Strolling through Montpellier of yesterday and today

Starting point and access: Montpellier Saint-Roch station.
- TER - Take the Centre-ville / Tramways exit.
- Tram - Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4.
- Bus - Lines 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12.

(S/E) With your back to the station, head diagonally to the right across the road onto Rue de la Maguelone towards the Corum. Walk past the Protestant church and continue up the street to Place de la Comédie, at the foot of the Opera House. Turn right across the square, walk past the Fountain of the Three Graces and ignore the^first street on the left.

(1) At the corner by a cinema, turn left onto Rue Bruyas (marked as a passage on the map). At the end, turn right, go under an arch and then past the foot of the Chapelle Sainte-Foy. At a small square (with a central palm tree), continue straight on into Rue de la Monnaie.

Walk past the Salle Pétrarque and, at the next junction, turn left into Rue Glaize. At the end, turn left into Rue de l’Aiguillère, then take the^first left, Rue Pétrarque. After a few metres, turn right into the narrow Rue de la Petite Loge.

You will emerge onto Place Jean Jaurès (statue) and cross it diagonally to the left. At the end, turn right into Rue de l’Argenterie. At the junction that comes up shortly, turn right into the narrow Rue de la Vieille. Then take the^first left, Rue Saint-Ravy. Go under an arch, come out onto the charming Place Saint-Ravy and turn right. At the corner of the square, ignore the street leading off to the right at a right angle and go down Rue Joubert.

At the bottom, turn right onto Rue de l'Ancien Courrier, then immediately left to pass under an archway onto Rue Voltaire. You’ll come out onto a square; continue straight on, keeping the Church of Saint-Roch on your right.

(2) On the large square at the foot of the church façade, turn right and follow Rue Saint-Paul. Continue straight on and cross Rue des Gagne-Petit on the left-hand side. At the end, turn right onto Rue de l’Ancien Courrier, then immediately left onto Rue du Bras de Fer (staircase with wide steps).

Go under a porch and, at the exit, turn left into Rue de la Friperie. First turn right then left, coming out onto Rue Saint-Guilhem and following it to the right. At the corner of the square (large market hall on the right), turn left onto Rue de la Draperie Saint-Firmin. Pass a dead-end on the left and take the next street on the left, Rue du Bayle.

Take the^first left, Rue Ranchin, then the first right, Rue Philippy. Walk past Sainte-Anne Church on your left. You’ll come out onto Place du Petit Scel; turn right onto the street of the same name.

At the end, cross Rue Foch and continue straight ahead into Rue Montgolfier. At the crossroads, go straight on into Rue du Palais des Guilhem. Pass Rue du Puits des Esquilles on your left and take the next left, the narrow Rue Castel Moton. After a few metres, turn right into Rue du Figuier, which is even narrower and slopes downwards.

At the end, turn left onto Rue de la Vieille Intendance. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead and climb the steps. Walk around the Fontaine des Licornes, turn left and cross Place de la Canourgue. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Palais des Guilhem. At the end, turn left onto Rue du Plan du Palais and continue straight on. You will come out onto Rue Foch; follow it to the right towards the Arc de Triomphe. Go past the Arc and cross the road (with care, as there is no pedestrian crossing).

(3) Enter the Promenade du Peyrou opposite. Continue straight ahead along the wide path and pass by the foot of the equestrian statue of Louis XIV. Walk around the water tower basin on the left.

Before climbing up to the water tower, go down the steps leading to the lower terrace and turn right to reach the base of the Arceaux (the old aqueduct) and the Jean Moulin memorial plaque.

Retrace your steps and, once on the upper terrace, take the steps leading to the foot of the water tower. Pass an orientation table (view of Pic Saint-Loup) and head back down the other side.

At the bottom of the stairs, continue straight ahead and, on a sort of landing, take the stairs on the right. At the bottom, turn right and follow a path lined with plane trees. At the end, go through a gate to leave the Promenade and go down a final flight of stairs.

Then cross a street and turn left onto Boulevard Henri IV, running alongside the tram tracks. Cross Rue du Faubourg Saint-Jaumes on the left-hand side. Continue along the boulevard, skirting the Jardin des Plantes on your left, and note the Tour des Pins rising up on the pavement on the other side.

