Montpellier Transportation

Getting There:

By Air:

The Montpellier Mediterranee Airport (+33 04 6720 8500 / http://www.montpellier.aeroport.fr) provides service to over 60 destinations in France, Europe and worldwide with airlines including:

Air Algerie (+33 04 95 09 30 90)

Air France (+33 0 820 820 820 / http://www.airfrance.com)

Air Horizons (+33 04 67 64 73 37 / http://www.safartours.fr)

British Airways (+33 0825 825 400 / http://www.britishairways.com)

Norwegian (+47 21 49 00 15 / http://www.norwegian.no)

Ryanair (+33 0 892 555 666 / http://www.ryanair.com)

Sterling.dk Airline (+457 033 3370 / http://www.sterlingticket.com)

Shuttles are available to and from the Airport and Montpellier city center and are located outside of gate A. Shuttles run about once an hour.

Taxi ranks are located outside the Arrivals Hall in gate A. Contact a taxi at +33 04 67 20 65 29.

Rental car companies at the Montpellier Airport include: Ada (+33 04 67 20 02 12 / http://www.ada.fr) Avis (+33 04 67 20 14 95 / http://www.avis.fr) Europcar (+33 04 27 99 82 00 / http://www.europcar.fr) Hertz (+33 04 67 20 04 64 / http://www.hertz.fr) National Citer (+33 04 67 15 13 47 / http://www.citer.fr) Sixt (+33 04 67 65 33 75 / http://fr.e-sixt.com)

By Bus:

Eurolines (http://www.eurolines.com) provides international service throughout much of Europe. There are direct buses into Montpellier from Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Andorra, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, and more. The bus station is right near the train station by the Place de la Comedie in the center of Montpellier.

By Car:

Montpellier is served by the A9 and the A75 highways.

By Train:

Several trains arrive in Montpellier daily from Avignon, Marseille, Toulouse and Perpignan, and hourly from Paris' Gare de Lyon. Call +33 08 36 35 35 35 for detailed rail information. International rail service is available by TGV (high speed trains; http://www.tgv.com). The railway station is located in the city center at Place Auguste Gilbert.

Getting Around:

Montpellier has convenient public transportation. The tramway (+33 04 67 22 87 87) runs east and west throughout Montpellier while bus services offer transportation around the city and surrounding areas.

Plenty of taxis can be flagged down throughout the city. Major cab companies include: Allo Taxi D'oc (+33 04 67 47 26 80) Taxi 2000 (+33 04 67 03 45 45) Taxi a Montpellier (+33 04 67 20 35 20) Taxi Jem (+33 04 67 45 07 75) Taxi Tram (+33 04 67 58 10 10)

Planning a Trip

Getting There

Some 12 trains per day arrive from Avignon (trip time: 1 hr.), 12 from Marseille (trip time: 1 3/4 hr.), every 2 hours from Toulouse (trip time: 2 hr.), and 17 per day from Perpignan (trip time: 1 1/2 hr.). Trains arriving hourly from Paris's Gare de Lyon take 8 to 10 hours, depending on the train, and usually require a change of equipment in Lyon. One TGV train arrives daily from Paris, taking less than 3 1/2 hours. The one-way fare starts from 75€ ($98). For rail information, call tel. 36-35, or visit www.voyages-sncf.com.

The Montpellier bus station is located at 20 rue du Grand St-Jean (tel. 04-67-92-01-43). Two buses a day run between Nîmes and Montpellier, Monday to Saturday only, for 8.50€ ($11). The trip takes 1 3/4 hours.

If you're driving, Montpellier lies off A9.

Visitor Information

The Office de Tourisme is at 30 allée Jean de L. de Tassigny (tel. 04-67-60-60-60; fax 04-67-60-60-61; www.ot-montpellier.fr).

Special Events

From June 24 to July 7, classical and modern dancers leap into town for the Festival International Montpellier Danse. Tickets for performances cost 6€ to 30€ ($7.80-$39) and can be purchased through the box office, Montpellierdanse, 18 rue Ste-Ursule (tel. 08-00-60-07-40 or 04-67-60-83-60; www.montpellierdanse.com). From July 12 to 29, the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier presents orchestral music, jazz, and opera. Tickets run 6€ to 50€ ($7.80-$65); call tel. 04-67-02-02-01 or contact the Cité des Congrés Le Corum, esplanade Charles de Gaulle (tel. 04-67-61-67-61; www.festivalradiofrancemontpellier.com).