The main points of attraction for tourists in Nîmes are roughly in a straight line — the Colosseum or Arena, the ancient Roman temple of Maison Carré and the Lafontaine Gardens with the ruins of the Tower of Mann.
Colosseum (Arènes de Nîmes)
The Romans founded the first settlement on the site of Nîmes in 121 BC, and 60 years later built an amphitheater-colosseum. It has survived to this day much better than the Roman one.
The amphitheater is not perfectly round: it is 133 meters long and 101 meters wide. Sixty exit arches were installed around the entire perimeter of the colosseum, so that all 24,000 spectators could leisurely disperse after the performance in just 15 minutes.
In the arena, gladiators fought with wild animals. The first rows were for the nobility, these were the most honorable seats, and the gallery was for the commoners. Nowadays the system of ticketing and seat distribution is organized in the same way.
In the V century the amphitheater was rebuilt into a fortress, after the X century — into a knight’s castle. In the Middle Ages, the space inside the arena was built up with residential buildings. Under Napoleon, the residential buildings were removed and the coliseum was restored to its original appearance.
Now the stands can accommodate about 10 thousand spectators. Rammstein, Metallica, Depeche Mode and the Offspring have held concerts here. The schedule of performances is here.
Every year at the beginning of May the big Romanesque games — a reconstruction of ancient Roman battles — are held in the arenas. Tickets from 15 €. In 2020, the event will be held on October 23—25.
- The Colosseum is open to the public daily from 09:00 am to 18:00—20:00.
- The ticket is 10 €. The audio guide is free of charge. There is a complex ticket for visiting the Arenas, Manh Tower and Maison Carré (about them below) — 13 €. Valid for 3 hours.
Maison Carrée.
The name of this classical Roman temple translates as!«square house».
It has been preserved in its original form — and it is 2,000 years old (built around 15 BC). The building originally housed a pagan temple, and has been an administrative office, a dwelling house, a monastery, a stable, an archive and a prefecture.
These days, the temple building shows a movie about daily life in ancient Rome, from the Gallic tribes to the height of Roman rule.
- Open daily from 10:00 am, in July-August from 09:30. Closes at 18:30—20:00.
- A ticket for the movie is 6 €.
Carré d’Art Museum
Maison Carré's modern twin across the street is another square building built in 1993 of steel, concrete and glass. It houses a contemporary art museum and library.
The collection includes about 500 works of art from the 1960s to the present day by Mario Merz, Allan Kaprow, Sigmar Polke, Sophie Calle, and Ryan Gander.
- The museum is open from 09:00 to 18:00. Monday is a day off.
- Ticket — 5 €. First Sunday of the month — free admission.
Auguste Gate (La porte Auguste)
The dilapidated gate and the statue of Emperor Octavian Augustus (son and successor of Julius Caesar) were discovered in the XVIII century. It was the main entrance to the city — from here the road to Rome began.
The gate was part of the fortress wall and consisted of two wide arches for chariots and two smaller ones for pedestrians. Archaeologists have established that there were watchtowers on both sides of the gate.
Octavian Augustus gave the city of Nîmes to his legionary soldiers for their victory over the armies of Cleopatra and Mark Antony at Accium. The Nile alligator, chained, symbolizes the victory of ancient Rome over Egypt and has become the symbol of the city. Alligator images can be seen at every turn in Nîmes — in the form of statues, on signs, on sewer manholes.
Jardins de la Fontaine.
The Istochnik Gardens were one of the first public gardens in Europe — before that, entrance to the parks was only for wealthy citizens. The garden and park ensemble was laid out in the XVIII century around the fortress walls. Part of the park was built on the ruins of ancient Roman baths.
There are many Baroque statues and sculptures, artificial ponds and tiered fountains. Don’t miss the rock garden, the Montgolfier ponds (le bassin Montgolfier) and the Fééérie des Eaux water and light show in August. The show runs Friday through Sunday in the 2nd week of August, from about 19:00 to 20:00. Exact details need to be confirmed closer to the show dates. The park is open to the public daily from 07:30 to 22:00.
Tower of Manh (la Tour Magne) and the Temple of Diana
A cypress avenue in the spring gardens leads to an ancient tower, la Tour Magne (the big tower). The half-destroyed tower stands 36 meters high. Scientists are still arguing about why it was built: it is believed to be an observation point or a religious mausoleum.
