Strolling through Montpellier of yesterday and today

Starting point and access: Montpellier Saint-Roch train 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, cross the road and turn diagonally right onto Rue de la Maguelone towards Corum. Walk past the Protestant church and continue up the street until you reach Place de la Comédie, at the foot of the Opera House. Turn right onto the square, walk past the fountain with the three Graces and ignore the^first street on your left.

(1) At the corner of 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 Chapelle Sainte-Foy. At a small square (with a palm tree in the centre), continue straight ahead onto Rue de la Monnaie.

Walk along the Salle Pétrarque and, at the next intersection, turn left onto Rue Glaize. At the end, turn left onto Rue de l'Aiguillère, then take^{the first} left, Rue Pétrarque. After a few metres, turn right onto the narrow Rue de la Petite Loge.

You will come out at Place Jean Jaurès (statue) and cross it diagonally to the left. At the end, turn right onto Rue de l'Argenterie. At the crossroads that you will soon come to, turn right into the narrow Rue de la Vieille. Then take^{the first} left, Rue Saint-Ravy. Pass under an archway and you will come out onto the charming Place Saint-Ravy. Turn right. At the corner of the square, ignore the street that goes 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 arch onto Rue Voltaire. You will come out onto a square. Continue straight ahead, keeping the Saint-Roch Church on your right.

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

Go under a porch and, at the exit, turn left onto Rue de la Friperie. Turn left and then right with the street, which will take you to Rue Saint-Guilhem. Follow this street to the right. At the corner of the square (large market hall on the right), turn left onto Rue de la Draperie Saint-Firmin. Cross a dead-end street 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 alongside Sainte-Anne Church on your left. You will 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 ahead into Rue du Palais des Guilhem. Cross 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 downhill.

At the end, follow Rue de la Vieille Intendance on the left. At the crossroads, go straight ahead and climb a flight of steps. Go around the Fontaine des Licornes fountain, 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 ahead. You will come out onto Rue Foch. Follow it to the right towards the Arc de Triomphe. Go past the arch and cross the street (with caution, as there is no pedestrian crossing).

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

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

Retrace your steps and, once on the upper steps, take the stairs leading to the foot of the water tower. Pass a signpost (with a view of Pic Saint-Loup) and go down the other side.

At the bottom of the steps, continue straight ahead and, on a sort of landing, go down the steps 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 one last flight of steps.

Cross the street and turn left onto Boulevard Henri IV, along the tram tracks. Cross Rue du Faubourg Saint-Jaumes on the left. Continue along the boulevard, keeping the Jardin des Plantes on your left, and note the Tour des Pins rising up on the other side of the street.

At the entrance to the Jardin des Plantes, cross the tram tracks and the boulevard to the right (with caution). Immediately turn right into Square de la Tour des Pins. At the crossroads that immediately follows, take the middle path. Turn left to leave the square at the side of the cathedral.

Then turn right, walk along the cathedral on your right (note the east gate) and you will come out at Place Saint-Pierre, at the south-east corner of the cathedral of the same name.

(4) Walk around the square, passing under the imposing porch of the cathedral, then step back and up onto 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 crossroads, continue straight ahead. Then cross Place Candolle (also called 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, turn left and then right onto Rue Expert, which slopes uphill. At the intersection, turn left onto Rue de la Verrerie. At the next intersection, take Rue Gui de Chauliac, which is slightly to the right. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead on Rue de la Verrerie Basse and walk along 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 and then turn right. At the crossroads immediately ahead, take the^first left, Rue de l'Aiguillère. At the crossroads (statue of Saint-Roch on the right-hand corner), go up 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 your right, then turn left onto the street that becomes Rue Girard. At the end, turn right.

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

At the next intersection, turn right onto Allée Aimé Césaire and walk along 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 a dead-end street, a staircase leading down to a bookshop and an escalator leading down to a shopping centre on your left. Continue along a wide alley 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 follow the railing on your left. Cross Place Francis Ponge diagonally to the left, go down some steps and pass under a building. Turn left to exit via Cour du Raisin.

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 after, go down the stairs on the right. Follow the tram tracks and pass the Antigone station.

(7) Cross the tram tracks on the left (with caution) and go under a large arch. Continue straight ahead along a wide alley lined with tall buildings inspired by Greek architecture. Walk along Place du Nombre d'Or and then Place du Millénaire.

Cross the street at the pedestrian crossing, pass under a large arch and cross Place Zeus. Go around a fountain, Place de Thessalie, and continue straight ahead on Allée Delos. Cross Place Dionysos (statue), then the tram tracks again (with caution) and finally Rue Poséïdon.

Continue straight ahead, cross the Esplanade of Europe and go around a replica of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Then go down some steps and pass a statue of a man carrying a horse. Cross Avenue du Pirée at the pedestrian crossing and you will come out at the edge of the Lez opposite the imposing Hôtel de Région (the river here looks more like a basin with a water jet).

(8) Turn right and follow the river. After about 75 metres, take a concrete footbridge that crosses the river at water level (Passerelle Aphrodite). At the end of the footbridge, turn right and go under the road bridge. Immediately afterwards, climb the steps on the left at the foot of the L'Arbre Blanc building.

At the top, turn right and follow the quay with the canalised river below on your right. Take the footbridge to cross the river. At the exit, cross Avenue du Pirée and, on the other side, turn 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 conditions:
- Public transport is the best way to reach the starting point of this route in an almost entirely pedestrianised urban centre.
- Motorists are advised to use the large car park at the station.
- From the end point, we recommend taking the tram back to the station (€1.60 per ticket in December 2018, to be purchased from the ticket machine on the platform). You can, of course, walk back (for example, via Rue du Comté de Melgueil, Boulevard de Strarsbourg and Pont de Sète), but this route is not particularly interesting.

Good walking shoes 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 route.

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

Public garden opening hours:
Promenade du Peyrou:
- Opening hours: 7 a.m. every day.
- Closing times: 8pm from November to February; 9.30pm from March to May and from September to October; midnight from June to August.
Square de la Tour des Pins:
- Opening: 8 a.m. every day.
- Closing times: 6pm from November to February; 8pm from March to May and from September to October; 9.30pm from June to August.
Champ de Mars: open 24 hours a day.

Hike completed by the author on 8 December 2018.

From Saint-Roch station (S) to Place de la Comédie (1):
- Protestant temple (1870).
- Large Art Deco buildings.
- Montpellier Opera-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 district known as the Écusson, with its narrow streets, numerous old houses and charming little squares, some of which feature fountains.
- Chapelle Sainte-Foy (12th-17th centuries), with an arch connecting its façade to the opposite wall of the street.
- Statue of Jean Jaurès in the square that bears his name.
- Saint-Roch Church (1867) in neo-Gothic style, open weekdays from 2pm to 6pm.
- Sainte-Anne Church (1869), in neo-Gothic style, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Fontaine des Licornes (Unicorn Fountain), 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 what is undoubtedly the most famous photo of Jean Moulin (1899-1943) was taken in 1940.
- Extensive view of the Montpellier hinterland, notably the Pic Saint-Loup.
- Jardin des Plantes. Founded in 1593, this 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 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Statue of Adam and Eve (1882), Place Candole.
- Statuette 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 Champ de Mars gardens: lawn, 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 around a large shopping centre.

Antigone district, from (7) to (8):
This section crosses the Antigone district in a straight line. 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 are indicated in the description.

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