One Day in Montpellier With Kids: What To Do, Where To Go, and Ideas for The Whole Family
Before we took our road trip this summer, we’d never been to the South of France before. We’d visited France dozens (probably hundreds) of times before, but we’d just never made it down to the South Coast. And one of the ‘headline’ cities on our list of cities that we wanted to explore was Montpellier.
This was just a 30 minute drive from the Eurocamp La Marine (where we were staying for this leg of our journey) so we took a drive into the city to explore, and tick this fascinating and historic hot spot off our bucket list!
If you’re looking for a family-friendly city in France that mixes history with fun (and a healthy dose of crepes and ice cream) then Montpellier is a great pick. We only spend one day in this gem of a city, but I think it would make a great spot for a long weekend in the sunshine.
Thinking of spending a day in Montpellier with kids? Here’s what we did, as well as some hints and tips to help you plan your own adventure!
- Start At The Arc De Triomphe
- Head To The Place de la Comedie
- A Dash of Art and Culture
- Top Tips For Visiting Montpellier With Kids
- A Note on Driving in Montpellier
- Further Reading
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
Start At The Arc De Triomphe
We kicked off our day at the Arc de Triomphe. This is such an impressive starting point, as well as convenient one if you’re driving: we parked our car in the Arc de Triomphe car park which is actually located directly under the monument!
As well as being a good central car park, I recommend parking your car here because only cars accessing the car park are allowed to drive straight through the middle of the arch: something that got us all so excited!
The Arc de Triomphe in Montpellier was built in 1691 to celebrate King Louis XIV and his military victories: it’s not as massive as the one in Paris but it’s still very ornate and full of character. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t draw the same crowds meaning that the kids could run around it safely!
Directly oppositve the Arc de Triomphe in Montpellier you’ll find the Promenade du Peyrou, which was our next stop. This is a really beautiful park-like terrace with fountains and statues. We walked into this terrace so that we could see the incredible views over the city and the surrounding countryside too. We stopped to see the equestrian statue of Louis XIV and the boys could resist dipping their fingers into the Chateau d’Eau fountain.
But the attraction we found most interesting here was the Saint-Clement Aqueduct. You can see it up close from the top of the Promenade and it’s so impressive! This was built in the 18th century and it stretches for almost 99 metres: we loved its elegant arches and it triggered a great conversation about aqueducts, the Romans, and innovation.
Head To The Place de la Comedie
From here we decided to walk back through the Arc de Triomphe and head down into the heart of the city, and to the Place de la Comedie. This is Montpellier’s vibrant city centre. The area is pedestrianised, which makes for a much more pleasant (and more stress free!) experience when traelling with kids and you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the Opera Comedie (the city’s opera house, which is in the photo below!)
I’m not going to lie, it took a while for us to make this walk (which would normally only take 6-7 minutes because the boys wanted to make a few stops!) First they saw some surf shops they wanted to go into, then we had to stop at Uniqlo because they wanted to see the new Pokemon collection: if you’re travelling with anyone who likes to shop, allow a little more time to make this journey!
Once we got the Place de La Comedie we had three very important things to do:
- Find somewhere to eat crepes and ice cream. The square here is full of little street cafes and it’s the perfect place to stop for a break and a snack, as well as to take in the amazing views and indulge in a little people watching.
- Let the kids jump in the fountains. At the back of this square are some ‘dancing water fountains’ which my kids couldn’t resist jumping over (and getting wet!)
- Ride the carousel (three time!). Are you even in a French city if there isn’t an overpriced carousel?! My boys have a talent for sniffing them out, and this is where you’ll find the one in Montpellier!
A Dash of Art and Culture
Our final stop before we headed home was the Carre Sainte Anne: a former church now serving as home to a modern art installation. Adventice is an exhibition by renowned artist JR who specialises in large-scale installations.
It’s running until 7th December 2025, so if you’re visiting soon you’ll get the chance to catch it. It’s all about memory, diversity and roots: Montpellier has a very diverse community.
The main installation is a huge tree (pictured above) that sits in the church nave, and the branches are covered in thousands of paper hand print ‘leaves’ that have been taken from the resisents of Montpellier. But there’s an interactive element too: and this is perfect for kids! At the back of the exhibits are two printers where visitors can scan and print their own hand print, cut it out, and then put it in a box to be added to the tree. The boys were so excited that their hand prints would be part of the work of art!
If you’re interested in art, or travelling with kids that are interested in art, then I would call this a Montpellier must-do! And as an added bonus, the exhibition is free so it’s a great pick for families travelling on a budget too.
After we had enjoyed the exhibition, we stopped for dinner in a restaurant close to the church, and then headed back to our campsite. An amazing day was had by all, and I would truly recommend visiting Montpellier, even just for the day.
Top Tips For Visiting Montpellier With Kids
If you’re planning to visit Montpellier with kids then I do have a few tips that will make the process a little easier:
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring a buggy with robust tyres (or even consider baby wearing). Montpellier city centre is cobbled, so it’s not a good place for pushing a small wheeled buggy (or attempting to walk in heels).
- Tickets for the carousel are cheaper the more you buy. So if you think you’re kids might ask to ride again (or in the case of my kids, three time!) then consider buying those tickets upfront to save a few pennies.
- Montpellier is packed full of lovely restaurants and street side cafes that are perfect for snacks and people watching, but bring drinks/water bottles for kids! It can get REALLY expensive to stop in a café every time your kids say they’re thirsty….
- Don’t waste time or money with public transport tickets. Montpellier is a compact and walkable city, so unless you have plans in the suburbs, you can save your money (on the subject of money – this was such a cheap day out for us! With the exception of car parking, crepes, and the carousel we didn’t have to spend a penny!)
A Note on Driving in Montpellier
We love a good road trip: and we drive a lot, all over the world! But no city (including central Paris!) has been quite as tricky to navigate as Montpellier: with a mix of narrow ancient roads, confusing one way systems, driving over tram lines, and some pretty aggressive drivers on the road, we had a hard time. In fact, we drove around the same one way system 3 times, christening it the ‘Montpellier Bermuda Triangle’: is just a word of warning if you’re planning to drive too!
Further Reading
Are you planning your own exploration of the South of France? We took an epic road trip around the region, and have been sharing our adventure here. Below are some links to other cities, attractions, and things to do in the area that might help you to plan your own trip:
🏯 Exploring The Medieval Walled City Of Aigues-Mortes In France With Kids
🎠Visiting Dijon with Kids: What We Did on One Day in Dijon With Kids
🏴☠️Eurocamp Sables D’Or: A Review of the Best Eurocamp in the South of France for Older Kids
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
