Nîmes, Uzès and the Pont du Gard

West of the Rhône, in the Gard department, three places make a rewarding day: Nîmes, the Roman city with a remarkably complete amphitheatre and a temple that has stood for two thousand years; Uzès, a quiet town of pale stone towers and shaded squares; and the Pont du Gard, the tallest Roman aqueduct bridge in the world. They are close together, so a small-group tour can visit all three with time to walk in each, which would be hard to arrange by public transport. For visitors based in Avignon or Arles who have already seen the Roman remains in their own towns, this circuit adds the best-preserved temple and one of the finest amphitheatres in the Roman world, and the aqueduct is the highlight that most people remember.

Nîmes is the main stop. The Maison Carrée, a small Roman temple from the first century, is one of the best-preserved in the world, with its columns and pediment intact, and a short film inside tells the story of the city. The Arènes de Nîmes, the amphitheatre, is so complete that it still hosts bullfights and concerts, and walking the upper galleries gives a sense of how the Romans organised crowds.

Nearby, the Jardins de la Fontaine mix eighteenth-century terraces with the ruins of a Roman sanctuary, and the Tour Magne on the hill above is the oldest surviving Roman structure in the city. The fabric called denim takes its name from the city, de Nîmes, a small fact that guides like to share.

Uzès is a different pace. It was the seat of the first duchy of France, and the Duché d'Uzès, a château with a medieval tower, still dominates the old centre. The streets around the Place aux Herbes are lined with arcades and cafes, and the Fenestrelle tower, an unusual round bell tower with windows on each floor, rises above the cathedral.

A market fills the square on Saturday mornings and is one of the best in the region, so a tour that arrives on a market day has a particular bonus. The town is well suited to a slow lunch of local dishes before the afternoon.

The Pont du Gard, a short drive away, ties the day together. This three-tier aqueduct bridge crosses the Gardon river, and was built to carry water to Nîmes from a spring near Uzès, a fact that connects all three stops. You can walk around both banks, look up at the arches and, in warm weather, paddle at the edge of the river.

The museum is closed in winter, but the site and walking paths stay open, and a guide can explain the engineering. Tours usually allow an hour or more at the bridge, which is enough for photographs and a walk.

Practical points are simple. The day is long, with a good deal of walking on cobbles and uneven ground, so wear comfortable shoes. Summer is hot and the bridge has little shade, so bring water and a hat, and winter can be windy with shorter hours at the monuments. Entry to the amphitheatre and the temple is usually paid separately or included according to the tour, so check what your tour covers. Departures are usually from Avignon, which makes the trip easy for visitors without a car, and the route returns in the late afternoon.