© Lonely Planet Publications 68 Nîmes & the Gard NÎMES & THE GARD NÎMES & THE GARD No other part of Languedoc-Roussillon can claim such a rich Roman heritage. Nîmes, the main town, boasts France’s best-preserved Roman arena. The Pont du Gard aqueduct, the highest bridge in the Roman Empire, might have been slung across the River Gard only yesterday. And Sommières, a delightful little provincial town, boasts its own much- modified Pont Romain. La Petite Camargue is the junior sister to Provence’s Camargue in size alone. Together, the two form Western Europe’s largest river delta. Here, where canals cut their way beside still salt pans, herds of semi-wild bulls roam, horses splash and flocks of pink flamingos scoop up lunch. Aigues-Mortes with its crenellated ramparts is as intact today as when St Louis sailed from its harbour for the crusades. Le Grau du Roi, the area’s coastal holiday mecca, has Port Camargue, a giant, ultramodern marina; opportunities galore for water sports; and the most extensive beaches along the whole Languedoc-Roussillon coastline. Inland is Uzès. Place aux Herbes, its arcaded central square, is one of the cutest in all France, while its Musée du Bonbon, a confectionery museum, is a must for children and anyone with a sweet tooth. Deeper inland is Alès, proud of its coal-mining history, yet clean as a new pin and bright with flowers in summer. In St-Jean du Gard, gateway to Haut-Languedoc via the spectacular Corniche des Cévennes, is the Musée des Vallées Cévenoles, a fascinating repository of lost rural trades and tools, while nearby, at St-Hippolyte du Fort, the Musée de la Soie tells the story of silkworm farming, the area’s traditional cottage industry. HIGHLIGHTS Mix with the throng at the Féria des Vendanges ( p70 ), Nîmes Canoe downstream from Collias ( p87 ) and Alès under Le Pont du Gard ( p86 ) Walk the perfectly preserved ramparts of St-Hippolyte Collias Pont du Aigues-Mortes ( p82 ) du Fort Gard Tour the salt pans of Salins du Midi ( p82 ) Nîmes Hire a horse and explore La Petite Camargue near Le Grau du Roi ( p83 ) Ride the cage down to Mine Témoin ( p91 ), Salins du Midi Aigues-Mortes a coal mine in Alès Le Grau du Roi Learn about silkworm farming at the Musée de la Soie ( p95 ), St-Hippolyte du Fort lonelyplanet.com NÎMES & AROUND •• Nîmes 69 NÎMES & THE GARD NÎMES & THE GARD 0 25 km NÎMES & THE GARD 0 10 miles D998 Grotte de la Castagnol Cocalière Col de St-Martin de Portes Château l'Ardèche St-Paul de Portes D904 Trois D59 Château N106 St-Florent-sur- St-Laurent Auzonnet de Carnols La Grand'Combe D128 Camaret- D906 sur-Aigues Carne Violes Cendras Orange CÉVENNES Mialet Grotte Tresques D907 de Trabuc Alès Laudun St-Jean Le Mas Soubeyran du Gard Chateauneuf Générargues du Pape Maison de la St-Quentin-la- St-Laurent Randonnée Poterie des Arbres Roquemaure Anduze Vézénobres D23 D982 Lirac Sauveterre G D Pujaut A R Tavel Uzès D5 Avignon- Durfort-et- D6110 Caumont St-Hippolyte St-Martin D981 Villeneuve Airport lés Avignon du Fort de Sossenac Collias La Begude Russan rd Pont du Avignon Canaules-et- Ga La Cadiere Savignargues Gard Argentieres Remoulins Duran Poulx ce Gorges Théziers Barbentane Montagnac du Gardon Cabrieres D986L Aramon D999 D999 Abbaye Graveson D17 de St-Roman Vidourle Nîmes D6110 Caveirac Mallane Beaucaire Tarascon St-Rémy de Provence St-Bauzille Mas des de Montmel Sommières Nîmes D38 Tourelles Airport Pic St- Junas Aubois Bellegarde Loup St-Mathieu de Tréviers N113 D42 Les Baux de Provence Vergèze Générac Fontvieille Les D610 Le Moulin Matelles St-Vincent de A9 Barbeyrargues des Costières Pont de Crau Assas Castries N113 St-Gilles Arles Parc Naturel D986 D65 te Régional à Sè de Camargue Rhône u d Vidourle l Albaron Montpellier a an Gageron C PETITE CAMARGUE e n Étang de ô Mauguio La Grande h Canal d'Arles Aigues-Mortes t R Lattes ou de l'Or Motte eti Villeneuve G P r a Pérols D62 Étang de n Carnon Vaccarès d Le Grau R Palavas- du Roi h Golfe ô Villeneuve-lès- les-Flots n Maguelone du Lion Canal de Sylveréal e as the city continues its centuries-old rivalry NÎMES & AROUND with Montpellier, just down the autoroute. History NÎMES Nîmes owes its position to the spring La pop 145,000 Fontaine, around whose year-round flow the Nîmes, ringed by vineyards and garrigue Celtic Volcae-Arecomici tribe first settled. The (prickly scrub, headily scented with rosemary, Romans moved in, embellished the spring lavender and thyme) is a little bit Provençal with a temple, baths and statuary, and estab- but with a soul as Languedocien as cassoulet. lished the city that today vies with rival Arles, You’ll need to plough your way through its in neighbouring Provence, for the title of bleak, traffic-clogged outskirts to reach its France’s best-preserved Roman town. Reliable true heart, still beating where the Romans water was again a factor in its expansion, established a town more than two millennia flowing from distant springs more than 40km ago. Here, you’ll find some of France’s best- away and sluicing across the still-standing preserved classical buildings, together with a Pont du Gard ( p86 ). Affluent and astride the handful of stunning modern constructions Via Domitia, Colonia Nemausensis reached its .