Not long ago Montpellier was a quiet university city but over the last 50 years or so it's been considerably transformed. Its student population has risen tenfold and there have been some extremely impressive new architectural developments.

Now France’s seventh city, it is arguably the most dynamic in the Mediterranean region and is renowned for the intellectual prowess and the modern outlook of its inhabitants whose average age is just 25 years.

Founded in medieval times there is surprisingly no evidence of Roman occupation. It was Spanish for a while until it was sold to the King of France in 1349. Nowadays it’s a bustling, modern city and the capital of the département of Herault.

At the heart of Montpellier is the impressive Place de la Comédie which is known locally as the Egg and links the old town and the new.