Montpellier is a student town — around a quarter of the population are at the university — and the bar scene reflects that. Cheap pints, late nights, and a strong DIY music ethic. The Écusson's small squares (Place Jean Jaurès, Place Saint-Roch, Place de la Canourgue) fill with tables every warm evening, and warm evenings are most of the year.
For drinks with a view, climb up to the Promenade du Peyrou or sit on the terraces around Place de la Comédie. For something more student-flavoured, the streets behind the Faculty of Medicine are full of beer bars and small clubs. The legendary Rockstore on Rue de Verdun has been the city's go-to live-music venue since the 1980s — half a Cadillac sticks out of the wall above the entrance.