Montpellier – Mediterranean Holiday Guide

Along the Mediterranean coast of France, you’ll find a small charming city with 300 days of sun a year. Montpellier is as beautiful in the spring as in the autumn. It is the perfect combination of city and beach break from Easter all the way to the end of September. And it is surprisingly charming over Christmas as well, with its Christmas markets, mulled wine and a huge lit up globe in the city centre.

Montpellier will always have a special place in my heart. After finishing school before university, I spent my gap year there. It was my first time living away from home. As if it wasn’t daunting enough to fly the nest, I decided to fly all the way to France from Norway. Not only that, I just had school French to lean on. Anyone who has learned a second language at school would know that it wasn’t much. However, I was there to learn. Nine months, a crash course in adult life, a DALF C1 diploma in French and a group of lifelong friends later, it turned out to be a year exceeding all expectations.

Here is the ultimate guide to the city of my heart!

TO EAT AND DRINK

The goal for my gap year was to learn French, drink red wine and eat cheese. And oh, boy did we eat.

Boulangerie

Des Rêves et du Pain
I’ve only listed one boulangerie because it is the only one you’ll need. This delightful little baker was named the best boulangerie in France in 2015 and in 2018 it won the districts special prize for bakers. Go here for the most excellent croissants, pain au chocolat, baguettes and whatever else your heart desires.

Lunch

Chez Alphonse
For 10euros you’ll a lovely Spanish lunch consisting of four pintxos (a piece of baguette with cheese, meat, olives, whatever the chef has come up with) a small salad and a glass of wine. An absolute barging for a fantastic experience!

Coldrip Food & Coffee
They do a wonderful avocado on toast with a poached egg and an equally tasty pulled pork. It is the perfect place to go for brunch after a long night out.

Coffee Club
This small café has a map of the world where all the guests have placed a pin in the city they’re from. They serve fantastic smoothies, cakes and coffee. I think one of the owners might be English because during autumn they serve a traditional cinnamon bun with lots of lovely frosting.

Dinner

Mi Barrio
Whenever I had friends or family visiting, or my friends and I wanted to do something nice we would go to Mi Barrio. Ask the friendly owner for a table, order as many tapas dishes as you’d like and a bottle of wine and you’re in for a treat.

Moutarde et Wasabi
This cute little place has outdoor seating in a lovely small square. I can recommend sushi with Japanese beer and the red cabbage salad as a side dish.

Maria Cantina
This Mexican taco restaurant serves fantastic quesadillas and spicy tacos.

Bars

Rebuffy
The place to go for cheap drinks. We usually would do pre-drinks in someone’s apartment with wine from Monoprix. But if you want to meet up before you hit the clubs, this is the place to be.

The egg
Straight across from Mi Barrio is The Egg, where hey also serve tapas. However, it is more expensive, and you don’t really need to look any further once you’ve found Mi Barrio. You will most likely not be the only ones who want to eat at Mi Barrio so if there is a wait I recommend getting something to drink at The Egg first.

NIGHTLIFE

French nightlife, not that I’m an expert on nightlives either here nor there, is just like everywhere else, except the French go out late. Very late. We used to have dinner from around seven, pre-drinks from around 10pm or 10:30pm, hitting town around 01:30am and returning home, well I’m not sure really … personally, I’ve stayed out to 3am, but I know some of the French head home around 5am.

Panama
A horribly tacky place on so many levels. Regardless I’ve had some fun nights out there. It’s free to enter, and they play popular music on the first floor and more latino on the second floor. Just make sure to stick to your group and watch out for intrusive men seeking attention.

Australian bar
This place I’ve only been once, but it was a fantastic evening. Little out of the city centre, but less tacky and intrusive people. They play great popular music and serve cheap beer.

Rockstore
They host indie concerts and themed club nights. The entry fee is quite pricey, but they do offer student discounts. Getting dressed up for the 90s party is always fun.

The Black Sheep
Hosts small intimate indie concerts every Thursday, and it is only a 5 euro entry. This is a bit of a hit or miss place, sometimes you’ll get to listen to some great music, other times you’ll witness a performance like no other…

MUSEUMS

Either you need a relaxing activity after a wild night out, or you’re interested in art, Montpellier has something for everyone.

La Panacée
This fascinating contemporary art museum is definitely worth a visit. Even if you’re not particularly fond of contemporary art, the café with its lovely back garden is worth a visit in itself.

Pavillon Populaire
If photography is more your thing, I’d recommend Pavillon Populaire. It is free to enter. They regularly change their exhibitions, so there is always something new to see. One of my favourites was the exhibition with the photography of Louise Dahl-Wolfe.

Musée Fabre
Is the main museum for art in Montpellier. Either you’re there for their free exhibitions or their seasonal ones with an entry fee, it is always worth visiting for the air-conditioning.

TO DO

In addition to the museums, there are a lot of other things to do. Keyword being “losing track of time”, either in the gardens, the streets or on the beach.

