Races in Montpellier

Montpellier offers an ideal setting—it’s no coincidence that the metropolis regularly ranks among the top cities where life is good… And you’ll quickly understand why !

Built in the Middle Ages, Montpellier today offers a tasty mix of historic monuments and contemporary buildings. For the old, you absolutely have to see the Saint-Clément Aqueduct (Les Arceaux), Saint Peter’s Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, the Tower of Babelle la Babote, the Fabre Museum and the Fountain of the Three Graces, all located in the city center, before of course settling down on a terrace at Place de la Comédie—life’s good, isn’t it? You can also stroll (or run if you’re not afraid of bumping into passers-by) through the pedestrian streets of the Écusson district, like those of Aiguillerie, l’Ancien Courrier, Foch, or Jacques Cœur. After all that, you’ll see every color with the city’s imposing modern buildings. If you stop in front of the White Tree by Sou Fujimoto, you won’t discover a huge imposing shrub, but a beautiful building with suspended balconies that look like branches. Know that Montpellier’s city hall and town hall were imagined by Jean Nouvel and François Fontes. Le Nuage, designed by architect Philippe Starck, and the Pierrevives building envisioned by Zaha Hadid are just as dazzling. Proof that there’s no need to go visit Barcelona and Gaudí’s works to get a shot of originality 😉—we’ve got what it takes in France 🇫🇷.

What if you went green after all those visits? City landscapes are far more numerous than you might think, and Montpellier is perfectly suited to running, offering a unique experience between urban and nature. To start, you can run along the banks of the Lez all the way to Palavas. You can also stop by the Jardin des Plantes, founded in 1593, which lets you discover 2,000 exceptional species 🌸 ! You can do a great interval session on the Promenade de Spirou Peyrou, and for more space head north of the city to the Lunaret Nature Reserve,! Between the Mosson (nothing to do with the Asian climate phenomenon) and Grabels, the Lac des Garrigues fitness trail is a landscaped wooded area for fans of running. Your path is clearly laid out between trees and foliage. You need to be well equipped : twisting trails await you. The Domaine de Grammont is also a secluded, highly popular spot. You can also go for a great Nordic walk in the Parc du Terral in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, where green is also the dominant color. The most beautiful spots are still waiting for you. From La Grande Motte to Petit and Grand Travers, via Carnon and Palavas, we weren’t going to forget to tell you about the beautiful Mediterranean beaches—ideal for a salty, sea-air route all year round! 

After warming up, it’s time for the Montpellier race calendar. On the program, you can choose between the Montpellier Métropole Marathon and Half-Marathon, the Montpellier 10K, the Montpellier Urban Trail, or taking off with the aptly named race Envolez-vous! So let your wings grow! You’ll be able to test your cardio, carve out competition thighs, and maybe spot all the city’s monuments you might have missed.

Feeling a bit hungry after racing all over Montpellier? Reward your efforts by tasting the famous grisettes of Montpellier and fougasse aux fritons. Happiness also—and above all—goes through the stomach 😋! You can pair that with a nice, very chilled gris rosé produced in the coastal area just a couple of strides from Montpellier.

Once you’ve unraveled all the secrets of La Surdouée (that’s Montpellier’s nickname), you can absolutely discover the villages surrounding the metropolis and then visit the magnificent treasures scattered around Languedoc : the Gorges de l’Hérault and the Devil’s Bridge, the Pic Saint-Loup, Sète, the Petite Camargue and Aigues-Mortes, Uzès, Maguelone Cathedral, or the Lac du Salagou…

You’ve probably figured it out by now—it’s impossible to get bored around here.