Montpellier — a small, but joyful city.
We came to Montpellier without enormous expectations. We left already wondering when we could come back. Wide, strollable streets in the center. A center full of markets and carousels and beautiful old stone. A cool art-and-thrift energy underneath all the Haussmann grandeur. An easy tram that made the whole city feel navigable. And a cast of local spots — some famous, some hidden — that made every meal and every coffee feel like something.
01
The city, honestly
Montpellier gets described as a "student city" and yes, there's that energy — young, creative, a little scrappy in the best way. But it's also deeply livable. The center (l'Écusson) is a maze of pedestrian lanes, covered markets, and sun-bleached plazas where the carousels just... exist, at the perfect toddler height, like someone planned the whole thing for us.
The architecture is gorgeous without being fussy. The tram system (clean, frequent, stroller-accessible) meant we never felt stranded. And the walkability — real, genuine, flat-enough-for-a-stroller walkability — made the whole city feel like ours by day three.
"If it had been five degrees warmer it would have been basically perfect."
THE HONEST FOOTNOTE FROM OUR TRIP
Weather caveat: we visited in the cooler months. Montpellier in late spring or summer, with that same energy but actual warmth? We think it might be one of the best family cities in France.
02
Where we ate & loved it
Café de la Mairie OUR FAVORITE
14 Rue du Plan d'Agde
This was our place. Tucked into a side street near a hidden church, with the kind of setting that makes you feel like you accidentally found somewhere special. Beautiful terrace, genuinely good food, the kind of lunch that turns into the afternoon. We came back more than once.
María & Juana Tacos FUN VARIETY PICK
14 Rue du Palais des Guilhem
We weren't expecting to find excellent Mexican food in the south of France. We were wrong. Delicious, authentic, genuinely flavorful — the kind of meal that made us look at each other like, "okay, how did this end up here?" It has a 4.9 rating for a reason. Note: closed Mondays and Sundays.
Colddrip Club HIDDEN GEM
1 Place François Jaumes (near the Gare)
Found this right by our apartment and it became our morning anchor. A quiet, sunny square. Exceptional coffee — the kind you don't take for granted in France. Food that actually surprised us. Low-key, warm, not on every tourist list yet. This is the kind of spot that makes a neighborhood feel like home. Open most mornings from 9am; closed Tuesdays.
03
Cali's report card
France gets a 10/10 from Cali. She was welcomed essentially everywhere — restaurant terraces at lunch, restaurant terraces at dinner, cafés, shops, the streets, the plazas. The French relationship with dogs is one of those things that genuinely changes how you travel with a pet.
Restaurant terraces welcome dogs without a second thought — lunch or dinner, no issue.
Café culture is inherently dog-friendly; sitting outside with Cali felt completely normal.
The streets and pedestrian center are easy to navigate on-leash — wide, calm, lots of shade.
One exception: a large supermarket near our apartment asked us to leave her outside. Just the one.
Local dogs are everywhere and well-socialized — Cali thrived.
THE ONE NOTE
One supermarket (near the Gare) was the only place that wasn't dog-friendly. Every other shop, café, and restaurant we tried? Zero issues. France just gets it.
04
Emmy's city
Montpellier is genuinely, unusually good with babies and toddlers. Not in a forced, "family-friendly resort" way — in the way that a city that actually loves children feels.
Emmy was welcomed at restaurants without anyone making a face. The center is full of carousels at exactly the right height. Parks and play areas everywhere. The whole pace of the city suits a family that needs to go slowly.
05
Where we stayed & what we'd change
We were in the Gare area — which gave us Colddrip Club on our doorstep and easy tram access to the center, but was a 20–25 minute walk from l'Écusson. The walk itself was beautiful. But with a toddler and a dog, there were mornings we wished we were closer to the action.
Next time: we'd look at the Écusson itself, or the streets just south of Place de la Comédie. The ability to step out the door and immediately be in the thick of it — markets, carousels, architecture — would change the trip from great to perfect
05½
The best €20 Chris ever spent
This one deserves its own entry. Chris walked past Jean Jacques — a proper old-school French barbershop with a handwritten chalkboard sign, golden scissors painted on slate, €21 for a men's cut listed in chalk — and just walked in.
Shampoo, condition, and cut. Twenty euros. The barber didn't speak English — so Chris opened with his best French greeting, pulled out his phone, showed photos of what he wanted, and that was enough. No awkwardness. Just two people figuring it out.
Then the catch: no cash, card only. So the barber let Chris walk back to the apartment to get the money and come back. A stranger. POST-haircut trust. In a city he'd never been to before.
"No shared language, phone photos as a mood board, and he still trusted us enough to let Chris walk out and come back to pay. That interaction told us everything about this city."
06
Getting around & practical notes
Tram: Excellent, frequent, stroller-accessible. Buy a carnet of 10 tickets — much better value than single rides.
Walking: The center is made for it. Wide pavements, pedestrian zones, smooth surfaces. Emmy handled long stretches without complaint.
Markets: Several throughout the week in and around the center — check locally for days and locations. The covered Halles Castellane is worth knowing.
Best season: We'd go back in late April through June or September — warm enough for terrace life without peak summer crowds.
With a dog: France's pet culture means almost everywhere is accessible. Just have a leash and good manners — Cali did the rest.
