Shopping in France Montpellier: Ancient and modern

WHERE?

WHERE?

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Montpellier is an ancient but forward-looking town in the heart of the Languedoc region, 7km from the sea. You can travel direct to the city by train with regular TGV services operating from Paris and Lille. Montpellier also has its own airport, Montpellier Mediterraneé, which is connected to the city centre by a shuttle bus service that takes just 15 minutes. There are 12 buses a day, which charge €4.80 (£3.40) for a one-way ticket. For the next few months they will be dropping off and picking up passengers close to the Leon Blum tram station, as a second tram line is being built in the city centre. For the moment Montpellier has only one tram line, but it is an efficient and easy way to get around the city. Tickets must be bought in advance from the ticket machines at each stop and cost €1.30 (95p) for a single journey. A minibus service (00 33 4 67 22 87 87; www.tam-way.com) makes a loop around the old city every 10 minutes from 7.30am-8pm Monday to Saturday. Tickets cost €0.50 (35p) and can be bought on board.

The heart of Montpellier and its main square is the Place de la Comédie, a large, lively hub surrounded by some impressive buildings, including the Opera House (00 33 4 67 60 19 99; www.opera-montpellier.com). Joined on to one end of the square is the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, a tree-lined space where people come to stroll, or to play chess with outsized pieces. The tourist office is located here, in newly refurbished premises at 30 allée Jean-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny (00 33 4 67 60 60 60; www.ot-montpellier.fr). It opens 9am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, 10am-7pm on Saturdays, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm on Sundays.

Much of the old town is pedestrianised, with plenty of shops along the Grande Rue Jean Moulin and the Rue de la Loge, which cuts across it. There are plenty of eating places, many of them casual and lively, reflecting Montpellier's large student population. Some worth trying include La Diligence, under the vaults of the Hôtel de Varennes at 2 place Petrarque (00 33 4 67 66 12 21; www.la-diligence.com), which serves traditional Mediterranean dishes, or the Caves Jean Jaures at 3 rue Collot (00 33 4 67 60 27 33), which serves regional food and an excellent choice of wines. Surprisingly, perhaps, for a wine-producing area, the wine bar concept has been slow to catch on, but there are now a couple of very popular bars that serve local wines by the glass. The Times Café is at 7 Rue des Tessiers (00 33 4 67 54 98 42; open 6.30pm-1am Monday to Saturday) and Le Comptoir is nearby at 5 rue du Puits du Temple (00 33 4 67 60 94 55). There is also great excitement about a new bar, the Welcomedia (00 33 4 26 19 44 03), open from the end of May in the Opera House.

On the edge of the town centre is Montpellier's finest hostelry, the Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens at 11 avenue Saint-Lazare (00 33 4 99 58 38 38; www.jardindessens.com). The dishes produced by the Pourcel brothers are definitely worth a detour. Rooms are available here too, if you want to fall straight into bed after a gourmet meal. They start at €172.40 (£123) and breakfast is from €15 (£10.70). More centrally located hotels include Le Guilhem, a restored 16th-century house at 18 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau (00 33 4 67 52 90 90; www.leguilhem.com) and one of the nicest places in town. Double rooms start at €84 (£60), singles at €72 (£51) and breakfast, which is served on a panoramic terrace, is an extra €11 (£7.80). In a peaceful location just around the corner at 3 rue du Palais is the lovely two-star Hôtel du Palais (00 33 4 67 60 47 38). Double rooms here start at €63 (£45), singles at €57 (£41) and breakfast is €12 (£8.60); this can be served out on the square in the summer.

WHY?

Montpellier is the kind of place where there is always something going on. This summer there is a dance festival (00 33 4 67 60 07 40) from the end of June until mid-July, and a music festival (00 33 4 67 02 02 01) taking place in the second half of July. The most important event of 2005 will be Montpellier-Chine 1, the first biennial Chinese and contemporary art exhibition, which will run at venues around town from 17 June until 2 October 2005. More than 30 Chinese artists will exhibit at the MC1, a third of whom have never had their works seen outside China.

WHAT?

Old Montpellier is a delight to explore, with its unexpected squares and intriguing courtyards. The tourist office (see above) runs a two-hour guided tour in English every Saturday at 3.30pm (€6.50/£4.60 per person, booking essential, call 00 33 4 67 60 60 60 for details.) It also offers a city pass that includes entry to many museums and buildings (€10/£7.10 for adults for a 24-hour pass, and €5/£3.60 for children). Many of the elegant buildings were built as private residences in centuries past, although few are open to the public. These include the Hôtel de Saint-Côme, in the Grand Rue Jean Moulin, which is now occupied by the local Chamber of Commerce. The Hôtel des Tresoriérs de France at 7 rue Jacques Coeur (00 33 4 67 52 93 03) has been turned into the Musée Languedocien and contains the private apartments of the Lunaret family, which are still furnished in their original style. It opens 2.30pm-5.30pm Monday to Saturday, and admission is €5 (£3.60).

In medieval times, Montpellier was well fortified and two of its old towers, the Tour de la Babote and the Tour des Pins, are still standing. Opposite the Tour des Pins is the Botanic Garden, the oldest in France, and a pleasant, shady place for a stroll, with its English garden, bamboos, and herb beds. This opens noon-8pm Tuesday to Sunday (until 6pm October to May) and admission is free.

Immediately west of the old town is the Arc de Triomphe, which leads to the Promenade de Peyrou, a tree-lined space leading to an elegant water tower. Beyond it is an impressive aqueduct, built in the 18th century to bring water into the city.

