The “communication” city, Montpellier has strengthened its young, enterprising image. Its strategic position between Spain and Italy, the successful interweaving of ancient and modern districts and the exuberance of its student life make it one of the South’s most dynamic cities.

Sometimes, the image matches the reality. Tourists can see this easily and are surprised at the similarity between what the advertisements say and the urban reality. Because Montpellier is not like other cities. Here, southern tradition has been added to daring urban development, and the easy-going Mediterranean way of life has given birth to an unrivalled proliferation of creativity. Even the venerable Faculty of Medicine has found an audience, with a thousand and one other university courses being taught.

The result is that the city buzzes, gets things done, surprises... and is a delightful place for a city walk. The archetypal symbol of this successful synthesis is the Place de la Comédie, which was handed back to pedestrians in 1980, is a throughway for the tramway and acts as a junction between the modern city and the old town.

On one side is Old Montpellier, a vast district laid out on a medieval pattern, with the beautiful facades of 17th and 18th Century private mansions, the intimate Place de la Canourgue, the Castellane market hall and the Saint-Pierre Cathedral. On the other side, the Montpellier of the future, with the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle and the Champ-de-Mars Gardens, the Le Corum conference centre and theatre and the Antigone District, designed by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.

But Montpellier is also close to the sea. Only ten kilometres separate it from Palavas-les-Flots and the Mediterranean, a pilgrimage that students, tourists and the people of Montpellier make day after day in the height of summer, transporting their good humour from the sunny terraces of the town centre to the long, hot , sandy beaches.