Not far from the cascade ponds in the center of the park is the Temple of Diana. The ruins of the II century structure of the interior — a hall with columns and niches — have been preserved.
In fact, it is unlikely that it was a temple in honor of the goddess of the hunt — but the name has survived from the Middle Ages. Archaeologists suggest that in Roman times there was a temple, library or even baths here — the interior decoration of these rooms was very similar.
It is forbidden to enter the territory of the ruins, but the cable fence does not prevent you from looking at the antiquities.
Cathedral (Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor)
The cathedral was founded at the very beginning of the 11th century. It combines Romanesque and Gothic styles. It was built in honor of Saint Castor. It is believed that Castor was born in Nîmes in the early 4th century. He was one of the first Christian preachers in the valley of the lower Moselle in present-day Germany.
It is believed that the cathedral stands on the site of the Roman temple of Augustus — part of the bas-reliefs on the facade have survived to this day.
Until 1877, it was the seat of the bishop, who then moved to Avignon. You can listen to the 17th-century organ in the cathedral.
- The cathedral is closed on Tuesdays. On other days it is open for visits from 11:00 am, on weekends from 09:00 am to 18:00 pm.
Church of St. Perpetua (L'église Sainte-Perpétue)
The church was built in 1864 in eclectic style with a high bell tower — 70 meters. Its openwork cross weighs 600 kg.
- The temple is available to the public Tuesday-Saturday 09:00 — 12:00 and 16:00 — 18:00, Sunday from 10:00.
- Closed on Mondays.
Next to the church on the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle is the Pradier Fountain. The sculpture of a woman that crowns the fountain symbolizes the city of Nîmes. Its pedestal is symbolic of the Arenas and Maison Carré. The figures of women and men at the base are the four rivers that feed Nîmes.
Museums of Nîmes
Nîmes has several museums with a rich collection dedicated to the region’s history and culture. All museums are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.
Musée du Vieux Nîmes is the museum of old Nîmes. It contains exhibits telling the history of the city from the Middle Ages to the present day. Special attention is paid to the textile industry and denim.
Next to the arena is the bullfighting museum, Musée des Cultures Taurines. The collection of the museum shows the history of Spanish bullfighting, as well as the bullfighting traditions of the Camargue. For more information about tours to the Camargue, click here.
The Museum d’Histoire Naturelle is housed in a former 17th century Jesuit chapel.
Musée de la Romanité is an archaeological museum. There are about 5,000 exhibits from the Iron Age to the Gallo-Roman period.
There is an open observation deck on the roof, which is worth the climb for the view of the arenas opposite and all the main sights of the city. You don’t even have to buy a ticket to the museum to visit it — the entrance to the roof is separate.
Pont du Gard Aqueduct (Pont du Gard)
The highest aqueduct of the ancient Roman era, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located 27 km from Nîmes, in Remoulins. The height of the three-level bridge is 47 meters. The aqueduct is 275 meters high and was originally part of a 50 km long aqueduct that brought drinking water to Nîmes through the valley of the Gardon River.
The bridge is built almost entirely of dry materials, stones and stone blocks, without the use of bonding mortar.
The aqueduct can be walked on like a bridge — one section is accessible to tourists. Open to the public all year round from 09:00 am, closing time differs depending on the season — until 20:00 and until midnight in summer.
Also, the aqueduct is featured on the 5 euro bill.
There is a museum near the aqueduct that tells the story of the ancient aqueduct — you’ll learn how it was built and how it functioned.
- The museum is open from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm or 8:00 pm depending on the month.
- There are buses from Nîmes. You need line 121. The ticket costs about 3 € and it takes about an hour to get to the aqueduct.
What to try in Nîmes
Nima’s specialty is Brandade. It is a paste of dried cod with olive oil and garlic. It is usually served with mashed potatoes.
In a local café, order salad Nimoise, a local adaptation of a recipe from Nice. It is prepared similarly — it consists of cod fillet, boiled eggs, tomatoes and olives. Sometimes boiled potatoes are added. It costs on average 8 €.
Nîmes is the most Italian city in France. There are no huge crowds of tourists near the sights, so you won’t have to jostle elbows during excursions. I recommend going around the monuments of ancient Roman heritage, and afterwards just stroll along the streets and enjoy the relaxed and unhurried atmosphere.