At the entrance to the Jardin des Plantes, cross the tram tracks and the boulevard to the right (taking care). Immediately turn right into the Square de la Tour des Pins. At the junction that appears straight ahead, take the middle path. Turn left to exit the square at the west end of the cathedral.

Then turn right, walk along the right-hand side of the cathedral (note the east portal) and emerge onto Place Saint-Pierre, at the south-east corner of the cathedral of the same name.

(4) Walk around the square, passing beneath the cathedral’s imposing porch, then stepping back slightly to gain a higher vantage point on Rue de l’École de Médecine.

(4) Back at the corner of the cathedral, turn right onto Rue de la Candolle. At the next two junctions, continue straight ahead. Then cross Place Candolle (also known as Plan de l’Université) diagonally to the left (statue of Adam and Eve).

At the corner, turn right onto Rue du Four Saint-Éloi. At the end, first turn left then right onto the uphill Rue Expert. At the junction, turn left onto Rue de la Verrerie. At the next junction, take Rue Gui de Chauliac opposite, slightly to the right. At the next junction, continue straight ahead along Rue de la Verrerie Basse, passing a small square on your right.

At the end, turn right. Then take the^first right, Rue Aventurin, which soon bends to the left. Cross Place de la Chapelle Neuve then turn right. At the junction immediately ahead, take the^first left, Rue de l'Aiguillère. At the junction (with a statue of Saint Roch on the right-hand corner), head up the street opposite, Rue Bocaud.

At the end, turn right onto Rue de la Salle l’Évêque and walk alongside the Hôtel de Grave. Cross Rue des Écoles Centrales on the right-hand side, then turn left onto the street which becomes Rue Girard. At the end, turn right.

(5) At the entrance to the Musée Fabre, cross the boulevard to the left using the pedestrian crossing. Cross a gravel-surfaced footpath and first turn right then left to reach the Champ de Mars. Then take Allée Missak Manouchian opposite, slightly to the right.

At the next junction, turn right into Allée Aimé Césaire and walk alongside a pond on your left. At the end of the pond, turn right and walk past the Palais Populaire. Continue and, at the corner of the Salle Dominique Bagouet, turn right and then immediately left to reach Place de la Comédie.

(6) At the corner of the Tourist Office, turn left. Pass, in turn, on your left, a cul-de-sac, a flight of steps leading down to a bookshop and an escalator leading down to a shopping centre. Continue along a wide avenue towards the Polygone and walk alongside the Le Triangle building on your left.

Just before the entrance to the Polygone, turn left and go down a flight of steps. At the bottom, turn right and walk along a railing on your left. Cross Place Francis Ponge diagonally to the left, go down a flight of steps and pass under a building. Turn left to exit via the Cour du Raisin.

Then cross the street (Rue de la Spirale on the map) and follow it to the right. The street curves to the left. At the end, cross Rue des Pertuisanes at the pedestrian crossing. Immediately afterwards, go down the steps on the right. Walk alongside the tram tracks and pass the Antigone station.

(7) Then cross the tram tracks on the left (taking care) and pass under a large arch. Continue straight ahead along a wide avenue lined with tall buildings featuring Greek-inspired architecture. Walk through Place du Nombre d’Or and then Place du Millénaire.

Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing, go under a large arch and cross Place Zeus. Go round a fountain on Place de Thessalie and continue straight on along Allée Delos. Cross Place Dionysos (statue) then the tram tracks again (taking care) and finally Rue Poséïdon.

Continue straight ahead, cross the Esplanade de l’Europe and walk around a replica of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Then go down a flight of steps and pass a statue of a man carrying a horse. Cross Piraeus Avenue at the pedestrian crossing and emerge at the banks of the Lez opposite the imposing Regional Council Building (here, the river looks more like a pond with a fountain).

(8) Turn right and walk along the river. After about 75m, take a concrete footbridge which crosses the river at water level (Aphrodite Footbridge). At the end of the footbridge, turn right and go under the road bridge. Immediately afterwards, climb a flight of steps on the left, at the foot of the L’Arbre Blanc building.

