day trips from Montpellier

Day Trips

Nimes
This is France's most well preserved Roman city. Amazingly it has become a sort of forgotten and bypassed Southern French city. The ampitheatre , la maison carré, the jardins de la Fontaine and the modern art museum (carré d’art) are all quite remarkable in their own right. You don’t necessarily need to go inside the stadium it is most impressive from outside. The maison carré often has interesting interactive displays on Roman history worth checking out. The modern art centre (carré d'art) can also be interesting but not the most vital if you are short on time. You should at least go to the café on its top floor. The gardens are a must visit. It is quite surprising that they are not more famous or popular with tourists. There is also a tower that over looks everything which if you happen to be walking up that end of the garden could be worth checking out called ‘LaTour Magne’. The downside of Nimes is that it is not the most welcoming nor lively place in the evening so I recomend it purely as a day trip.

Pézanas
This is a Renaissance city that was made famous by Moliere. Everywhere you go it’s Moliere this and Moliere that. There is a plaque just about everywhere Moliere had a pee. They have some interesting buildings that are free to visit but you must find them on your map or keep your eyes open when you walking around town to find them. It is different enough from the other small cities of France to merit some time walking around. They have a lively market on Saturday and several good restaurants, many of which stay open for Sunday lunch. As usual, you should stay off the main square if you want to find the good value places. I remember the name of one of these good restaurants ‘après la déluge’. There is an impressive biscuit and candy shop on the main street which is part of a small and successful chain called 'La cure gourmand'. A number of faux renaissance games, toys and costume shops populate much of the rest of the central streets.
Their gastronomic speciality is called the pate de Pézanas. It is a Cornish pasty meets southern French lamb and honey with a hint of Indian spices. The story is that a Major in the British army, previously posted in India, retired in Pezanas and brought with him his Indian cook. He asked his cook to reproduce the Cornish pasty that he remembered fondly from his boyhood holidays. The Indian cook used local French ingredients and hit upon a local success with his trybrid pre-fusion cuisine invention. Now the local French pastry chefs have made it there own. There are still tons of retired English people living in Pézanas, they can’t seem to get enough of it.

Séte/Agde
These are fishing ports that have become tourist draws. Tons of Seafood restaurants, too many to list. It is sometimes called the Venice of France because of its rivers everywhere and Italian influence. You will see the image of Georges Brassens with his signature moustache and pipe all over the place. Brassens was a famous French folk singer and native son. Tielle is what poor fishermen traditionally ate here. Tielle is a squid and tomato pie. The oysters and other shell fish are equally famous. Rouille de sieche is another tomato and squid based dish that is delicious when done well. Picpoul de Pinet is the cheap white wine people drink with the seafood in this region. There are essentially three routes of interest in Sete. Along the canal and coast which is line with restaurants and will eventually take you past a fortress where they host concerts and then to a little beach where you take a refreshing dip if it is a hot day. The route that which leads to the train station and has a couple of café brasseries with open fronts that are offer nice places to stop for a pastis or a muscat on a hot day. Alternate routes less frequently explored by tourists are the streets that go upwards, to where the locals have their residences. There is a lovely little park, a bar for jousters with a view of the Sea and strange combinations of architecture reminisent of many different Mediteranian cultures. Apart from the tourists Sete is a noisy working class town or hearty Seaferring third generation French Italians and former colonists kicked out of Algeria called ‘’Pieds Noir". Due to the Italian influence Sete also has some good spots for gellato.
Agde is smaller, less industrial and Phoenician in origin. The buildings are made of black volcanic rock, which gives it it’s nick name ‘’La perle noire". It is Sete’s rival town for the canal jousting and tourism. The jousting is done from large dory style boats with a team of rowers and a jouster armed with a lance and a shield on a platform at the back who attempts to knock his adversary in the canal. It is a worthwhile spectacle if you happen to arrive on a jousting day.

Narbonne
Great covered market. Lovely walks along the canal. A mixture of interesting architecture dating from many different periods including a bit of left over Roman road and an impressive Gothic cathedral. Narbonne is generally very quiet with the exception of certain times: when there are bull fights or championship rugby games at the stadium.

St. Bauzille du Putoise
http://www.canoe-herault.fr/From here you can rent some plastic kayaks, pack a full gourmet picnic (no scrimping this is important), and have the best day of your life. The more lavish and impractical the picnic you pack the better. I have been with friends who have actually produced decanters and long stem glasses in tact even after flipping their kayak and riding several rappids. There is amazing scenery, as much exercise as you like, plenty of lovely spots to stop for a refreshing dip or to go around exploring. A perfect day. Just don't forget to seal your water-proof drums as tightly as you can.

Marseillan
　 There are two lovely restaurants in this little port.
La table d'Emilie -reservations a must (the restaurant that really puts this former fishing village on the map). Apparently the restaurant you must go to if you only go to only one in Marseillan. I still haven’t gone but everyone tells me it’s great, so it is high on my priority list. The more affordable way to go is at lunchtime on weekdays, open Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch. Don’t forget to make reservations.
La Chateau du Port- run by the Pourcell brothers who own several influential restaurants from NYC to Tokyo. This is one of their more subdued ventures, essentially a family run restaurant that has been there for a long time that they bought out while retaining the family as employees. Some think the prices are inflated on this side of the port and it's better to walk 20 metres to the restaurants on the opposite side. Lunch and dinner prices vary greatly, make sure that you are looking at the right menu. This is true for restaurants anywhere in France.
There are two good wine cellars. One on the port offers a variety of regional wines. Another which is two blocks away sells its own and their stuff which seems to get better and better every year.
Noily-Pratt is a very old very classic vermouth distillery on the port. They have their own museum with tours in English. I recommend both their classic and amber vermouths as a fresh apero alternative. Nice with a bit of ice on a hot day facing out towards the med.
There is an outdoor covered market in the village square on Tuesdays and Saturdays.