Montpellier is one of the few large French cities without Roman roots: it grew up in the Middle Ages and quickly became known for its trade, its scholars and above all its doctors. Today it is a lively university city close to the Mediterranean, with a largely car-free old town and some of the boldest modern architecture in France. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Montpellier
- A young city by French standards: Montpellier first appears in a document in 985, when the Count of Melgueil granted land here to a man named Guilhem. His descendants, the Guilhem family, ruled the town for more than two centuries.
- The oldest medical school still at work: the Faculty of Medicine received its first statutes in 1220, and the University of Montpellier describes it as the oldest medical school in the world still in operation.
- A famous student: the writer François Rabelais enrolled at the medical school in 1530 and later lectured there.
- France's oldest botanical garden: the Jardin des Plantes was founded in 1593 under King Henri IV, so that medical students could learn about healing plants.
- A king born in Montpellier: James I of Aragon, known as the Conqueror, was born here in 1208. The town belonged to the Crown of Aragon and then to the Kingdom of Majorca until it was sold to the King of France in 1349.
- The Egg: the Place de la Comédie is nicknamed l'Œuf because of its oval shape. Its Three Graces fountain, by the sculptor Étienne d'Antoine, was finished in 1776 but only set up on the square in 1797.
- An aqueduct on two tiers of arches: from the Promenade du Peyrou, an 18th-century royal terrace with an equestrian statue of Louis XIV, the Saint-Clément aqueduct strides away towards the hills. It was built in the mid-18th century to bring spring water into the city.
- A shield-shaped old town: the historic centre is called the Écusson, the shield, because of its outline on the map, and most of its narrow, hilly streets are closed to traffic.
- Neoclassical, but from the 1980s: the Antigone district, designed by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, borrows columns, pediments and grand squares from ancient Greece and stretches down towards the river Lez.
- Free trams for locals: since 21 December 2023, people who live in the Montpellier metropolitan area can ride the trams and buses free of charge with a personal pass. Look out for lines 3 and 4, whose liveries were designed by the fashion designer Christian Lacroix.
Montpellier and medicine
Montpellier's medical tradition is older than its university. In 1181 the lord of the town, Guilhem VIII, declared that anyone, wherever they came from, was free to teach medicine here. Physicians trained in Jewish and Arab learning worked in this busy Mediterranean trading town, and students followed. In 1220 a papal legate, Cardinal Conrad, gave the medical school its first statutes, and in 1289 Pope Nicholas IV founded the University of Montpellier. Since 1795 the faculty has occupied the former monastery and bishop's palace next to Saint-Pierre Cathedral, whose porch rests on two huge round pillars. Generations of doctors trained here, and Rabelais is still remembered with pride: by tradition, new graduates take their oath wearing a red robe named after him.
What to eat in Montpellier
- Tielle sétoise: a round pie filled with octopus in a spicy tomato sauce, from nearby Sète and sold at markets and bakeries.
- Bouzigues oysters and mussels: shellfish farmed in the Étang de Thau lagoon, best eaten at the water's edge.
- Picpoul de Pinet: a crisp white wine from vineyards around the Thau lagoon, the classic match for oysters.
- Pélardon: a small, round goat's cheese from the Cévennes hills, eaten fresh or aged.
- Grisettes de Montpellier: small round sweets made with honey and liquorice, sold in tins as a local souvenir.
Good to know before you go
- The Écusson is hilly and mostly pedestrian, so wear comfortable shoes and use the tram to get to its edge.
- The Musée Fabre, one of France's major fine art museums, stands on the Esplanade right next to the Place de la Comédie.
- The nearest beaches, such as Palavas-les-Flots, are a short bus or car ride from the centre.
- Sète, with its canals and fishing harbour, is a short train ride away, and Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and the Pont du Gard make good day trips by car.
Explore Montpellier with World City Trail
Our Montpellier scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route takes around two hours, with about 36 minutes of walking, and leads you through the main sights of the Écusson, the historic centre.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
Play the Montpellier scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.