Nîmes – Gard – Occitanie
About 30 min by car from our accommodation
Looking for accommodation near Nîmes for your holiday? In Lunel-Viel, 30 minutes from the city, our holiday homes with a pool sleep 4 to 12: ideal for discovering Nîmes and its Roman monuments, then enjoying the Camargue and the beaches.
Awarded the “Ville d’art et d’histoire” label, Nîmes is a true open-air museum, with remarkably well-preserved ancient monuments: the arena, the Maison Carrée, the Tour Magne… Here are the places not to miss.
The amphitheatre of Nîmes is the best preserved in the Roman world. From the end of the 1st century AD, it hosted wild animal hunts and gladiator fights; today, many events still take place there.
133 metres long and 101 metres wide, it has a 21-metre-high façade made up of two levels of arcades divided into 60 bays. Admission costs €11 per adult and €5.50 per child, and it is free for children under 7.
Built at the very beginning of our era in honour of Gaius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons and adopted sons of the Emperor Augustus, the Maison Carrée is the only temple of the ancient world to have survived completely intact. It is 26 metres long, 15 wide and 17 high.
It owes its exceptional state to continuous use since the 11th century: consular house, stable, church, prefecture, then the first museum of Nîmes in 1823. Opposite, the Carré d’Art, a contemporary art museum designed by Norman Foster, has echoed it since the square was redesigned in 1993.
On the Boulevard des Arènes, the Musée de la Romanité traces the history of Nîmes and its Roman heritage, from archaeological collections to great ancient inscriptions.
It is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm from April to October, and from 10 am to 6 pm except Tuesdays from November to March. Admission costs €9 per adult and €3 for ages 7 to 17, with a family ticket at €21.
On a hill in the heart of the city, the Jardins de la Fontaine cover 15 hectares. Awarded the “jardin remarquable” label, they are presented as the first public garden in Europe. Their creation began in 1745, at the request of Louis XV, to showcase the spring and the ancient remains.
They combine an 18th-century formal garden with a Mediterranean landscape garden, with shady corners and picnic areas: an ideal break with the children.
At the top of the gardens, the Tour Magne was the tallest and most prestigious tower of the Roman city wall. Octagonal in shape, it now stands 32 metres high, and the view of Nîmes from the top is remarkable.
Admission costs €4 per adult and €1.50 for ages 7 to 17, and it is free for children under 7.
27 km from Nîmes, the Pont du Gard is the tallest Roman aqueduct bridge in the world: 49 metres high, with three tiers of arches. It was part of the aqueduct that carried water from Uzès to the city, and makes the perfect follow-on to a day exploring Roman Nîmes.
Access to the bridge is free; only parking and the discovery spaces are paid for. From Nîmes, bus line 121 also serves the site.
For lunch or dinner between visits, Tempo welcomes you on Square de la Couronne, close to the Arena, on a quiet, shady square. This bistronomic restaurant showcases fresh produce and local sourcing, with sharing plates inspired by world flavours.
Our verdict: excellent home-made cooking, with a menu that changes often.
Half a day in the heart of Roman Nîmes. Start with the arena, then make your way to the Maison Carrée through the streets of the historic centre. End with a break on a terrace facing the temple.
A full day. In the morning, visit the arena and the Musée de la Romanité. In the afternoon, discover the Maison Carrée, then climb through the Jardins de la Fontaine to the Tour Magne for the panorama, before heading back to the villa, 30 minutes away.
By car, allow about thirty minutes via the A9 motorway. The city has several car parks, listed on the tourist office website.
By train, direct TER regional trains link Lunel station, 5 minutes from our accommodation, to Nîmes station in about 15 to 20 minutes. Nîmes station is a 5-minute walk from the arena. Check the timetables on the TER Occitanie website.
The Nîmes City Pass (2, 4 or 7 days, from €35) gives access to the arena, the Maison Carrée, the Tour Magne, the city’s museums and even the Pont du Gard site. The tourist office is at 6 boulevard des Arènes.
This map is provided by Google Maps, which sets cookies.
Open in Google Maps
20 min by car
Looking for accommodation near La Grande-Motte for your holiday? In Lunel-Viel, 20 minutes from the resort, our holiday homes with a pool sleep 4 to 12: ideal for enjoying its beaches, then discovering Montpellier and the Camargue.
50 min by car
Looking for accommodation near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for your holiday? In Lunel-Viel, 50 minutes from the village, our accommodation with pool welcomes 4 to 12 guests: ideal for discovering the Camargue, then enjoying Montpellier, Nîmes and the beaches.
25 min by car
Looking for accommodation near Aigues-Mortes for your holiday? In Lunel-Viel, 25 minutes from the walled town, our holiday homes with a pool sleep 4 to 12: ideal for discovering Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue, then enjoying the beaches, Montpellier and Nîmes.
Our holiday homes with a pool in Lunel-Viel, 30 minutes from Nîmes, are the ideal base for discovering Roman Gard, then enjoying the Camargue and the beaches.
In a villa sleeping 12 or an apartment sleeping 4 or 8, enjoy a peaceful stay.
Accommodation for up to 12 guests
from 100 € / night