For more information contact Montpellier tourist office on 00 33 4 67 60 60 60; www.ot-montpellier.fr

WOW!

Montpellier's cathedral is striking for its bulk and for a remarkable porch, like a medieval canopy built in stone, that shields the main entrance to the building

TOP FIVE: SHOPPING

In an area full of classy boutiques, Boutique Coqueline at 8 rue de la Croix-d'Or (00 33 4 67 60 53 54) really stands out. This elegant store has clothes, bags, accessories and jewellery by a selection of major designers, including Dior and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Les Halles Castellane is the best of several markets in the town. There are stalls selling bread, cheeses, charcuterie, fruit and vegetables, and a bar for a quick coffee or an early glass of wine. The market opens 7am-1pm and 4pm-7pm Tues-Thurs and 7am-7pm Friday and Saturday.

Aux Grands Vins de France at 1-3 rue de l'Argenterie (00 33 4 67 60 75 48; www.auxgrandsvinsdefrance.com) has a vast selection of wines from all over France, but it specialises in those from the Languedoc region. Tastings are held every Saturday and the store opens 9am-1pm and 2.30pm-7.30pm Tues-Sat and from 3pm on Mondays.

Puig at 23 rue St Guilhem (00 33 4 67 66 17 32) is a delight for all cheese enthusiasts. Choose from a variety of seasonal cheeses or select one of the shops specialities - the goat and sheep cheeses made in the region. Open 8am-1pm and 4pm-7pm Tues-Sat.

Galerie Place des Arts at 8 rue de l'Argenterie (00 33 4 67 66 05 08; www.place-des-arts.fr) is a small space specialising in contemporary glassware. In addition to the permanent stock, there is a selection of temporary exhibitions on show. Everything is available for sale. The gallery opens 10.30am-12.30pm and 3pm-7pm Tues-Sat.

CITY SHOPPER: ANGERS, NANTES AND RENNES

ANGERS

Chateaux and caves, history and culture collude with la France profonde, plus superb food and drink, to make the lower Loire valley one of the most appealing parts of the country. Angers is slightly away from the mainstream, astride the Maine just above the confluence, yet it was for a time central to European history thanks to the Plantagenets: in 1152, the local boy, Henri, married Eleanor of Aquitaine and acquired large tranches of continental Europe before adding England to his haul, as Henry II.

Today, indulgence has taken over from international politics. Besides the reviving effects of Anjou rose, residents of Angers love their confectionary: I counted half-a-dozen shops in the city centre selling nothing but chocolate. Yet the soul of the city has survived, as an ancient urban confusion that blends into the mighty chateau. This medieval fortress has 17 fierce towers; within it, centuries of intrigue have been played out, but it is now home to the wonderful tapestries of the Apocalypse. Angers Castle (00 33 2 41 86 48 77). Open 9am-noon and 2pm-6.30pm daily.

Angers Tourisme (00 33 2 41 23 50 25/20; www.angers-tourisme.com)

Simon Calder

NANTES

Nantes once rivalled Rennes as capital of the Duchy of Brittany and seat of the 16th-century regional parliament. Rennes won, and Nantes is no longer politically part of the Brittany region, but it is still home to the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne. This is being renovated to house a new Museum of Nantes History, which will chart the city's colonial links and slave-trading activities.

The elegant mansions on the Quai de la Fosse or Ile Feydeau in Nantes testify to the prosperity from seafaring, but not everyone who sailed on a Nantes-based ship was at sea by choice. In 1679, the Compagnie Francaise d'Amerique was set up to transport slaves from the West African coast to the West Indies. By 1715, Nantes was the premier slave port in France and over the next 70 years almost 1,500 slave expeditions set off from its shores. Eventually, the resultant exports accounted for nearly a quarter of the French national income and Nantes' citizens were enjoying the economic good times. Some of these profits were spent on magnificent public buildings - as in Place Royale and Place Graslin. Walking the city's streets is enough to give you an appetite. Besides the main market, Marché de Talensac, you can explore the enticing gastronomic offerings in the shops along rue Contrescarpe: cheese, chocolate and coffee.

Nantes tourist office (00 33 272 64 00 79; www.nantes-tourisme.com)

Margaret Campbell

RENNES

Brittany's capital has the reputation of being one of the best French cities in which to live: a historic centre that successfully combines tradition and modernity. Once the seat of the Breton Parliament, it's now an important location for the telecommunications industry and home to more than 60,000 students. Half-timbered houses (survivors of the 1720 Great Fire of Rennes) sit cheek-by-jowl with imposing classical public buildings - and the dazzling new Champs Libres complex, celebrating Breton culture in particular.

Start your day with breakfast on the terrace of the friendly Le Piccadilly cafe (place de la Mairie). Then explore the market traditions in Les Halles Centrales on Place Honoré Commeurec, and each Saturday in the Place des Lices.

Another tradition can be found in a residential neighbourhood north-east of Rennes city centre: Le Coq-Gadby. Veronique Bregeon's family has been providing hospitality to the great and the good on these premises for a century and the 11-room four-star hotel (00 33 2 99 38 05 55, www.lecoq-gadby.fr) opened a decade ago. My single room (the Napoleon III) was definitely small (a tribute to the first Napoleon?), but contained a magnificent antique bed.

Rennes tourist office (00 33 2 99 67 11 11; www.tourisme-rennes.com)

MC

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