Recording more than 300 days of warm sunshine, Montpellier offers you beautiful beaches, vineyards, and mountains. The city is full of interesting activities to keep you, as well as the most discerning travelers, engaged and inspired. From axe throwing to wine tours to even spending a day in prison, Montpellier is a glorious city with a wide array of fun things to do.
The vibrant city boasts picturesque surroundings and a Mediterranean climate, which makes it the perfect place for you to discover the wines of the region. You can even learn how to make delicate desserts, along with getting a bird’s eye view of the beautiful city, while on a glider plane.
Here are some of the best things that you can do when in Montpellier.
- Fly Above the City
If you are looking to view Montpellier in all its glory, as well as take in the surrounding regions, you can easily find a glider plane to take you flying above the city. Les Planeurs du Pic Saint-Loup or the Montpellier Gliding Club offers you the chance to get on a 30-minute initiation flight. It will take you soaring between high altitudes of 1,350 and 3,000 meters. You can take in the beauty of the Grotte des Demoiselles cave, the Saint-Guillhem-le-Desert villafe, and the Cirque de Navacelles. The two-seat gliders available here have a tandem configuration, which can give you the illusion of having control. The initiation flight further grants the passenger permission to control the joystick and make some turns on their own.
On the other hand, if the idea of flying appeals to you but heights scare you, you can try the Twist’air free-fall simulator located at the Odysseum. The outdoor shopping mall offers this experience to children and adults alike. The simulator is not so different from a wind tunnel and an instructor will teach you how you can hover in the air. This will give you a somewhat similar sensation as taking diving from the sky.
- Enjoy a Wine Tour
Pays d’Oc or the Languedoc-Roussillon region is well-known for the fact that it produces over a third of the total wine manufactured in the country. Thus, it would be rude if you do not go for a wine tour when visiting the city of Montpellier. The tourist office in the city is responsible for organizing a wide array of day trips, centered around wine. You can become a part of any one of these and explore vineyards or hike around the Pic Saint-Loup Mountain. You can even enjoy some wine and cheese pairing courses or receive an introduction to oyster farming and white wine.
- Participate in a Dress Race
If you happen to visit the city of Montpellier in the month of April, then you will have the opportunity to take part in the craziest fancy dress race in the country. La Ruee des Fadas is an 8- to 12- kilometer-long obstacle course, which was designed by Jerome Berard. It was originally created in Lattes, which sits on the outskirts of the city. But now the race takes place all across France. It consists of no less than 35 obstacles, which include underground tunnels, one climbing wall, mud baths, archery, foam cannons, water slides, and rope swings, to name a few.
The only requirement is that you need to be more than 16 years old to participate in the race. You can have as many members in a team as you want. The only goal of this course is to allow people to have fun and gather funds for a noble cause!
- Set Your Inner Viking Free
Have you ever wanted to dress up like a Viking and become an expert at throwing an axe? Well, here is your chance. Florent Marechal, the owner of Throw Your Axe, or Lance Te Hache, allows you to learn how to effectively handle the tool. You do not need to worry about the safety of the experience, either. Skilled and trained staff are in place to give you safety instructions before they teach you how to accurately throw an axe at a target, which is placed in a box cage.
You will have the opportunity to choose one axe from three, which include Bertha, Tomahawk, and the Zombie Hunter. Much like a game of darts, the objective is simple; you need to score as many points as you can by making only five throws.
- Indulge Your Sweet Tooth
Do you feel yourself salivating and your stomach growling whenever you see delicious desserts through the bakery window? You do not have to do that anymore! You can now attend a patisseries class and become an expert at how to make your own yummy treats, with only a two-hour lesson, scheduled at the Maison Roux. L’Atelier d’Eleonore also offers you the chance to learn how to make desserts, along with Passion Delices, and Vanille ou Chocolat.
- Combine Pilates and Art
You can enjoy something that all travelers to Montpellier enjoy while doing something that not all of them do. The Musee Fabre brings together culture and physical wellness, by allowing you to take a Pilates class, while you are surrounded by various impressive artworks. This place houses an extensive collection of masterpieces belonging to various time periods, starting from the 15th century. It schedules a one-hour long Pilates class every month with Marie Pargneaux. She has been a teacher for more than five years and has trained in contemporary dance. Another one of her impressive feats includes studying cultural mediation, which has allowed her to bridge the gap between art and body.
By now, you can easily tell that Montpellier is an unusual and beautiful city and allows you to experience some unique things. After traveling to this city, you will go home with some wonderful and interesting stories to pass on to future generations. So, do not waste a single second! Go online and book your tickets to this lovely city today!
