Attractions

Called the Oxford of France because of its academic community, Montpellier is a city of young people, as you'll notice if you sit at one of the cafes on the place de la Comédie, with its 18th-century Fountain of the Three Graces. It's the living room of Montpellier, the ideal place to chat, people-watch, or cruise.

Paul Valéry met André Gide in the Jardin des Plantes, Boulevard Henri IV (tel. 04-67-63-43-22; www.jardindesplantes.univ-montp1.fr), and you might begin here, as it's the oldest such garden in France. It's reached from boulevard Henri-IV. This botanical garden, filled with exotic plants and a handful of greenhouses, was opened in 1593. Admission is free. It's open April to September, Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 8pm, and October to March, Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 6pm.

The town's greatest attraction is Musée Fabre, 2 rue Montpellieret (tel. 04-67-14-83-00), one of France's great provincial art galleries, which occupies the former Hôtel Massilian, where Molière once played for a season. The collection originated when Napoleon sent Montpellier an exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1803. François Fabre, a Montpellier painter, contributed its most important works in 1825. After Fabre's death, other paintings from his collection were donated to the gallery. Several were his own creations, but the more significant works were ones he had acquired -- including Poussin's Venus and Adonis, plus Italian paintings like The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine. The museum continued to grow through other donations, notably in 1836 with a collection of Rubens, Gérard Dou, and Téniers. Admission is 8€ ($7.15) for adults and 4€ ($3.25) for students and youths ages 7 to 20, free for children 6 and under. Open Tuesday to Friday 9:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 9:30am to 5pm.

Nearby is the town's spiritual centerpiece, the Cathédrale St-Pierre, on place St-Pierre (tel. 04-67-66-04-12), founded in 1364. This is hardly one of the grand cathedrals of France, and it suffered badly in centuries of religious wars and revolutions. For a long time after 1795, it wasn't a cathedral at all, but was occupied by a medical school. Today the cathedral lacks pretension; its greatest architectural achievement is its unusual canopied porch, supported by two conical turrets. The best artworks inside are 17th-century canvasses in the transepts -- notably the work of a Huguenot, Montpellier-born Sébastien Bourdon, who painted himself among the "heathen" in The Fall of Simon Magnus. Also moving is Jean Troy's Healing of the Paralytic. The church can be visited daily from 9am to noon and 2 to 7pm.

Before leaving town, take a leisurely stroll along the 17th-century promenade du Peyrou a terraced park with views of the Cévennes and the Mediterranean. This is a broad esplanade constructed at the loftiest point of Montpellier. Opposite the entrance is an Arc de Triomphe, erected in 1691 to celebrate the victories of Louis XIV. In the center of the promenade is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV and, at the end, the Château d'Eau, a pavilion with Corinthian columns that serves as a monument to 18th-century classicism. Water is brought here by a conduit, nearly 14km (8 3/4 miles) long, and an aqueduct.

Oenophilia -- If bending an elbow while holding a glass of wine is, in your opinion, a sport, consider a wine-lover's tour of one of the architectural oddities of Montpellier's wine district. Take a half-day exploration of the cellars and vineyards of the 18th-century Château de Flaugergues, in the hamlet of Flaugergues (tel. 04-99-52-66-37; www.flaugergues.com). Positioned within a 10-minute drive east of Montpellier, on the road leading to the seacoast, it accepts visitors who appreciate the nuances of the region's rough-and-ready reds, rosés, and whites. Appointments should be made in advance for visits that are usually scheduled any afternoon between 2:30 and 6:30pm. The castle's elaborate architecture is viewed by locals as one of the local folies (follies) of the region.