Jardin des plantes
Wander around this free garden with a camera, a book or a friend. I guarantee you’ll spend the whole afternoon gushing over all the succulents.

Get lost in the old town
Quartier de L’Ancien Courrier and Rue de Université are two of my favourites, but there is always new streets and alleys to discover. Also worth a visit if you’re looking for shops and boutiques, you won’t find elsewhere.

Promenade du Peyrou
Once you’ve bought the loveliest croissants at Des Rêves et du Pain, you should follow the street further up, and you’ll see Promenade du Peyrou. You’ll find the majestic statue of a horse-riding Louis XIV and the iconic Saint-Clément aqueduct, as well as benches perfectly situated under some trees to enjoy your croissants.

Sunday Market
Des Rêves et du Pain is sadly closed on Sundays, but it is still worth visiting Promenade du Peyrou for the Sunday market. Here you can buy all the antiques your heart desires as well as some great vintage jeans!

Sit at the roof of Corum
If Opera is your cup of tea, I suggest you go inside the Corum, which is Montpellier’s opera house and conference centre. If not the roof of Corum is the place for you. Pop by Monoprix first, buy some food and drinks and enjoy the view from the top of Corum. Just a warning though, it gets hot there during the summers, and they close at 5pm, so this is more of an activity for the other seasons.

Take the tourist train
This cute little tourist train sadly doesn’t have the best headphones, but even without hearing much of the information it was fun to see how the train manoeuvred through the narrow streets of the old town. It is also a great way to scout out where to eat lunch afterwards!

Go to the beach!
It’s beach time all the way from late March to early October if you’re an enthusiast. The beach is a little out of the city, but it’s a great way to escape the heat of the centre. Take the tram from the city centre and then the bus, which is free during the summer, cover yourself in SPF and enjoy the sand and the sea.

Beach directions

Cheese night in the Airbnb
This is a favourite among my friends and I. Buy some cheese, go fancy with cheese form the fromageries or student friendly with cheese form Monoprix or Intermarché, get some wine and enjoy a relaxing evening in.

Wall art
Before dinner at Moutarde et Wasabi, explore the area for some insta-friendly wall art!

Zoo
The Zoo is actually more of a normal park, just with the odd giraffe and other exotic animals popping up here and there. It is free to enter, and it’s perfect for a relaxing stroll or an energetic run.

Zoo info

TO SHOP

Montpellier is the place to be for charming independent shops and the best bookstore in the south of France.

Pomme de Reinette et Pomme d’Api
Is a traditional toys store. They have as much fun for adults as children and is perfect for small gifts to bring back home that doesn’t reek of cheap tourist souvenirs.

Maison Emilienne
The area around Mi Barrio is filled with small, lovely boutiques just like the interior shop Maison Emilienne. If you don’t already have overweight on your suitcase with cheese, this is the area to fill it up!

Gilbert Joseph
This is the bookstore dreams are made of! If you don’t already speak French, I guarantee it will be at the top of your new year resolutions list after a visit to Gilbert Joseph. Even if you’re at a beginner level of Doulingo French, you can spend hours on the stationary and art floor or sorting through the vinyl on the music floor.

TO STAY

Here are two links to Airbnb that my friends and I have had great experiences with.

Cozy loft, 2 guests

Flat, 6 guests

GET AROUND

From the airport
Take the airport shuttle to and from Place de L’Europe. It is 1,60euro one way and leaves every hour. From there you can take the tram a couple of stops to the city centre.

The tram
The tram is the best way to get around as well as walking. You can buy tickets at every tram stop. If you’re staying a week, I’d highly recommend purchasing the seven-day pass. Even if you think you’ll walk a lot, it is great to be able to just hop on and off the tram as much as you want. Download the Tam Transports de Montpellier for trip planning and real-time updates. Remember to validate the ticket each time you enter.

Ireland holiday guide

Maybe you happen to have about 10 days of holiday you’re looking to fill? Or perhaps you’re stuck in a lecture/at work looking for somewhere to wander off to? Well, look no further! Ireland and its northern British neighbour have a lot to offer on everything from drinks to culture and history. Here is my very much subjective, non-comprehensive guide to Ireland.

THE CITIES

While the Irish island, with both Ireland and Northern Ireland, have a lot to offer, you can only see so much within 10 days. This is the selection of cities we made this time.

We flew from Oslo to Dublin, where we spent 3 nights. We spent one of the days on a day trip to the old Celtic heritage Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange). Then we spent a night in Cashel, where the main attraction is Rock of Cashel, an old castle on the hill (queue Ed Sheeran’s Castle On The Hill). Not having seen enough castles we stopped in Cahir on our way to Galway, to see another one, which by the way was my favourite. Moving west on the map and down on Ed Sheeran’s album Divide, we spent 3 nights in Galway. From there we took a day trip to the Aran Islands. Lastly, we moved north, almost behind the wall, to the land of Game of Thrones. Belfast, where we stayed 2 nights, has so much more to offer than a really successful HBO show. However the main priority this time around, was the world of Jon Snow.

