Montpellier

A population boom made Montpellier, formerly Monspessulanus, the eighth-largest city in France and the third-largest city along the Mediterranean coast behind Nice and Marseille. Students, attracted to the mild winters and hot, dry summers, make up one-third of the city's population. People-watch at Place de la Comédie, the city square, or get your culture fix at Musée Fabre, which the French Ministry of Culture classified as a Musée de France due to its extensive collection of paintings and sculptures.

Nature lovers will enjoy Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier, a botanical garden featuring ferns, orchids, palm trees and medicinal plants.