Pont du Gard
Three Tiered Roman Aqueduct Bridge Over The Gardon, Built In The First Century AD, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 1985 · Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Occitanie
The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon river, near Remoulins between Nîmes and Avignon. Built in the first century AD, it carried water across the valley on a channel some 50 km long from springs near Uzès to the Roman city of Nîmes. It stands on three tiers of arches in honey-coloured limestone, laid without mortar, and it is the tallest of the Roman aqueduct bridges still standing. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 1985. Today it sits in a managed site with car parks, a museum on the Roman water system, a film and a children's area on the left bank, and walking paths through Mediterranean scrub on both banks. You can cross the river on the road bridge added beside the lowest tier in the eighteenth century, look up from the pebble banks below, and in summer swim or kayak in the Gardon beneath the arches. The top channel can only be visited on limited guided tours. It is often combined with Nîmes, Uzès and Avignon.
Pont du Gard site, 30210 Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Occitanie, France
The site is open every day of the year, with longer opening hours in summer and shorter ones in winter, and the museum, film and exhibitions keep their own narrower hours inside those. Some sections may close on a few public holidays, such as 25 December and 1 January, so confirm. Entry is managed through the paid car parks or a site ticket: visitors arriving by car pay per vehicle for the day, which covers the people in it, while those arriving on foot or by bicycle may be charged differently or let in more cheaply, and the rules have changed over time, so confirm. The visit to the top channel of the aqueduct runs only as a guided tour at set times, with small groups, and fills early in summer; book in advance. Kayak trips from Collias upstream run mainly from spring to early autumn and depend on water levels. Some summer evenings have had light shows or events on the bridge; whether they run in a given year needs confirming. Restaurants and snack bars on site keep reduced hours or close off season.