HOW TO GET AROUND AND WHERE TO STAY

Originally, we wanted to take the train from city to city. It’s an excellent way of slow travelling and perfect for reading books, but it turned out that it’s a long way to Tipperary and it’s best done by bus. Bus Eireann has a vast network between the cities, and no need to go by Dublin like many of the train trips would have. We did take a train from Galway to Dublin on our way to Belfast, just because we missed travelling by train and that it’s faster to go by Dublin when you’re headed that way.

Like with all holiday-accommodation you win some, and you lose some. The standouts, worth writing home about from this trip where the student accommodation in Galway and the Airbnb in Belfast. The National University of Ireland, Galway rents out its accommodation to lucky tourists over the summer holiday. It was nothing like the horror stories of dodgy student accommodation, and I wish I could bring it back with me to London! In Belfast, we rented this super cute and cosy little house of Airbnb. It looked newly refurbished and modern, yet homely, in its colour scheme. Also a place I’d like to bring with me to London!

Link to the student accommodation in Galway

Link to the Belfast Airbnb

Locally in Dublin and Galway bus is the best way to move long distances. In good weather or for shorter distances it’s always nice to walk and explore the city by foot. On the Aran Islands renting a bike is the perfect way to travel about. Just after you’ve stepped off the ferry, there are two rental shops with a great range of bikes from the ladylike to the sporty type. In Belfast, it’s almost as cheap and just as easy to take a taxi. You can order one with the fonaCAB Belfast app.

TO SEE AND TO DO

The capital

Dublin could have been a whole blog post in itself, but I’ll try to keep it short with a few of my favourites. Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, and Ireland and the Celtic have a long and proud tradition of written language which you can see in the famous library of Trinity College. Other important Irish contributors to literature are James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, both of whom you can find statues of in Dublin. Some would argue that whiskey and literature go well together, and Dublin has you sorted. In the old distillery of Jameson Irish Whiskey, you can go for a tour, whiskey tasting and cocktail making. There is a fair chance you’ll walk out of there with a new favourite whiskey! Another pride of Dublin and Ireland is the Guinness brewery, which is a must see and do even for non-beer lovers! Other arenas to enjoy a Guinness is in the pubs, where you can listen to joyful, Irish inspired live music. Last, but not least, I have made a new vintage favourite in Dublin Vintage Factory where they sell by the kilo. I made an absolute barging on the most fabulous leather jacket there!

Historic sites

The Celtic civilisation is older than the Roman one, and in Newgrange, we are lucky enough to still be able to see remains of the Celtic culture. Brú na Bóinne, an incredible human-built formation of stone with a grass roof was used in Celtic rituals. The historians are not sure exactly what type of ritual it was used for, but what we do know is that the light enters the formation in a unique way on winter solstice, which they will demonstrate for you on the guided tour. The only way to access this site is through a guided tour. This is to make sure the site won’t get further damaged by tourists. On the inside of the formation, you can see engravings from tourists who visited the site during the late 19th century!

Ireland has plenty of castles in different shapes and conditions. We chose to visit Rock of Cashel, which started out as a castle before a monastery took over it. Today it is more of a tourist site since the roof is no longer intact. The best way to see the whole castle is to go down to Hore Abbey, which in itself is a lovely ruin to see. Substantially more intact is the castle in Cahir (above), where you can see Excalibur stuck in the stone. Maybe you are the right person to draw the sword out of the stone?

Nature

Other than following in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl music video, I can recommend walking along the river Corrib, all the way from the university down to the docks. Another way to enjoy the magnificent Irish nature is to take the ferry out to the Aran Islands, where, as I mentioned earlier, you can rent bikes. Also if you’re visiting over the summer and are feeling brave, bring swimwear and take a plunge into the Irish sea!

Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is a genuinely astonishing natural formation which you might recognise from the cover of the Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy.

Game of Thrones

You probably won’t find a bearded guy in Northern Ireland that has not been an extra on Game of Thrones. A few of these bearded men have started a Game of Thrones guided tour around Northern Ireland. If behind the scenes and on set fun facts are your thing, you’re in for a treat! In-between each location the guide showed excerpts from the series to set the feeling, and if you are lucky with the weather, you even get to take photos on location in costumes! We had the most horrendous rain, it was raining sideways and upwards, so we, unfortunately, didn’t get to take photos in the costumes. The Giant’s Causeway has nothing to do with Game of Thrones, but since we’re already on the Antrim coast, the Game of Thrones tour have decided they might as well stop and show it to us!

Link to the guided tours here

If Jack and Rose’s love drama is more your cup of tea, you can visit the Titanic shipyard in Belfast. Just remember to buy tickets to the museum in advance!