Know a travel secret about | Montpellier, France

Whenever I tell someone I lived in France during my junior year of college, they assume I lived in Paris. No, mes amis, I lived in Montpellier in the Languedoc region of Southern France. The lan-gue-what?! Not many Americans make a point to visit Languedoc - a region perhaps best known as being the worst for growing wine in all of France. But here's what the French know. They know Montpellier is a cosmopolitan town filled with universities to which students from around the world flock. They know Montpellier's very walk-able downtown is filled with shops with the latest fashions. They know the town's large center square, La Place de la Comedie, is one of the prettiest you'll find in all of Europe. The square is surrounced by cafes perfect for people-watching and is flanked by a gorgeous opera house at one end and the tree-lined Esplanade Charles de Gaulle at the other. In the summer, the beaches just outside of town are filled with French and foreign tourists seeking sun and sand at a more affordable price than what can be found to the East along the French Riviera. If you want art and monuments, go to Paris. If you want history, head to Normandy. For castles, the Loire Valley. For wine, Burgundy or Champagne. Skiing, Grenoble. Posh beaches, Cannes. But if you want to visit a French city with a youthful vibe and an international flair, where old-world tradition and architecture collide with modern day, you must go to Montpellier