellier.

It's easy to park at a tramway station (eg Occitanie, Jacou) and take a tram. Parking in the town centre can be hard and expensive (it's free from 6pm to 9am): http://www.montpellier-agglo.com/tam/fr/stationnement/index.php?


 * By train:

Montpellier's main train station is Montpellier St. Roch. It is serviced by a TGV connection from Paris, 3hr 15m, Lille, 4hr 50m and Lyon, 1hr 40m, Valence 1hr 45m, Nice 4 to 5 hrs. It is also serviced by the Talgo service to Barcelona. Most destinations in Southern France are also easily accessible by rail from Montpellier.


 * By plane:

Montpellier Méditerranée Airport, formerly Fréjorgues Airport, is situated on the outskirts, a bus service called Navette operates to the centre of Montpellier - although the driver does not feel bound to the schedule (10 minutes off the time is usual; driving time around 20 minutes). Cost is 5 euro.

The airport is fairly well connected by way of Air France's central hub in Paris. Ryanair [2] flys from Brussels-Charleroi - (CRL), Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN), London-Stansted (STN), although on a reduced timetable over the winter months. There are also regular flights to Copenhagen with Sterling. From May 1st 2008 EasyJet will run a service from London Gatwick. Transavia.com is also offering direct flights Amsterdam - Montpellier.


 * By boat:

The nearest sea port, situated in Sète has ferry crossings to the Balearic Islands, Maghreb and Corsica.

Bus</FONT>
You'll find all kind of informations (bus lines, prices, pass, special tarifications) on the website of the transportation company TAM (Transport de l'Agglomération de Montpellier). c

Bicycles</FONT>
The Biking service is organized by the same company, it's easy and cheap to rent a bike for one day there (Vélomagg'). It's also possible to rent a bike for one year for the ridiculous price of 25€ if you're less than 26 (50€ to 85€ if you're older), see brochure.

Hitchhiking and carsharing</FONT>
Hitchhiking is fairly easy from Montpellier see hitchwiki and carsharing is very common and cheaper than the train, French use this site to find rides.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY</FONT>



 * Police Station: 17
 * Health Emergency (SAMU): 15
 * Fireman Station: 18
 * Emergency Doctor (SOS médecin 24h/24): 3624
 * Homeless Emergency: 115

INTERESTED LINKS</FONT>
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
 * Regional CS Group: Languedoc-Roussillon
 * City CS Group: Montpellier


 * Montpellier on Wikivoyage
 * Montpellier on Hitchwiki
 * Montpellier on Wikipedia



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