Three highlights of Montpellier

When you’re making a shortlist of cities to visit in the south of France, the likes of Nice, Toulouse, Aix-en-Provence, Nimes, Cannes and Avignon typically come to mind. So too, perhaps, do Carcassonne and Marseille.

But about halfway between that last pair, Montpellier is another corker of a city that is comparatively underrated.

A useful base for savouring the historic Languedoc and Provence regions, it also has heaps to offer within its city limits.

And boasting a Mediterranean climate that’s similar to Perth’s — with roughly the same amount of annual rainfall and slightly fewer annual hours of sunshine — it’s potentially a year-round place to visit. Here are three key features to admire.

MEDIEVAL CHARMS

Montpellier’s historic core is a glorious place to stroll around, with dozens of options for alfresco wining and dining. Known as L’Ecusson, which translates to “the shield” in French, this enclave is shaped quite like one.

Its maze of lanes and squares have everything from cafes and laundrettes to art museums and picturesque churches, including the gothic Saint-Pierre cathedral. That’s next door to the city’s university, which was founded in AD1220 and continues to draw some of the brightest minds from around France (students comprise almost a fifth of metropolitan Montpellier’s 480,000 population, giving it a distinctly youthful vibe).

A stone’s throw from the cathedral is France’s oldest botanical garden, Jardin des Plantes, which was commissioned by King Henri IV at the end of the 16th century and brims with herbs and plants from around the planet. Although it’s perfect for independent wandering, L’Ecusson is a fine place to discover with a local guide. Some walking tours include access to tucked-away sights, such as an ancient Jewish synagogue and bathhouse, and you will hear stories of medieval spice traders, hardy pilgrims and the city’s patron saint, St Roch.

ARRESTING LANDMARKS

Numerous centuries-old buildings and landmarks will stop you in your tracks around Montpellier, with the areas flanking L’Ecusson particularly blessed. To the district’s west side, the Arc de Triomphe — also known as the Porte du Peyrou — is smaller than its Parisian counterpart, but was erected more than 200 years earlier.

It’s edged by a large paved square, the Promenade du Peyrou, which has a statue of Louis XIV and views over the stunning, double-layered Aqueduc Saint-Clement. Resembling an ancient Roman-style aqueduct, it was built in the 18th century to carry fresh water from a spring in the hills jutting above Montpellier.

A fresh produce market trades under the aqueduct’s arches on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Busy every day (and night) of the week, with people and trams trundling past, Place de la Comedie is on the opposite (east) side of L’Ecusson and rich in handsome belle epoque architecture, including the Opera Comedie, which opened in 1888 and is still one of the city’s top cultural venues. Around the corner, meanwhile, is the wide, tree-lined Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, which attracts strolling locals from across the generations.

DESIGN AND NATURE

Montpellier is one of Europe’s best cities for contemporary architects and is splashed with quirky, inventive design. If you are arriving by train — Montpellier is 90 minutes from Marseille by rail, and is also a stop on the high-speed TGV Paris-Barcelona route — the central station, Montpellier Saint-Roch, is bordered by 21st-century apartments with eye-catching balconies.

There are more eclectic blocks of flats, and a Jean Nouvel-designed city hall (opened in 2011), by the River Nez, which connects Montpellier with the Mediterranean Sea and a blaze of beguiling coastal scenery, from sandy beaches to flamingo-pecked lagoons and salt marshes.

There’s a nice 11km riverside path from the city that you can walk, jog or cycle along. Consider breaking up the journey with a drink and a bite to eat at Marche du Lez, a cool riverside zone with bars, food trucks, boutiques, street art and more on a former industrial wasteland.

Another architecturally significant slice of Montpellier is Antigone, a mixed residential, civic and commercial quarter that emerged in the 1980s to improve connectivity between the city centre and the Nez. It was masterminded by the late Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, who took inspiration from ancient Greece— something that’s evident in the classical-style buildings, sculptures and fountains. fact file + Oceania Le Metropole is a restored belle epoque hotel handily situated between Montpellier Saint-Roch station and Place de la Comedie. Rooms cost from around $165 per night. See oceaniahotels.com.

+ To help plan a trip to Montpellier and France, see montpellier-france.com and france.fr.