Montpellier.

Nightlife spills across the Ecusson tangle of lanes, especially around Place Jean Jaures and rue de la Loge, where cheap bars stay busy till late. In warm months the crowd migrates to the beaches at Palavas and to open-air aperos on the Place de la Comedie. ESN Montpellier and the university societies keep the international calendar full from arrival week onward.

• Place Jean Jaures and rue de la Loge are the go-to bar streets in the old town.
• Beach evenings at Palavas-les-Flots once the weather warms up.
• Follow ESN Montpellier for welcome events, trips and language tandems.

Montpellier is affordable by French standards - budget roughly 750 to 1,100 euros a month, and less if you snag a cheap room. Shared rooms run 350 to 500 euros, APL applies, and free public transport removes one whole line from your budget. Markets like Les Arceaux keep food costs low, and CROUS canteens serve meals at around 3.30 euros.

• Free resident transport means no monthly travel cost once you register your pass.
• Colocation rooms typically 350 to 500 euros; claim APL via caf.fr.
• Shop the Arceaux market (Tue and Sat) and eat at CROUS canteens for about 3.30 euros.

Demand is high because everyone wants to study here, so start early. CROUS residences are the cheapest route; private colocations turn up on leboncoin and La Carte des Colocs. The Ecusson is central but cramped, Boutonnet and Les Beaux-Arts are studenty, and Port Marianne is modern and tram-connected. Get a free Visale guarantee if you lack a French garant.

• Boutonnet and Les Beaux-Arts are the classic student neighbourhoods near campus.
• Search leboncoin and La Carte des Colocs; secure a Visale guarantee at visale.fr.
• Ask the Studcasa Montpellier group about rooms freeing up between intakes.

Getting around is a joy here: four brightly designed tram lines, buses and Velomagg bikes cover the whole metro area, and since December 2023 residents ride the TaM network free with a pass. The car-free old town is best on foot. For the beach, hop a bus or cycle the dedicated path down to Palavas.

• Register your free TaM transport pass as a resident - trams and buses cost nothing.
• The four tram lines were designed by Christian Lacroix; line 3 heads towards the coast.
• Velomagg bikes and the cycle path make the ride to the beach easy and flat.

The Universite de Montpellier covers science, medicine and law - its medical faculty, founded in 1220, is among the oldest in the world - while Paul-Valery (Montpellier 3) handles humanities and social sciences. Engineering runs through Polytech, and there is a strong business school too. Teaching uses the familiar CM-and-TD format, and international offices are well practised with Erasmus students.

• The Universite de Montpellier medical school is one of the oldest continuously operating in the world.
• Humanities and social sciences are based at Paul-Valery (Montpellier 3).

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and can just enrol. Non-EU students on an exchange over 90 days apply for a VLS-TS student long-stay visa before arriving, then validate it online within three months and pay a small OFII tax; under 90 days you may only need a short-stay Schengen visa or none at all.

Budget time for the admin marathon: you will want a French bank account, proof of accommodation, health cover (EHIC for Europeans, or enrolment in French social security), and civil-liability insurance. Book prefecture and OFII steps the moment you can, because slots vanish.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just enrol
• Non-EU, over 90 days, VLS-TS long-stay student visa, validated online after arrival
• Proof of ~€615/month funds usually required
• Get civil-liability insurance (assurance responsabilite civile) before term

Montpellier eats Mediterranean: oysters and mussels from the nearby Etang de Thau, grilled fish, and market produce from Les Halles Castellane and the open-air Arceaux market. The Place de la Comedie, nicknamed l Oeuf, is the social heart where everyone ends up for a coffee or a drink. Nip out to Sete or Bouzigues for the freshest, cheapest shellfish.

• Les Halles Castellane and the Arceaux market for produce, cheese and cheap lunches.
• Oysters straight from Bouzigues on the Etang de Thau - a short trip and worth it.
• Meet friends on Place de la Comedie, the city living room.

The Ecusson, the medieval core, is a maze of narrow streets full of bars and shops. Antigone, next door, is a striking neoclassical district by architect Ricardo Bofill. Boutonnet and Les Beaux-Arts are leafy and student-heavy, Figuerolles is multicultural and cheap, and Port Marianne is the modern, tram-served area near the newer campuses.

• Ecusson for old-town life; Boutonnet and Beaux-Arts for student value nearby.
• Antigone for its dramatic Bofill architecture and riverside walks.
• Port Marianne if you want modern flats on the tram network.

The coast is the obvious first trip - Palavas, Carnon and the seaside town of Sete are all minutes away. Nimes and its Roman amphitheatre are 30 minutes by train, the Pont du Gard aqueduct and Arles are close, and the wild Camargue with its flamingos and white horses is on the doorstep. Marseille is 90 minutes by TGV, and buses run south to Barcelona.

• Sete (20 minutes by train) for seafood, canals and a working-port feel.
• Nimes and the Pont du Gard for Roman ruins, both within an hour.
• The Camargue for flamingos, white horses and endless beaches.

Register your free transport pass and sort the bank-APL-SIM trio in your first fortnight. The sun is relentless in summer, so respect it and plan beach days early in the term before exams hit. And say Bonjour first, every time - southern France is warm but the greeting still opens doors.

• Sign up for the free TaM pass the moment you have a local address.
• Claim APL early via caf.fr to cut your rent.