| > An exceptionnal climate ! |
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People in Montpellier benefit from a mediterranean climate, which is ideally temperate and characterized by abundant sunshine: Average Summer temperature 25 °C
Average Winter temperature 7.7 °C
Average hours of sunshine 2,713 yearly (50 % more than Paris !)
Average foggy days 18 per year
These excellent climatic conditions have a direct effect on the reliability of air traffic and are one of the reasons why Montpellier's airport is the International Training Center for many airlines. Lufthansa and Air France are two of the leading air companies who regularly train their 747 Jumbo jet pilots here.
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| > A flourishing cultural environment |
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The cultural life of Montpellier revolves loosely around the 3 theatre, musical and dance seasons. Equally important are the series of diverse theme festivals and events which take place during the year, especially throughout Spring and Summer.
The Opera of Montpellier with its two opera-houses (the new one, the Salle Berlioz, located in the huge Corum Center is the second largest in France) offers a splendid opera season which makes it one of most widely acclaimed of its size. The symphony season is performed by the Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon Philharmonic Orchestra, a young orchestra of 75 musicians, 1986 winner of the Prix de la Critique.
The "Théâtre des Treize Vents" (Thirteen Winds Theater), located at Grammont, has drawn by virtue of its enormous talent a large and loyal following in a very short time. Other permanent theatre companies whose talent and originality are well known outside the region perform frequently in MONTPELLIER . Another eminent presence in the city is the National Choregraphic Centre of Montpellier.
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> A very rich student's life :
Cultural and leisure activities at the ENSCM |
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- ENSCM students are encouraged to set up their own cultural and sporting clubs. There are more than twenty of such clubs ranging from 'Rock and Roll dancing club' to Theatre group, chess club, Debating club.. at the ENSCM.
- Most popular sports are of course practised by ENSCM teams : soccer, rugby, basket-ball, hand-ball, surfing, sail-boarding, yachting, tennis, jogging, rock-climbing...
Competitions of these sports are continuously organized throughout the year...
- Extra-curricular activities
Thanks to its small size, the ENSCM enables its students whether French nationals or international students to benefit from a very wide variety of free or vey cheap activities.
Its unique close-knit atmosphere is the best milieu for international students to easily integrate into the lives of both ENSCM and Montpellier. They can, thus, receive the help, comfort and warm friendly support from a lively caring institution. Eventually they benefit most from their year abroad in terms of linguistic and scientific integration.
Ø The International Club which includes all foreign students caters to their specific needs. It organizes outings, debates, exhibitions...
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| > What Montpellier has to offer ? |
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Montpellier offers international students all the elements of a very rich and varied life in sports, music, entertainment, cafés and pubs, theatres, music-halls...
All types of music whether it be modern, rock and roll, pop or classical can be appreciated or practised by artists and amateurs alike.
60,000 Students are bound to create a most animated and rich life!
Montpellier has dozens of cinema theatres. It also has several cinema theaters which show films in English or in foreign languages with French subtitles. It also hosts the Mediterranean, Jewish, Chinese, British and Spanish film festivals.
Modern music is at home in Montpellier as the city boasts numerous music-halls and convention centres which welcome the best-known international singers, bands and groups as special guests.
All European nationalities and many international countries are represented in Montpellier by active associations. For example, cultural shows in German and Spanish are organized regularly, as a result of twinning with Heidelberg and Barcelona.
The listing of all the restaurants, cafes and pubs will take 8 pages...
Montpellier has, for example, 4 Irish pubs and 4 British ones!
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| > A stunning landscape: the back country and the Mediterranean sea |
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The beaches of Palavas and Carnon are located only minutes from Montpellier's centre. Less than half an hour drive away, from May to September, one can enjoy the sandy beaches of Maguelone, Sète, or la Grande Motte, which after the tourists have left, at the end of August, are never crowded.
For nature lovers, the Camargue regional park with its flamingos, wild horses and bulls is only a few miles away. Elsewhere around the countryside there are all sorts of opportunities for outdoor sports (golf at La Grande Motte and Baillargues, skiing at Mt Aigoual, fishing, canoeing, hiking) or for cultural outings (the Valmagne Abbey, Saint-Guilhem le Desert, Sommieres, the village of Cambous, the castles of Castries and Assas, etc ...).
For wine lovers and tasters, the Languedoc area is one which produces a great gamut of tasty and select wines affordable to all.
For hikers, wild woody or mountainous scenery is easily found in the Northern and Western areas which lie within a mere hours drive from the ENSCM.
Last but nor the least, history and culture are best represented by the many castles and monuments whether they are Roman (at Nîmes) or medieval (Carcassonne), classical or baroque (Montpellier and elsewhere).
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| > Health care facilities and services |
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Montpellier enjoys one of the highest ratios of doctors/population in France : 2.4 per 1,000. Out of approximately 4,200 doctors practicing in the Languedoc-Roussillon, more than 1,500 are specialists covering practically every imaginable field to whom must be added almost 2,000 interns and hospital staff doctors. There are also excellent medical laboratories and pharmacies.
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| > Accommodation and architectural quality |
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Housing units have been increasing at a rate of about 1,800 per year since the mid- 70's making it not too difficult to find a place to live in Montpellier . In the city, four fifths of new units are planned for multifamily dwelling while numerous single family houses, in developments or in more isolated areas, are available within a 6 miles (10 km) radius of the city centre. A considerable effort has been made with respect to low income housing, with today close to 1,500 units (13 % of the total) distributed more and more evenly throughout the suburban area.
The Antigone complex is one of the newly developed sections in Montpellier which deserves special mention and constitutes an outstanding architectural achievement both for its style and its size. It was built at the very centre of the town, less than one kilometre away from the "Millénaire" Science Park and covers 35 hectares (nearly 90 acres). It was designed by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.
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