TR 9THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2012

By SETH SHERWOOD

NOSTRADAMUS, a formerresident of France’s eighth-largest metropolis, mighthave put it this way: “Thelord of multicolored pants /

Will conjure two iron serpents / And abald builder shall erect / A mighty bluemonolith.” It would be an apt predictionof the splashy new projects appearingin this Mediterranean city, which hasrecruited titans of fashion and architec-ture to inject some style and modernity.Christian Lacroix, celebrated for his ra-diant clothing lines, has decorated tworecently unveiled tram lines, while thesuperstar architect Jean Nouvel de-vised the plans for the enormous newmonolithic (and very blue) city hall.Throw in a forthcoming futuristic mu-nicipal archives building from the ar-chitect Zaha Hadid, and this universitycenter and night-life hotbed may beFrance’s most forward-looking city.

Friday5 p.m.

•1 Streetcar Named LacroixTo surf Montpellier’s design wave, ridetram No. 3 (1.40 euros, or $1.70 at $1.20to the euro) to the Moularès station.Designed by Mr. Lacroix, the kaleido-scopic tram cars — covered withstrange sea creatures and exotic ma-rine flora — drops you next to the newHôtel de Ville, or city hall. The $130 mil-lion 12-story blue monolith was createdby Mr. Nouvel and his co-architectFrançois Fontès to anchor Montpel-lier’s fast-rising Port Marianne district.Walk around the building and admirethe canals, light shafts, pixilated win-dows and dazzling silvery panels in thecourtyard. Brasserie de l’Hôtel de Ville(80, place Georges Frêche, 33-4-67-85-22-96; bdhv-montpellier.com) is apleasant spot to admire the architec-ture while sipping pastis (2.60 euros).

7 p.m.

•2 Song and DanceAnother iconic French designer —Jean-Paul Gaultier — has helped rein-vigorate Montpellier by doing the cos-

tumes for “The Marriage of Figaro,” forthe reopening of the opera house (Placede la Comedie, 33-4-67-60-19-99; opera-montpellier.com) this June after near-ly two years of renovations. For mod-ern moves, Agora (18, rue SainteUrsule; 33-4-67-60-83-60;mathildemonnier.com) is a 1641 con-vent that has been transformed intoMontpellier’s Cité Internationale de laDanse, a haven of contemporary dance.

10 p.m.

•3 Top Meal, Top DealIs L’Atelier Gourmand (17, avenue duPont Juvénal; 33-4-99-51-75-23;lateliergourmand-montpellier.com) agastronomic temple or a design empo-rium? Judging from the chef PascaleVende’s modern menu and the diningroom’s burgundy walls and neo-Moor-ish tiles, both labels apply. With an acethree-course dinner menu for only 29euros, the year-old town-house restau-rant is practically a philanthropy aswell. Appetizers include cold green andwhite asparagus with tangy asparagusfoam; dessert might be warm liquiddark chocolate in a highball alongside aglass of chilled white chocolate withraspberry jelly. In between, the duck isrobust, with avocado mousse.

11 p.m.

•4 Papa Knows BestErnest Hemingway would have lovedPapa Doble (6, rue du Petit Scel; 33-4-67-55-66-66; papadoble.fr). The stylishunderground bar is a shrine to two ofthe Nobel laureate’s favorite things:booze and himself. Images of Hem-ingway are all over the cool, cavernousinterior — and a daiquiri favored by thewriter provides the bar’s name. But thereal resident genius is the owner, JulienEscot, an award-winning bartenderwhose concoctions are a global journey,from the Caribbean Julep (dark rum,mint, sugar, cinnamon, Pimento Dramliqueur; 9.50 euros) to Tokyo Society(vodka, Nigori Yuzuchu sake, lemonjuice, sugar, vanilla bitters, Sichuanpepper; 9.50 euros). He’s even a writeras well, with a new book, “Cocktails:Leçons de Dégustation.”

Saturday11 a.m.

•5 Art of DarknessAt the Musée Fabre (39, boulevardBonne-Nouvelle; 33-4-67-14-83-00;museefabre.fr), bet on black. Sure, thevenerable institution brims with col-orful paintings by Dutch masters andother notables, but the real jewels arethe dozens of black canvases donatedby the French abstract artist PierreSoulages. Some look like giant Ror-schach blots, others like oversize Chi-nese ink brush swaths. For additionaldarkness, the temporary exhibition“Corps et Ombres” — “Bodies and

Shadows” — features another dark fig-ure, Caravaggio, through Oct. 14.

2 p.m.

•6 Worship CodIf you can’t get to the sea, get to LaMorue (23, rue du Palais des Guilhem;33-4-67-52-82-62). Opened last year, thistiny boathouse-chic restaurant does un-fussy preparations of nearly anythingwith fins, gills or shells. (The namemeans “cod,” a menu staple.) Tenderanchovies are fried just enough to givea snappy coating without overcookingthe soft meat within; a light touch alsobrings out the undersea flavor of thegrilled cod fillet. For dessert, the tirami-sù with Nutella is dangerously rich.Lunch for two runs about 50 euros.

4 p.m.