At the top, turn right and follow the quay with the channelled river below on your right. Take the footbridge to cross the river. At the other end, cross Avenue du Pirée and, on the other side, head diagonally left onto Rue des Consuls de Mer. You will soon reach Place Rives du Lez (E).

To return to Saint-Roch station:
- Tram - Lines 1 (stop on the right, towards Mosson), 3 (stop opposite, towards Juvignac) or 4a (stop on the right).

Access and return:
- Public transport is the best way to reach the starting point of this route within an almost entirely pedestrianised city centre.
- Motorists are advised to use the large car park at the station.
- From the end point, it is recommended to return to the station by tram (€1.60 per ticket in December 2018, to be purchased from the ticket machine on the platform). It is, of course, possible to walk back (for example via Rue du Comté de Melgueil, Boulevard de Strasbourg and Pont de Sète) but this route is not particularly interesting.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

Public toilets are available along the route, mainly between (5) and (6). There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the way.

A detailed map is required (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Opening hours of the public gardens:
Promenade du Peyrou:
- Opening: 7.00 am daily.
- Closing: 8.00 pm from November to February; 9.30 pm from March to May and from September to October; midnight from June to August.
Square de la Tour des Pins:
- Opens: 8.00 am daily.
- Closing time: 6.00 pm from November to February; 8.00 pm from March to May and from September to October; 9.30 pm from June to August.
Champ de Mars: open 24 hours a day.

Walk undertaken by the author on 8 December 2018.

From Saint-Roch station (S) to Place de la Comédie (1):
- Protestant church (1870).
- Large Art Deco-style buildings.
- Montpellier Opéra-Comédie (1888).
- Fountain of the Three Graces.

From Place de la Comédie (1) to Promenade du Peyrou (3):
The first section is in the historic Écusson district, with its narrow streets, numerous old houses and charming little squares, some of which feature a fountain.
- Sainte-Foy Chapel (12th–17th centuries), with an arch connecting its façade to the opposite wall of the street.
- Statue of Jean Jaurès on the square that bears his name.
- Saint-Roch Church (1867) in the Neo-Gothic style, open on weekdays from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
- Sainte-Anne Church (1869), in the Neo-Gothic style, open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
- Fontaine des Licornes, Place de la Canourgue.
- Arc de Triomphe (1691), Porte du Peyrou.

From the Promenade du Peyrou (3) to Saint-Pierre Cathedral (4):
- Equestrian statue of Louis XIV.
- Water tower (1768).
- Arceaux Aqueduct. It was at the foot of the first arch that, in 1940, what is undoubtedly the most famous photograph of Jean Moulin (1899–1943) was taken.
- Panoramic view of the Montpellier hinterland, notably of the Pic Saint-Loup.
- Jardin des Plantes. Founded in 1593, it is the oldest botanical garden in France. Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 12:00 to 18:00 (October to May) or 20:00 (June to September).
- Tour des Pins (12th–14th centuries).

From Saint-Pierre Cathedral (4) to the Fabre Museum (5):
Second section in the historic district known as the Écusson.
- Saint-Pierre Cathedral (14th–16th centuries), notable, among other things, for the porch on its façade resting on two round towers. Open Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 12 noon and 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
- Statue of Adam and Eve (1882), Place Candole.
- Statue of Saint Roch (born in Montpellier in 1350 and died in 1378), at the start of Rue Bocaud.
- Musée Fabre, Montpellier’s main fine arts museum.

From the Fabre Museum (5) to Place de la Comédie (6):
This section crosses the Jardin du Champ de Mars: lawns, a pond, etc.

From Place de la Comédie (6) to the Antigone district (7):
This section, which is not the most exciting part of the route, goes round a large shopping centre.

Antigone district, from (7) to (8):
This section runs in a straight line through the Antigone district. This district was built between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. It is characterised by architecture and place names reminiscent of ancient Greece. Several statues and fountains, indicated in the description.

From the Antigone district (8) to Place Rives du Lez (E).
- Former Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council Building, now the Occitanie Regional Council Building.
- L'Arbre Blanc building, named after the fact that its balconies, like branches, extend far from the building’s central axis.
- Beautiful views of the river.