Are you in Montpellier, on holiday, on extended stay, or for an indefinite period? Would you like to explore the surroundings for a weekend? Here are 17 weekend ideas around Montpellier that you are recommended with closed eyes!
Are you looking for weekend ideas around Montpellier? Good guess! The pleasant city is to visit, but also to live, all year round! While you're here for a few days, or for a good life, you won't be bored. In addition to a beautiful list of things to do and see, Montpellier is also surrounded by a splendid region.
It is also a crossroads of choice to take the road towards more distant places... And in less than 3 hours of driving, you can be completely overwhelmed with the time of a weekend, regardless of the route you choose.
Follow us, we help you escape, thanks to 17 weekend ideas around Montpellier!
1. La Camargue
Photo credit: Shutterstock – kavram
- 📍 62 kilometres (Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer)
- 🚗 By car 1h
- 📷 To see/to do : Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Aigues-Mortes, les Salins du Midi, nature reserve of the Scamandre, safari in 4×4, visit of a manade, attend a Camarguaise race
Horse riding on the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Gard , the Camargue is the ideal place to discover the time of a weekend around Montpellier.
Pack your suitcases to the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer or in the heart of the ramparts Aigues-Mortes , to be at the heart of action. Then go to discover this amazing place, to the exceptional natural setting.
Cycling or walking, 4×4 or horseback riding, there are 1,000 ways to visit the Camargue ponds and marshes... Do not hesitate to go to meet the gardians in their manades, or to climb on a camel of salt to Salins du Midi .
Not to forget to taste a bulldog with camarguese rice, and to attend a Camarguese race!
2. Uzès
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Sissoupitch
- 📍 83 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 1h15
- 📷 To see/to do : Haribo Museum, Downtown, Place aux Herbes Market, Medieval Garden, Gard Bridge
If you are looking for a weekend idea around Montpellier, we recommend you go to Uzès. This small town is classified City of Art and History , and enjoys international fame as its heritage is rich.
You will be charmed by its medieval alleys, shady little squares, ducal castle, or by its charming private Renaissance hotels.
On Saturday morning, head to its huge market place in Les Herbes, followed by a lunch on the terrace. Take a look at its many shops and boutiques for a strolling afternoon. And on Sunday, go to the assault Pont du Gard , located a few kilometers, for a day bathing and picnic.
3. The Canal du midi
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Huang Zheng
- 📍 30 kilometres (Set)
- 🚗 By car 40 minutes
- 📷 To see/to do : climb the channel of the noon by bicycle or by barge, the House of the Haute-Garonne on the area of Port-Lauragais, the locks
The oldest canal in Europe still in operation awaits you for a weekend around Montpellier. From Sète , by bike, on foot or on a barge, go up the canal or its banks in a peaceful atmosphere.
You will be in the shade of platanes, and can choose the duration that suits you. Its 240 km of waterways, which connect Sète to Toulouse , you will discover a wide variety of landscapes. As for lock passages, they will be moments of the journey!
4. Les Pyrénées Ariégeoises
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Iakov Filimonov
- 📍 237 kilometres (Foix)
- 🚗 By car 2h40
- 📷 To see/to do : hiking, sled dog in winter
If you are athletic and looking for a weekend idea around Montpellier, we recommend you without hesitation the Ariégeoise Pyrenees. In just over 2h30 of road, you will be transported to the heart of the high and medium mountains of this iconic chain.
On the programme: slide, hiking, cycling, climbing full of other outdoor activities await you...
5. The Gorges du Tarn
Photo credit: Shutterstock – xquero
- 📍 177 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 2 hours
- 📷 To see/to do : Sainte-Enimie, canoe descent, hiking
Heading towards the Gorges du Tarn is a great weekend idea around Montpellier, if you like adventure! Indeed, its famous canyons are an ideal playground for canoe lovers.
On the other hand, if you have a tip to give you, prefer the beginning or end of the high season, to avoid getting stuck in a kayak jam at the entrance of a quick. At the same time, it will allow you time to admire the impressive cliffs that are reflected in crystalline water, on which you float.
The history lovers will not be left by visiting the village of Sainte Enimie, the castle of Castelbouc or Prades. True natural wonder, the Gorges du Tarn are immanquable.