•7 Dogs, Dresses, DesignWalkers rejoice: L’Écusson, Montpel-lier’s historical core, is one of the larg-est pedestrian zones in France, and thetwisting passages of medieval, Renais-sance, Baroque and 19th-century build-ings contain the city’s coolest shops.Those hard-to-find white fire extin-guishers embossed with pictures ofdandified dogs (108 euros) are on saleat Metropolitan (30, rue Foch; 33-4-67-67-18-70; metropolitan-ad.com), an artgallery and home-décor shop. At NoComment (47, rue de l’Aiguillerie; 33-4-67-60-85-91), the leather designer MarcJaillot can zip you into a violet sleeve-less dress (370 euros) or fuchsia pants

(350 euros). You may expect to run intoRobert Crumb (who lives in the region)at En Traits Libres (2, rue du Bayle;entraitslibres.blogspot.com), a haven ofunderground comics, illustratedT-shirts and posters by local artists.

6 p.m.

•8 A Blue MoodYou’ll cross paths with everyone fromLolita to Miss Marple at L’Heure Bleue(1, rue Carbonnerie; 33-4-67-66-41-05), acozy tearoom decorated in 19th-centuryBritish drawing-room style. Those arethe names of two of the many teablends (4 to 5 euros) on the eclecticmenu, which is also full of coffees andpastries. It’s the perfect spot to unwindafter a day of art-gazing and shopping.Much of the décor is for sale, includingthe set of 19th-century Baccarat liqueurglasses (160 euros) and the hammeredcopper lampshade from Afghanistan(245 euros).

9 p.m.

•9 Bath TimeA former bathhouse, the gorgeouslyrenovated 18th-century stone buildingcontaining Les Bains (6, rue Richelieu;33-4-67-60-70-87; les-bains-de-montpellier.com) now draws couplesand families who love to splash aboutits warren of cozy, velvety rooms anddive into its classic brasserie fare. Car-paccios are a specialty, and it seemsthere’s nothing they can’t slice ultra-thin, from salmon (with olive oil) to sea

bream (with pistou). The artichokevariant is enlivened with red-pepperolive oil, Parmesan flakes and speck.Main courses include hearty meats likeentrecôte and côte de veau, but the oc-casional swordfish special (served withratatouille) is also worth reeling in. Andis that a hamburger for dessert? Non.It’s a bun-size coconut macaron withblueberry purée inside. A three-coursemeal for two costs about 90 euros.

11 p.m.

•10 Red and BlackThe proliferation of quality wines fromthe Languedoc region has resulted in aparallel proliferation of wine barsaround Montpellier. A 2011 vintage, LaRobe Rouge (3, place St. Ravy; 33-9-50-24-91-89; laroberouge.fr) is a small,modern space with enough candlelightfor a romantic date. The 10-page winebook, meanwhile, will ensure a tipsyone. The Château des Karantes 2006(5.50 euros a glass; 40 euros a bottle) isa fragrant, inky, woody wine madefrom syrah grapes. Beer is also ascend-ant in Montpellier thanks to the BlackSheep (21, boulevard Louis Blanc; 33-4-67-58-08-65; theblacksheep.fr). The airyground-floor bar draws musicians andartists for its roster of some 300 beers,which includes Belgian cult favoriteslike Chimay (3.50 euros), while thebasement beckons with live bands.

Sunday10 a.m.

•11 Sunday SaviorWoe to the souls seeking a decent mealon Sunday, when nearly all of the wor-thy restaurants are shuttered. Luckily,a market (marchepaysanantigone.free.fr) is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.along Avenue Samuel de Champlain,filling the neighborhood with the smellsof roasting chickens. ÉtablissementMartin et Fils (33-6-13-54-73-78) sellsdry sausage (29.99 per kilo) and sticksof dried chorizo (2 euros for five sticks).La Muse Gourmette (33-6-84-03-12-27)has a fine, gluten-free carrot cake withcardamom (1.60 euros).

Noon

•12 Comedy or Tragedy?Across the street, the surreal Antigoneneighborhood, named for the ancientGreek play, is an interesting spot tostroll or picnic while the city dozes.Erected principally during the 1970sand 1980s, the district sports a Hellenictheme, and the towering blocks of er-satz classical buildings suggest a LasVegas casino complex that was sold offas public housing. Admire the statue ofDionysus in the square bearing thewine god’s name, then find a bench inPlace de Thessalie and survey Mont-pellier’s first major attempt to add aninnovative new neighborhood. Whetherthe result is comedy or tragedy de-pends on the audience, but one thing issure: It won’t be the last. Æ

36 Hours

Montpellier, France

PHOTOGRAPHS BY REBECCA MARSHALL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

FROM LEFT Place Paul Bec, in the Antigone neighborhood; images of Hemingway adorn the walls at Papa Doble, named for a daiquiri favored by the writer; a tram decorated by Christian Lacroix.

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FRANCE ITALY

ANDORRA

SPAIN 1000 MILES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The sleek new 123-room Courtyardby Marriott (105, place GeorgesFrêche; 33-4-99-54-74-00; marriott.com/mplcy) is next to the new city halland has a heated outdoor pool andMediterranean restaurant. Doublesfrom 108 euros ($130) in August.

More intimate, Baudon de Mauny (1,rue de la Carbonnerie; 33-4-67-02-21-77;baudondemauny.com) is housed in an18th-century town house with fiverooms done in impeccable taste, fromMarimekko fabrics to Cole & Son wall-papers. Doubles from 165 euros.

If You Go