General GARD TOURISM Press kit The march of history The Romans Nîmes Nature activities Cultural itineraries Wild landscapes An appealing The Cévennes, the Camargue, lifestyle Vineyards and Garrigue… Traditions The Gard of and terroirs a thousand faces Plus Beaux Villages de France Clermont-Ferrand Mende Grands Sites de France A75 Villefort E 11 Les Causses et les Cévennes E Villes d’Art et d’Histoire H Le Pont du Gard C È Villages de caractère Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle D En cours de labellisation Vallon-Pont-d’Arc R Paris L Aubenas O A Montélimar Lyon Z Génolhac È C h trimoine m R e Barjac Aiguèze Pa on m - d i Bessèges e ia l n m l E a d is de R e l D E ég Cèze ra L S C l’ Mende o Pont-Saint- o A É U rda t N V n Florac ne Saint-Ambroix Montclus Esprit s O E e a I N s Saint-Jean- Méjannes- p T c - N o le-Clap o A de-Valériscle r N E g Meyrueis S La Grand- R a Florac Allègre- h ’ C Combe La Roque- l Les Fumades ô sur-Cèze R n A7 e Bagnols- e E 714 d A enson Lussan ev sur-Cèze V l t P Mont Aigoual Saint-André- S e C Alès A Arles de-Valborgne h r Saint-Jean- 1567 m em Marseille u in du-Gard U t de l Valleraugue Trèves C u c VIGNES Roquemaure L e Anduze Vézénobres Dourbies C ÉVENNES U g Lasalle G a Uzès a s N Saint-Martial r S d A9 y o Villeneuve- n Le Pont a Aumessas E 15 E O Sumène Saint-Hippolyte- Lédignan lès-Avignon P du-Fort ET du Gard R Vidou Saint-Chaptes - Millau Le Vigan rle Gorges du Gardon Avignon Y Alzon s Remoulins e E Cirque de Sauve G n a Aramon r n Navacelles Quissac d A75 V o e GARRIGUE E 11 n v Saint-Mamert-du-Gard A E é Marguerittes C N t H e É Beaucaire Ô s R Nîmes e A Bouillargues s Sommières H s U te e u L è R S n a A54 T ô - C E 80 Chemin de à h Saint-Jacques R U e A9 de Compostelle n E 15 ô D Vauvert h R V Arles id Aimargues N113 - o E 80 u Saint-Gilles PAYS-BAS r ROYAUME-UNI l e du S BELGIQUE Canal Marseille che E an ALLEMAGNE M H CAMARGUE C Montpellier R U h FRANCE SUISSE Aigues-Mortes ô Océan O n Atlantique B e Le Gard ITALIE Le Grau-du-Roi Camargue Port-Camargue Baie d’A igue s-M f e or G o l d u te Mer L s Saintes-Maries- ESPAGNE Méditerranée i o de-la-Mer n M ER M ÉDITERRANÉE 0 Km 5 10 MAROC ALGÉRIE TUNISIE 2 The Gard : a highly characterful region l 300 days of sunshine a year, and an outstanding meeting point between Provence, Languedoc, l Major festive events, the Cévennes and the Camargue including the Feria in Nîmes, the Fête de la St Pierre at Le Grau du Roi, the l with a population of 700,000 An area of 6,000 m² Transhumance Festival, the Hiking l A reception capacity of 90,000 commercial Festival and the "Fééries du Pont du beds and over 18 million tourist-nights per year, i.e. an Gard" light show. annual turnover of €1 billion l An extraordinary historical and cultural heritage with 550 listed monuments l A peak 1567 metres high in the Cévennes is home to the last inhabited mountain weather observatory still l Three world Heritage sites active in France: the Mont Aigoual The Pont du Gard, Saint-Gilles Abbey (on the Camino de Observatory Santiago pilgrim route via Arles), and the Causses and l Cévennes region for its cultural landscape of Mediterranean A 23 km-long seafront, home to Europe's leading marina: Port- agro-pastoralism Camargue, and the Mediterranean's l Three UNESCO biosphere reserves most important fishing port: Cévennes, Camargue and the Gardon Gorge Le Grau-du-Roi l A National Park l An extraordinary variety The Cévennes: the only inhabited park in France of leisure activities, with over 9,000 km of hiking paths and seven l Three "Grands Sites de France" The Pont du Gard, the Camargue and the Cirque de Navacelles historical walking tracks (Stevenson, Régordane, Saint-Guilhem, "Urbain l (Nîmes and Alès) awarded 4 flowers Two towns V", the Santiago Camino, the "Grande in the "Villes et villages fleuris" (Communities in Bloom) Traversée du Gard" and the new competition GR 42, going from Le Pilat to the l Four of the " Plus Beaux Villages de Mediterranean) together with river France" (Most Beautiful Villages in France): tourism along the Rhône, the Petit Aiguèze, La Roque sur Cèze, Montclus and Lussan Rhône and the Canal du Rhône à Sète, not forgetting watersports tourism in l Three "Villages de Caractère" (Villages of Character): Vézenobres, Lussan and Barjac the bay at Aigues-Mortes l Three "Villes d’Art et d’Histoire" (Cities of Art and History) Uzès, Beaucaire and Nîmes l Four "Sites