Luxury hotels often present barriers instead of openings; they’re opulent fortresses instead of paths leading to local discoveries. In the sunny southern French city of Montpellier, the Hotel Richer de Belleval does the opposite: it offers a way to explore some of the most beguiling attractions in the city.
Even a cup of coffee is a grand event when enjoyed in the former ballroom. 
Ancient and modern decor co-exist in these distinctive rooms, and each one is different. 
Bar, Hotel Richer de Belleval. Serving drinks and late-night snacks, this is one of the hotel’s strikingly designed public rooms. 
In harmony with the 17th-century building, contemporary art is part of the hotel 
A combination of the 18th-century former mansion and contemporary fabrics. 
The square draws tourists to many of the 18th-century buildings.
The 17th century building, now a Relais & Chateaux, was originally a private mansion before it became a town hall. It lay empty for years before its 2021 incarnation as a hotel, with 20 guest rooms and three restaurants.
One, called Bistrot La Canourgue, faces the square. Another, Jardin des Sens, offers fine dining and has already garnered a Michelin star. Guests eat breakfast in the spacious former ballroom, with domed ceilings and chandeliers, which later becomes the indoor location of Bistrot La Canourgue. Upstairs is the atmospheric bar L’Elytre, with wood furniture and floral designs. On the main floor, the hallway is an unexpected vision – Im Dine’s paintings, with his signature heart motif. It’s just one example of the hotel’s signature – visual and culinary art, with a mixture of grandeur and whimsy.
Three restaurants in a 20-room hotel seems extreme, but this hotel is owned by chefs, the Michelin-awarded Pourcel brothers. In 2016, after running a three-star restaurant, Le Jardin Des Sens, as well as opening restaurants in Japan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, Jacques and Laurent Pourcel returned to Montpellier, sold their restaurant, and bought a rundown building that was once a town hall, the very place where their grandparents were married.
These gardens, constructed in 1593 to grow medicinal plants, draw strollers and meditators. 
Gardens created in 1593 to grow medicinal plants for the nearby medical school 
The peaceful square is the location of the Hotel Richer de Belleval, as well as cafes and 18th-century mansions. 
Cathedral St. Pierre. One of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in Europe, it’s just down the street from Hotel Richer de Belleval
The hotel faces Place de la Canourgue, a
verdant, flowery square, one of the oldest
in the city. With its twin unicorn statues at
the edge of a fountain, its flowers and fig
trees, it’s a beguiling and relaxing place. On
the terrace overlooking the square, Bistrot
de la Canourgue offers a front row seat. I
had cold cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and
eggplant, with a tempura of sardine and a
tomato coulis. Followed by the main course
– filet of grilled red mullet, potato confit
and a crisp salad of fennel. For dessert,
a Paris-Brest, pastry-filled with pralineflavored
cream.
“Montpellier is a gastronomic destination,” chef Jacques Pourcel told me later, “We have evolved. There is more Mediterranean influence, tapas, and attention to the experience of dining at a restaurant.” Chef Pourcel mentions his range of influences – Spanish tapas, Moroccan, certainly the local bounty from the sea and the land.
Place de la Canourgue is a great place to begin a discovery of Montpellier. In the morning, there’s the rustling of leaves, the magical Mediterranean light, and the chiming of cathedral bells. They come from the nearby 14th-century Gothic Cathedral Saint-Pierre, considered the most important Gothic monument in the region.
Faculty of Medicine, the oldest in Europe. Tours can be arranged through the tourist board in Place de la Comédie. 
Place de la Comédie. It looks like a condensed Paris, with department stores, a theatre, and shops. The very useful tourist office is here, too 
Montpellier Arc de Triomphe. Louis IV made Montpellier the capital of the Languedoc region, famous for its wines. 
Opera House. The 19th-century building is modelled after the Opéra Garnier in Paris
Next door to the cathedral, the School of Medicine is the oldest continuously operating medical school in the world. Nostradamus was there and so was Rabelais, known for his off-color jibes. The school is the reason for the adjacent Jardin des Plantes, which began as a place to cultivate medicinal herbs and grew into a large park known for its surprises, like lotus ponds and cacti.
A few blocks in the other direction, exiting left outside the hotel, you’ll reach rue Foch, a chic shopping street. There are boutiques like Agnes B, Zadig, Voltaire, and Souleido, and a Jacques Dessange hair studio. I discovered the street when I arrived at the hotel and asked the concierge where to reload my French SIM card. He didn’t just give me directions – he walked me to the phone store. At the end of rue Foch is the city’s own Arc de Triomphe, built in 1692 to honor Louis IV.
The Place de la Canourgue seems like a secret garden surrounded by elegant buildings formerly belonging to the local aristocracy. But if you walk across the square, you’ll come across something totally different, a former medieval village.
In the warren of winding streets, part of the Ecusson district, there are small shops and cafes, street art, and student hangouts. Montpellier has long attracted students as well as retirees.
Walk 15 minutes more and you are at the Place de La Comédie, the city’s beating heart. There’s a huge plaza with a carousel, a department store, and an opera house modelled after the Opera Garnier in Paris. Here you will find Haussman-style buildings so typical of 19th-century Paris. It’s worthwhile to stop at the tourist office for information – don’t forget to ask about the various short, guided tours.
Gothic cathedral Saint-Pierre. Built in 1536, it is considered the finest Gothic monument in the region 
Rue du bras de fer. Many of the medieval streets are marked by color, creativity, and cafes. 
Town Hall, new district. Designed by renowned architect Jean Nouvel, this is part of the planned Antigone district. 
Arbre Blanc, or White Tree. This apartment building is one of the most eccentric in the new area 
Mikveh baths. This Jewish ceremonial bath dates from the 12th century and is fed by an underground spring. 
Medieval Mikvah. The ceremonial bath inside this medieval space is a major draw for visitors.
Beyond the Place de La Comédie is an area looking to the future. Antigone is a former barracks developed in the 1980s as a new neighborhood, one planned for the future but with homage to the past, notably the architecture and art of ancient Greece. Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill oversaw the project.
You won’t find the haphazardly placed glass towers of so many cities – here the buildings are designed by noted architects like Jean Nouvel and include a town hall, social housing, and an eccentric apartment building, l’Arbre Blanc (white tree) with balconies looking like they’re about to take flight. There’s a casual restaurant adjacent and another one on the roof.
Beach Vibe
Although Montpellier is in the south of France, it doesn’t have the glamorous reputation of Côte d’Azur playgrounds such as Nice and St.Tropez. But it is only seven miles from the sea. You can take a tram and marvel at how they’re decorated – some of the cars are designed by fashion designer Christian Lacroix.
Here is another vision of the Pourcel brothers. Their beach spot, Le Carre Mer, is classic St. Barts, a chic milieu where you walk barefoot on white sand in one of the best beaches in the area. And enjoy specialties ranging from cocktails to small plates to a full meal.
Day trips and longer
Just as the hotel can lead to a journey of the city, Montpellier itself is a route to some interesting nearby destinations. The fishing village of Sete is a 20-minute train ride (you can walk a half mile from the hotel to the St. Roch station). Nimes is another easy destination, and you can also take the train to Avignon and see the Palace of the Popes, or the Camargue, with its flamingos and wild horses. Arles, where Van Gogh painted, is an hour by train.
And the best trip of all – Paris to Montpellier in three and a half hours by fast train.
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