6. The pond of Thau
Photo credit: Shutterstock – FredP
- 📍 30 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 37 minutes
- 📷 To see/to do : oyster tasting in a hut on the pond, Sète, diving
A weekend idea around Montpellier, without getting too far away? Direction the iodine air of the pond of Thau, less than 20 minutes by car. This real small, indoor sea of 7,500 hectares covers the towns of Sète, Balaruc-les-Bains, Bouzigues, Mèze and Marseillan.
This area has an extremely rich biodiversity and owes its reputation to the cultivation of oysters and mussels, especially in Bouzigues. Moreover, tasting in the oyster huts along the pond is a must-see.
Numerous nautical activities are offered on the pond, from the walk in oyster parks to diving!
7. Collioure
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Pani Garmyder
- 📍 188 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 2h10
- 🚆 By train 2:15.
- 📷 To see/to do : visit, coves and beaches, the port, the feast of Saint Vincent, tasting of anchovies, Banyuls-sur-Mer
If you need a weekend idea around Montpellier, that’s all! Head towards the Spain , and stop in this small village with the very pronounced Catalan influence.
On the Mediterranean coast, discover an authentic setting, a sweetness of living in Spanish, and a protected environment. The bay of Collioure is an immanquable, which has seduced before us many expressionist painters, such as Picasso or Matisse.
Do not hesitate to radiate to its surrounding villages, such as Port-Vendres or Banyuls-sur-Mer, and do not leave without having tasted the speciality: anchovies!
8. The Cevennes
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Lamax
- 📍 127 kilometres (Florac)
- 🚗 By car 2:15.
- 📷 To see/to do : Florac, Anduze, hiking, sporting activities
Do you want to go on weekends around Montpellier to enjoy nature and be quiet? So nothing like the Cevennes! Located north of Montpellier, they extend from Mont-Aigoual to the gates of the Mediterranean.
A true little natural gem, its park offers, in addition to stunning views, a wide range of activities and things to see. Between swimming in summer, hiking in spring, picking mushrooms in autumn and skiing in winter, no matter the season, you will be filled!
9. Nimes
Photo credit: Shutterstock – saiko3p
- 📍 57 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 1h
- 🚆 By train 25 minutes
- 📷 To see/to do : Arènes, Maison Carrée and other Roman vestiges, Jardins de la Fontaine, Musée de la Romanité, historic centre
Very close and bearing so disappointing... Welcome to Nemausus one of the most important colonies in the Roman world.
We're not presenting her arenas anymore, or her Maison Carré , of international renown. No doubt, your weekend will be well filled in this exciting city. Places like the Jardins de la Fontaines or the Musée de la Romanité are missing under no pretext.
Swim the city centre of Nîmes on foot, before you settle at a coffee terrace on the crocodile square – the city's emblem – for a refreshing break.
And if you like the crowd and party, a board, go there during the day Féria . Bodega, corrida, sangria and paëlla are the 4 words that will summarize your weekend around Montpellier.
10. The Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park
Photo credit: Shutterstock – PAUL ATKINSON
- 📍 170 kilometres
- 🚗 By car : 2h25 (Castres-Mazamet)
- 📷 To see/to do : Olargues, hiking, outdoor activity
The Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park offers a multitude of things to do and see the time of a weekend around Montpellier. Horse riding on the departments of Tarn and l’Hérault , it is recognized at the national level for its exceptional heritage and landscape value.
And it's not the activities that are missing! Between outdoor activities, visiting picturesque villages, wine tasting and other discoveries of beautiful cultural sites, you will no longer know where to give your head!
11. The Spanish Frontier
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Vladimir Sazonov
- 📍 209 kilometres
- 🚗 By car : 2h10 (Figueras)
- 📷 To see/to do : Museum-Théâtre Dalí, old town of Girona, beach and party in Lloret de Mar
And yes, going abroad is a weekend idea around Montpellier! Indeed, Figueras is only 2 hours away, Girona 2:30 and Lloret de Mar Three... What to do!
A small roadtrip is the ideal to discover the north of the Catalonia . Take a break in Figueras to visit the Dali theatre-museum, then slow down in the beautiful Girona. La, discover its old town, photograph the banks of the Riu Onyar, and visit its monumental cathedral.
