"Montpellier, the old and the new " a Montpellier Travel Page by Kate-Me

Montpellier is a city in the south of France, capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon région, 10 kms inland from the Mediterranean coast.

It is one of the few cities in France without (Gallo-)Roman history and background.

Montpellier was first mentioned in a document of 985, and was founded under a local feudal dynasty, the Guillem counts of Toulouse, who joined together two hamlets, built a castle and walls around the settlement.

There are just two surviving towers of the city wallis, the later built Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte.

Montpellier came to prominence in the 10th century as a trading centre, with trading links across the Mediterranean world.

The city has a nice botanical garden, the first in France, founded in 1593.

We only spent one day in and around the city itself, but another 4 days elsewhere in the region, while staying with our local friends Erick and Mary.