Guides offer tourist visits of Montpellier to make themselves better known

This Monday, February 21, is World Girl Guide Day. On this occasion, tourist guides have decided to organize free tours this Sunday in Montpellier Sète or Pézenas. A way to reconnect with tourists, visitors and to make themselves known. These free trails have been organized by the Association des guides du Languedoc.

Free visits to get to know each other better

The objective of these short visits of around thirty minutes is to raise awareness of the profession of tourist guideas Xavier Laurent, one of the guides in Montpellier, explains: “Some have an image that has remained a little dusty of the profession. And then today there are so many free tours whereas with my colleagues we passed a diploma, we have a map of guide. We have recourse to archives, it’s a job where you never stop learning, you never rest on what you’ve learned, you sometimes have to review your sources. Today, for example, Jean-Yves is offering a more general visit, I have focused on small heritage sites and my colleague Sylvie is offering to visit lesser-known places such as the station district. It’s like a trailer today it’s to make you want to come back. And if it pleases to talk about us a little bit.” The association of Languedoc guides has nearly 35 members between Hérault, Gard and Aude.

Residents of Montpellier and tourists were able to take advantage of free tours all day under a bright sun. Some visits are themed, you had the possibility of discover Montpellier through the eyes of women. The visit begins Place de la Comédie with Sylvia Parrot-Labis, the tour guide: “We start on the Place de la Comédie and it’s very good because it’s the meeting point for Montpellier residents and non-Montpellier residents.” Some Montpellier residents join the group along the way, intrigued by this spontaneous and intriguing visit.

Many inhabitants of Montpellier have taken advantage of these visits to the Ecusson

For Magalie, who has almost always lived in Montpellier, it’s the opportunity to learn lots of anecdotes : “I take part in the visit to better discover my city, to find out more about the monuments that I see every day and that I don’t know very well. I didn’t know that the three graces had to be installed, for example on the Place de la Originally Canourgue. We feel like we are on vacation with this visit, under the sun with a group we follow the guide, normally it is something we do rather elsewhere than at home, and then It’s free. It’s perfect.” The visit lasts 30 to 40 minutes to make us want to come back and discover other guided tours. At the end of the visit, the group is delighted and even asks for more. The opportunity for the tour guide to advise them of other visits on different themes at another time. For more information on tours organized throughout the year, you can contact the guides by email: [email protected]