If you prefer to party and the seaside resort atmosphere, direction Lloret de Mar and its famous nightlife! On the way back, a stop at the Perthus to go shopping... Or how to attach the utility to the pleasant.
And here's a weekend around Montpellier filled!
12. Toulouse
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Henryk Sadura
- 📍 240 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 2h35
- 🚆 By train 2 hours
- 📷 To see/to do : Cité de l’Espace, place du Capitole, quais de la Garonne
It’s gone for a weekend around Montpellier, in the pink city! Toulouse is its color shades, only 2h30 by car. With almost 500,000 inhabitants, Toulouse is the 4th city of France.
And a weekend will not be too much to explore it, so there are things to see and do. Among them, the Jacobin Convent, the banks of the Garonne, the Capitole square or the Cité de l’Espace .
Your taste buds will enjoy specialties from the southwest, candy with violet, and bread with... Sorry, chocolates!
13. The Alpilles
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Oleg Znamenskiy
- 📍 100 kilometres (Les-Baux-de-Provence)
- 🚗 By car 1h25
- 📷 To see/to do : Les-Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, hiking, sporting activities
The Alpilles are a mountainous massif not far from Marseille , to be discovered during a weekend around Montpellier. To do this, set up in a lovely Provençal hotel in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, for example, to leave on the assault of this little gem. Here, the pine forests crow the olive fields, whose green slices with the limestone cliffs.
Renowned for its many hiking trails and cliffs that are conducive to climbing, the sportiest will be delighted. The most gourmets will be tempted by a tasting of olive oil or wine, and the curious will attend a light projection in the Career of the Lights .
14. Carcassonne
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Riska Parakeet
- 📍 150 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 1h40
- 🚆 By train 1h20
- 📷 To see/to do : La Cité, La Basilique Saint-Nazaire, La Maison de la Truffe
The medieval fortified city of Carcassonne is a must-see weekend idea around Montpellier! This little medieval jewel promises memorable moments. You will feel small in front of its 3 kilometers of ramparts and 52 towers, which contain an old town as charming as animated.
The Saint-Nazaire Basilica and the comtal castle are not to be missed as well. Finally, don’t leave here without having tasted a real cassoulet.
15. The hurried hinterland
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Inu
- 📍 42 kilometres
- 🚗 By car : 45 minutes (Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert)
- 📷 To see/to do : Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Lac du Salagou, hiking, sporting activities
This small natural nugget is really worth the detour, for a weekend around Montpellier. In a few minutes drive, go to the discovery of exceptional sites, as Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert , the Devil Bridge or Cirque de Navacelles .
Sports and nature lovers will be delighted, at the heart of this heritage of an incredible wealth and diversity. Do not miss a day on the red earth of Lake Salagou , or a tasting evening on the wine territory of Pic Saint Loup .
16. Le Luberon
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Simon Dannhauer
- 📍 144 kilometres (Roussillon)
- 🚗 By car 2h10
- 📷 To see/to do : Roussillon, the Colorado Provençal de Rustrel, the Abbey of Senanque, The Regional Natural Park of the Luberon
The lavender fields, the sun, the cicadas... Although the last two are also well present in Montpellier, they are the true symbols of this bucolic and photogenic region.
The Luberon awaits you, and you must absolutely discover its fields of lavender and distilleries, as well as the Abbey of Senanque to Gordes . Don’t miss exploring the French Colorado of Rustrel, where the ochre land will transport you to the American continent. Not to mention its castles, picturesque villages or its mills...
So, a weekend around Montpellier, Provence, is it tempting you?
17. Le Mont Aigoual
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Lamax
- 📍 99 kilometres
- 🚗 By car 1h50
- 📷 To see/to do : the observatory of Mont Aigoual, hiking, skiing
At 1:30 am from Montpellier, take altitude and discover the region of Mont Aigoual. It is the ideal place to take the fresh and enjoy the calm, the time of a weekend around Montpellier.
In winter, go to the small ski resort of Aigoual, at the hollow of the Col de Prat-Peyrot. It offers 11 alpine ski slopes, cross-country skiing, snowshoe trails and a sledge trail. How to delight the whole family!
The rest of the year, Mont Aigoual offers lush vegetation and shaded hiking trails. Also, don't miss its observatory and its splendid panorama in all seasons!
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