Grand design: The opulent Opera-Comedie, built in 1888, in Montpellier's Place de la ComedieFor the average holiday maker, Montpellier in south-west France is like Clapham Junction: a place to pass through, rather than a destination in its own right.
Our flight there is packed, but no more than half the passengers are likely to be spending a night in the city.
At the car-hire desks, couples from the Home Counties are picking up keys, signing insurance waivers and consulting maps.
Some will head for the beach, others for the hills, vineyards or sleepy villages that give the Languedoc its charm.
'We should make Beziers in time for lunch,' says a middle-aged man in a panama hat. Behind him, a young couple in flip-flops clutch surfboards.
They will probably bypass Montpellier, which is a shame because it's a fascinating city.
There is history aplenty, and more gorgeous old buildings than you can shake a baguette at, but it has resolutely refused to live off its past. As befits a university city teeming with young faces, it has entered the 21st century with a bang.
Travelling into the city centre, we pass state-of-the-art offices, gleaming malls and sleek-looking trams.
The ambience is light years from your image of the South of France. Our hotel, the Holiday Inn Metropole, is tucked away down a side street and, from the outside, it's not much to look at.
Inside it's a treat, with a courtyard garden where you can sip a cassis or two under a palm tree
Jolly: Flags hang over a scenic street in downtown Montpellier - while the city is steeped in history, it has a foot firmly in the 21st centuryIt is a short walk from the Place de la Comedie, the epicentre of Montpellier, where tourists and locals watch the world go by, chill out in cafes and plot their next meal.
Some look no further than the neighbouring Champ de Mars, a tree-lined esplanade where there is a daily street market, funky art gallery the Musee Fabre and a clutch of bistros.
As we take a wander before lunch, the sun falls on lop-sided churches, dusty antique shops, cheeky trompes de l'oeil and dogs sleeping under cars.
The area around the Church of St Anne is beguiling. An old woman sits on a balcony, hunched over her needlework. A priest ducks into a tobacconist, emerges with a packet of fags and smiles seraphically, as if his prayers have been answered.
For lunch, we are spoiled for choice, but plump for the al fresco Sisters Cafe. The tarte maison, a creme brulee, a pitcher of wine and change from 20 euros. Voila!
It is the juxtaposition — churches dwarfed by office blocks, moss-covered statues overlooking pizzerias — that makes Montpellier such a joy. The Antigone, where the younger set congregate, is a wonderfully over-the-top space with fountains shooting up 30ft, flanked by statues.
Tranquil: The Jardin des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France, dating to 1593But for those who prefer serenity, the Jardin des Plantes is a much better bet. It is the oldest botanical garden in France, dating to 1593, when plants were grown for medicinal purposes.
It is also fun to explore the region by car. Point your bonnet to the east and you are only an hour from the Camargue, in the Rhone delta, famed for its flamingoes, bulls and wild white horses. Nose to the south and you're in the bustling port of Sète.
Accelerate to the west — as we do — turn off the main road, and you are in picnic heaven, sprawled out under a tree on the bank of the Canal du Midi.
This tranquil waterway, overhung with plane trees, runs for more than 150 miles through some of the most delectable scenery in France.
It was considered a triumph of modern engineering when it was built in the 17th century, but is now a triumph of life lived in the slow lane, with boats chugging along so slowly that the ducks overtake them.
After lunch, we drive on to the pretty little port of Marseillan, dawdle in the street market, then head for the beach at Marseillan Plage.
It is no Saint-Tropez — it is so unspoiled you could be in Devon — but there is nothing wrong with the temperature of the water, softness of the sand or fugitive beauty of the sunset.
Montpellier might be a gateway, but it leads to the sort of quintessentially French pleasures you certainly will not find in Clapham.
Travel factsEasyjet (0905 821 0905; www.easyjet.com) flies to Montpellier from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, from £52 return. Doubles at the four-star Holiday Inn Metropole (0033 467 123232; www.holidayinnmontpellier.com) start at £108.
source: dailymail
