In a city where the sun is always shining, a quarter of the residents are students and the beach is just an hour away, you may wonder how anyone gets anything done. Home to 250,000 people, Montpellier is a buzzy city with a palpable joie de vivre. The locals are notoriously good-natured and known for seizing life by the horns.

Montpellier is a great place to explore on foot and is well known in France for being pedestrian-friendly. The city is served by a top public transport system, ferrying workers to and from offices and tourists between museums and galleries. The excellent Musée Fabre illustrates perfectly how learning and study matter to the people of Montpellier. The city is home to one of the oldest Universities in Europe and prides itself on constant innovation.

Nestled in with the typical Languedoc architecture, you will find striking modern designs. Stroll down the Place de la Comédie and bask in the warm air. If it all gets too much for you, head down to the nearby coastline and combine your French studies with some serious beach time! Add an Olympic swimming pool, superb opera house and great cuisine into the mix and you’ve got a seriously tempting place to learn French.