26 June 2016

Nîmes, South of France

After our recent visit to Turkey, we were lucky enough to travel to Nîmes after a mere two days back in England to join two of our good friends for another break. Nîmes is a city within the South of France that dates back to the Roman Empire, with a mediterranean climate, beautiful Roman architecture and a penchant for, erm, bullfighting.

We stayed in a stunning villa found through Air BnB within the residential area of Caissargues, a quiet and peaceful area just a short 15 minute bus ride away from Nîmes and only €1.30 each way! There was also a local Intermarché and patisserie nearby for us to stock up on food for the week, ideal if you’re just looking for a relaxing villa getaway.

Nîmes City Sightseeing

Nîmes city centre is fairly small and if you’re feeling up to it, you can pretty much explore the key sites in one day. We spent our first trip wandering landmark to landmark, starting with the Arènes de Nîmes, a Roman amphitheatre that emerges as you walk into the very heart of the city. Unbeknownst to us, there was actually an annual music festival being held within the Arena that evening and the surrounding area was bustling with people queuing for the event, so we never did get to explore the interior because of the amount of setting up and taking stuff down for several days either side of the event. Catching some of the televised concert later on, we did learn that it is a lot bigger on the inside than it looks!

From here we strolled through the many cobbled lanes until we came across The Maison Carrée, an ancient Roman temple standing in a beautiful square surrounded by cafés, bars and a much more modern-looking museum of contemporary art (fitting, really). It is worth noting that, if you have plenty of time or are staying in Nîmes for a short while, just wandering the quintessential french cobbled streets is an absolute sight in itself, but I’ll come back to that. The Maison Carrée is extremely well preserved to this day, having undergone several restorations across time, creating a rather striking appearance in the centre of the square as it is so unusually immaculate.

We paused at a bar around here for a few Heinekens before moving on to the Jardins de la Fontaine, a public park that eludes to some kind of beauty but I really don’t think any of us were expecting the sights that met our eyes.

Jardins de la Fontaine

Walking alongside a wide canal lined by arching trees, it almost had a feel of Amsterdam about the avenue, until we passed through a gate to be greeted by the unmistakable landscaping of a french garden, fairly reminiscent of Paris’ Champ de Mars or even a miniature Versailles. Here, we walked along the bright gravel pathways with neat clusters of trees towards the many monuments and steps leading towards the fountains. Down the stone steps to the water edge and passing the many statues and cherubs created an incredibly romantic atmosphere, it felt like we could have been stood in a scene of Atonement for a minute.

Over to one side of the park sits the Temple de Diane, an ancient Roman site in which the park was built around. Whilst its origins are not completely known, the site remains impressively in tact and you can still explore some of the passageways surrounding it, as well as what has now become a courtyard of sorts – although sadly, it seems, this has become a popular hangout spot for local youths and there was a lot of glass on the floor.

Beyond the fountains, steps lead up to grassy hills absolutely smothered in flowers, with a gorgeous scent that manages to drift across the entire park. Following them up for a while takes you to different levels of flowers, trees and woody areas with people playing ball games, walking their dogs or tucked away painting.

So we carried on climbing the levels of stairs and slopes, puffing a little at this point, until it levelled out and we walked towards La Tour Magne, a stone tower once a part of the city wall, overlooking the city and offering absolutely stunning views. Be warned – there are a lot of narrow stairs to climb here, but it is totally worth it and only €3.50 per adult.

La Tour Magne concluded our exploration for the day, and we spent our evening enjoying wine and dinner in the city before getting a taxi back to the villa. If you are visiting Nîmes soon and haven’t been before, it is important to know in advance that you cannot get a bus out of the city past around 7:30pm, so please do bear this in mind. Taxis seem to be a bit of pot luck too, as one evening we got one easily and another we had to wait over an hour and call one from a hotel reception as the taxi rank was deserted!

The next day we spent in Nîmes was at a much slower pace, enjoying the winding streets, browsing chocolate shops or local produce, and stopping at several bars for beers throughout the day. In the evening we visited a fantastic Italian restaurant called La Piazetta, which is absolutely worth looking up if you are looking for a place with great atmosphere and delicious food.

Pont du Gard

Our Sunday was spent relaxing by the pool and around the villa for the day drinking cocktails, how every Sunday should be spent of course. It was great to have a day of rest, especially as we planned a trip to the Pont du Gard the next day.

The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct, built to transport water from the hills into Nîmes, and today is a World Heritage Site with a visitor centre, museum and café restaurants. The gigantic aqueduct crosses the Gardon River, a popular destination for swimming and kayaking, and you can walk along the middle level to reach the other bank. Along each bank there are plenty of areas to relax for the day, as well as smooth rocky areas to climb down into a more peaceful haven. Be careful though, the rocks can be slippery when wet and the water depths vary at different points with a strong current in the middle. If you aren’t a very confident swimmer it is best to be able to paddle in rather than jump straight in at a deeper point!

We spent a whole day walking along the banks, swimming in the river and taking in the spectacular sight that is the Pont du Gard. It is absolutely worth a visit if you are planning on visiting Nîmes or a surrounding town. A bus from the city centre took just about an hour and only cost us €1.60 each way, which is just mind-blowing! Again, transport can be fairly limited so do check timetables in advance to avoid getting stuck and leave plenty of time to get back to the bus stop as it is a bit of a walk once you get inside.

After a long day in the sun, we collapsed back in the villa and enjoyed our last meal of the trip before watching England vs. Slovakia (lets not go there, shall we?) and reflecting on the last five days. Visiting Nîmes was a wonderful opportunity to explore a different side of France, having only ever been to Paris a few times before. It seemed to offer a slightly more relaxed way of life, not that nightlife doesn’t exist here, and using the French language to communicate is pretty much essential – which can be a big shock if you’ve only ever visited Paris previously! Immersing yourself in practicing the language, using local transport and trying to figure out some of the shop’s opening hours created provided a quirky and authentic experience, and I have to say I’ve fallen in love with the charms of the south of France.