Montpellier in Late June with older teens

[Asabat]

Just that really. Any top tips, not to be missed visits, restaurants/cafes and esp guidance on how to get to the beach on public transport would be most welcome please!

is a trip out to Arles worth it and any more nature-y walks/visits we can do by public transport?

We are staying very centrally in old town I think.

Take the train to Nimes (about 30mins) and then from there you can get a train out to Aigues-Mortes. This is a lovely walled town on the edge of salt marshes in the Camargue. You can do a complete circular walk of over 1.5km around the town walls and then jump on the tourist train which will take you to the Salins d’Aigues-Mortes (pink salt lakes).

Oh that sounds amazing!

You can take a bus to the most gorgeous little village called Saint-Guilhem-le-desert. It is a little bit far but there are (or were) very cheap direct coaches. You can swim in the river or go rafting after exploring the village, and there are some nice caves nearby you can visit too.

The beaches near Montpellier are quite nice and the lakes have loads of flamingos which is fun. There are also Carmargue horses nearby which are beautiful and you can book a riding tour if that is your thing.

The zoo is easily accessible by public transport and is free. It's more like a park you can stroll around.

Public transport is really good and cheap, if you buy a pass for the week it is great. There are also endless buses going to places like Aigues Mortes so it is really easy to explore. I've even been to Pont du Gard by bus.

I spent a few summers living in Montpellier and it's a wonderful city.

I've never been there, but Sète is the location for a French tv series called Candice Renoir. It's right near Montpellier, and it looks gorgeous.

Arles is wonderful and has an amazing market

@alpinia i went St guillaume-le desert ( St William the pudding as we called it) as a kid. would love to go back.

Absolutely loved both Sête and St Guilhaum le Desert. TBH I didn't find the beach at Montpellier particularly great. However wasn't travelling with teenagers. Arles, Nîmes, Camargue etc all great - but leave yourself time to have a proper explore of Montpellier, which has more going on than you'd think.