Pont du Gard

Tickets and tours: all the options

The site is run by a public body. Walking or cycling in to the bridge and the marked trails is free, and drivers pay a flat charge per car. A separate ticket covers the museum about the aqueduct, a short film and a children's discovery area, which close from November to February; under-18s go in free. Tickets are sold at the visitor centre and online. Guided visits along the covered water channel on the top tier are sold separately in season, in small groups, and are the only way to get up there.

Tour operators mostly sell the bridge as one stop on a longer day. Day trips from Avignon combine it with Nimes and Orange, or with Uzes, or with Saint-Remy and Les Baux, with a minibus and a driver-guide; some add wine tastings. There are private tours from Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, a dawn entry with an audio guide, and walks that follow the line of the aqueduct from Uzes.

With a car, parking and the museum ticket are all you need, and the bridge is easy to understand without a guide. Without one, a Roman-themed day trip from Avignon is the most efficient choice, though the time at the bridge itself is often only an hour.

A short history

The bridge was part of an aqueduct of about 50 km built in the middle of the 1st century AD to bring spring water from near Uzes to the Roman colony of Nemausus, now Nimes. It carried an estimated 40,000 cubic metres a day with a fall of only 2.5 cm across the bridge. Lack of maintenance after the 4th century let limestone deposits clog the channel, and the flow stopped by the 6th century. Local lords then used the structure as a toll bridge, and a road bridge was added beside it in 1743. Restorations followed from the 19th century. The site joined the UNESCO list in 1985, and traffic was removed from the bridge in 2000.

Getting there

The Pont du Gard is about 25 km north-east of Nimes and 25 km west of Avignon, just outside Remoulins. Regional buses run from the Nimes bus station towards Uzes and stop at the site in about 40 minutes; buses from Avignon take about 50 minutes and run less often, especially on Sundays, so check timetables before you go. The nearest train stations are Nimes and Avignon Centre. By car, leave the A9 motorway at Remoulins and follow signs for about 5 km; there are large car parks on both the left bank, near the visitor centre, and the right bank. Nimes airport and Avignon airport are both within 40 minutes by road. Cycling from Uzes along quiet roads is a pleasant option.

Rules and what to bring

Climbing on the stones and walking along the upper tiers without a guide are forbidden, and drones are not allowed without permission. Swimming is allowed in the Gardon away from the piers, but there are no lifeguards outside the summer season, and jumping from the bridge is banned. Bring water, sunscreen and sandals for the pebbles. Picnics are fine on the banks, and the visitor centre has a café, a restaurant and toilets.

When to go

July and August are the busiest months, when families from the campsites and holiday homes of Provence fill the riverbanks from late morning, and the car parks can be full by noon. Come before 10 am or after 5 pm, when the heat drops and the evening light falls on the upstream face of the bridge. In summer the bridge is lit at night, and evening shows are sometimes held.

May, June and September are ideal: the river is warm enough for a quick swim by June, the crowds are smaller and the trails are pleasant to walk. In spring and autumn the river can rise sharply after storms in the Cevennes, and the beaches may be closed. Winter is quiet and mild, but the museum is closed from November to February. Allow two hours for the museum and the bridge, and three or more to add the trail, a picnic and a swim.