How is Montpellier as a "pied-a-terre" for 3 weeks?

It's great. Summer is European tourists, families but it never feels overwhelming. It is a university town, too, so some areas have a nightlife. You have busses to the beaches all summer where you can go to a beach paillotte (restaurant) and rent a transat (lounge chair) for the day. You can be served lunch at your chair. Check out Le Lézard des Plages as an example. Beaches and transport to the beach can get crowded.
Festivals go on all summer. My favorite is the Radio France Summer Music Festival with almost a hundred concerts, classical, jazz, etc. Last year our pass to most concerts was 20€. The Montpellier government has the highest per capita spending on culture in France.

You have train and bus transportation to Nîmes, Sète, Aigues Mortes, La Grand Motte, Le Pic Saint Loup, Saint Guilhem du désert...; locally for walks you have the oldest botanical garden in France planted for the medical school, numerous parcs and chateau grounds.

It's hot. If your rental doesn't have air conditioning, you'll have to sleep with the windows open.

Thanks, Brett, for sharing your "take" on Montpellier. I haven't been able so far to find much information about it in American guidebooks, so I did guess that it would be mostly French and other European tourists. Because I'm "allergic" to masses of tourists, I plan to go in October (I wish I had mentioned that in the original posting). That said, I was impressed, of course, by the Place de la Comedie and historic center, really stunning architecturally. I am a devotee of French art of the past as well as French literature and classical music, but not much of jazz, etc.

It astonishes me that even in small cities like Menton on the Cote d'Azur there are lectures and associations with programs on French classical music, literature, etc. Paris is both overwhelming and intimidating in that regard, and I'm not fond of big cities wherever in the world they are.

I did like Avignon, Arles, Uzes in Provence and would have liked to spend some time in Nimes the last time. I know it's about 60 km. from Montpellier. I suppose that not having a car makes it more difficult to get to the beach (Mediterranean). I forget, but is Montpellier on a river, like Avignon (Rhone)?

My runner-up would be Nantes, my hometown's Sister City, in Brittany. I think Montpellier will be more scenic and certainly have better weather...

It would also be helpful to know your language level as there are lectures and guided tours, as well as the "university" for retirees. You can do as much or as little as you like. I just went on a tour of mansions last week. Most of the participants were Montpellerins.
October, everyone is back and all activities are starting up. The opera, concerts, more yearly festivals.

Some diehards are still wearing sandals in October, but the bus service to the beaches is reduced.

See Class A'ppart for rentals with an agency rep. Or, check out Agapanthe Villa for a lovely little in-town house with a pool and garden to rent. She has a second house, too. Her properties are in Boutonnet but close to a tram line. The historical center can be noisy at night when you want calm, but there are plenty of vacation rentals there, too.

The historical center can be noisy at night when you want calm, but there are plenty of vacation rentals there, too.

Very useful to know. I haven't been able to ascertain that until you just told me. Rome was really noisy around the Campo Fiore/Palazzo Farnese and the Largo Argentine a month ago.

I am a fairly driven francophone/francophile and watch France 24 and Franco Info often daily, as well as France Culture (streaming). My real interest is French art history, and for that, I read most of it in French, whenever possible. I am reading "Comment Regarder La Sculpture: Mille Ans de Sculpture Occidentale." with superb photos in a paperback edition in an area not many people have much understanding, or interest, for that matter in.

Book readings in France or gallery going is something I still haven't really experienced as much as I like, but there is where the life is, not in the big museums which are magnets for tourists. The French take reading very seriously, and it is a joy to speak with them, in French, about their own culture. They seem to be quite interested in other cultures, as well, while Americans have a "ho-hum" attitude to most things not "made in America."

See Class A'ppart for rentals with an agency rep. Or, check out Agapanthe Villa for a lovely little in-town house with a pool and garden to rent.

Yes, this is always a major concern. I stay away from tourist hotels, although they can be pleasant and useful at times, for shorter stays. I've found three on booking.com which are really bed-and-breakfast and have only a few rooms. And of course airbnb.com, but you have to scour the listings if you're not enamored of hip, contemporary apartments, and I don't like the bar-stools (high chairs) in the kitchens or the bright red sofas...

I thought Bordeaux was very beautiful and wonderfully situated on the Rhone. The late 18th century architecture along the river was really breathtaking as were the few remaining medieval clock-towers and churches (eglise/cathedrals).

If I had the time, I'd go back, but getting on airplanes is such a pain these days, so that twice a year to Europe (France Greece or Italy) and I'm maxed out already. France fits me more like a glove, my Italian is nil...but Jodi Foster's French I'll never have... Bradley Cooper's is very good for an American. Jane Fonda speaks haltingly, but she is so disarming in her sincerity and charm.