Remarquables du Goût" (Outstanding Sites for Food) based on four labels: "Oignon Doux des Cévennes"(sweet onions), "Taureau de Camargue" (beef), the "Olive de Nîmes" (olives) and "Truffe d'Uzège" (truffles). l A broad variety of vineyards including two territories labelled "Vignobles & Découvertes"(Vineyards and discoveries), the Gard Rhodanien and the Costières de Nîmes. l A varied terroir with 12 AOP/AOC labels (7 in wine, together with "Taureau de Camargue", "Oignon Doux des Cévennes", Pélardon cheese, "Olive de Nîmes" and "Huile d’olive de Nîmes") and 5 PGI labels including Riz de Camargue So… Welcome (rice) and Fraise de Nîmes (strawberries). in the Gard ! 3 THE GARD latest news LE GRAU DU ROI-PORT th CAMARGUE : a 20 Century Heritage Site The bathing resort of Le Grau du Roi-Port Camargue now has four sites with the 20th Century Heritage label. Created during the 1970s through the Racine Act, Port-Camargue, the new district of Le Grau du Roi, a peaceful, ancient Mediterranean fishing port, was awarded this label for four outstanding sites: the harbour master's office of Port-Camargue, the urban complex of the main LUSSAN: THE GARD’S LATEST MOST wharf, an urban unit of marinas and the Espiguette Sicarex Entav BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE IN FRANCE! estate. The brainchild of the Very close to Uzès, and not far from three other listed villages in the Jean Balladur architect's firm, Gard (La Roque/Cèze, Aiguèze and Montclus), Lussan, perched on a designer of La Grande-Motte, this rocky outcrop, has been awarded the "Village de Caractère" and "Plus classified heritage site celebrates Beau Village de France" labels. It offers all the appeal of a mediaeval the prestige and recognition city surrounded by ramparts on a plateau overlooking the garrigue. The of creative thinking during the Languedoc village is characterised by its little narrow streets and ancient Seventies. An expression of stone houses, witnesses to a wealthy past in textiles – three silk mills modernity, this architectural style, can still be seen today – which made for the village's economic heyday in the same way as historically- in the 19th century. The Château de Lussan, dating from the 15th century recognised buildings, provides an and listed as a historic monument, houses the city hall. Meanwhile a interpretation of contemporary magnificent overview of the Cévennes can been seen from the ramparts history through its balconies and parapet walk. In terms of prehistoy and geology, two major sites (reproducing De Gaulle's nose), are worth exploring: the standing stone known as La Pierre Plantée, its curvaceous layout, its unique overlooking the Concluses area, witness to the worship of divine powers, water purifier (which later inspired and the magnificent Concluses Gorge, which contains traces of man's the marina of Dubai!) and its early presence in a remarkably well-preserved natural environment. interaction with nature. FROM THE CÉVENNNES PIEDMONT TO THE GARD CAMARGUE: 500 years of Protestantism Throughout the year, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Protestantism, the Gard, a département containing a quarter of France's Protestants, will be laying on exhibitions, special opening times for monuments and magnificent shows staging true stories of the Camisards's struggle. From the Cévennes to the Camargue, the Musée du Désert and the Constance Tower in Aigues-Mortes, the Gard has a rich Protestant heritage, including the Maison des Illustres, a building once owned by the only Protestant President, Gaston Doumergue. Each year on the first Sunday of September, the Musée du Désert, built around the houses of most famous Camisard leaders, brings together Protestants from all over Europe to commemorate the meetings known as the Assemblées du Désert. As the setting of the Camisard war between 1702 and 1704, the Gard preserves the memory of Marie Durand's 38 years of imprisonment. Refusing to renounce her faith, she wrote the word "resist" on the walls of her prison. 4 Find all the latest news and more information on the website www.tourismegard.com SPRING 2017: THE NEW MUSÉE DES VALLÉES CÉVENOLES OPENS IN SAINT-JEAN DU GARD Reconstructed in the old silk mill of Saint-Jean du Gard, known as the "Maison Rouge", this 3,300 m² museum celebrates traditional, social To make our visitors and economic life in the Gard Cévennes, focusing on chestnut and silk activities.