The suburbs of Nîmes are littered with modern mega shopping malls and industrial parks and it feels somewhat clinical and sterile.
In contrast, the inner city and old town are lined with wonderful wide boulevards, waterways, narrow pedestrian precincts and many significant Roman monuments.
Quaie de la Fontaine, Nîmes, Gard, France
Avenue Feuchères, Nîmes, Gard, France
Suffice to say if you like Roman history, you will love Nîmes.
Esplanade Charles de Gaule, Nîmes, Gard, France
If you intend to visit both Orange and Nîmes it’s best to buy the Pass Romaine at your first venue. This costs 18 Euros and gives you access to the Amphitheatre and Museum at Orange, and the Amphitheatre, La Maison Carrée and La Tour Magne at Nîmes. This works out at a considerable discount to individual entry tickets.
Amphitheatre, Nîmes, Gard, France
The amphitheatre was built at the end of the 1st century AD and is one of the largest and best preserved in the world.
Amphitheatre, Nîmes, Gard, France
The audio guide is interesting and gives you a flavour of what it must have been like when packed with up to 24,000 spectators watching the “games”.
Amphitheatre, Nîmes, Gard, France
Probably, for me though, a bit too indulgent in the “blood-lust” aspect of it all.
La Maison Carée is the only preserved temple of the period and there you can see a short film that charts the development of Nîmes as it grew to become an important Roman colony.
La Maison Carrée
The Jardins de la Fontaine are beautiful, spacious and lovely and relaxing to wander through.
Les Jardins de la Fontaine, Nîmes, Gard, France
There’s a lake fed from a natural spring at the northern end of the gardens and to the left of that is the Temple of Diana.
Lake above spring, Les Jardins de la Fontaine, Nîmes, Gard, France
The role of this temple is somewhat unclear but it’s known to date from the Roman period under Augustus.
Le Temple de Diane, Nîmes, Gard, France
From the gardens we took a walk up the winding path that leads to La Tour Magne.
La Tour Magne, Nîmes, Gard, France
This is the only remaining part or the town’s fortifications built by Emperor Augustus. It’s been partially restored and you can walk up the inside of the tower to the top to get great views out over the city.
View from La Tour Magne, Nîmes, Gard, France
We only spent a day here, and again a very hot day, but our verdict – highly recommended.
Église Saint Baudile, Nîmes, Gard, France
Très belle ville – je dois y aller. C’est sur ma liste de seaux!
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Hello,
I’ve been searching the internet for clarification on the Roman Pass for Nimes/Orange/Pont du Gard, maybe you can help.
Earlier in the year when less of the website was translated (Culturespaces website that sells the tickets), I had the impression that the Roman pass was a tour that go on that takes you to all of the venues it gains you access to. There is also a note that you will be provided lunch.
However, I emailed the website to ask what time the tour started (as we will be leaving Lyon by train in the morning) and we do not want to miss the start of the tour, and I was only provided with the opening times of all the sites. From there response it sounds like the Roman Pass is not a tour but simply a pass that gains you access to all these venues and you have to make your way to each one yourself. Is this correct?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Shauna
Hi Shauna,
Yes you’re right. The Roman Pass is a ticket that gives you discounted entrance fee to all 3 attractions but does not include travel between them. You can buy the pass at any of the venues. I hope you have a great trip. Steve