Best Western Nimotel

General Info

by Redang

Tourist Office

6 rue Auguste
30020 Nîmes Cedex 01
- Tel.: (+33) (0)4 66 58 38 15/20
- Fax: (+33) (0)4 66 58 38 19

- E. mail: info@ot-nimes.fr - groupes@ot-nimes.fr
- Internet: www.ot-nimes.fr

Balauziere grotto

by lonestar_philomath

The cave overlooks the Gardon from a rocky outcrop, 800 metres upstream of the Pont du Gard. It is on the left bank on the Saint Privat property. The interior of the cave tells an interesting geologic tale and contains deposits from the Paleolithic era.

The grotto was listed as an Historic Monument in 1958.

bull fight?

by catherineneill

when in nimes you have to go to the ampitheatre. when we lived there we managed to get to an anastasia concert inside. it seems to be a venue for lots of concerts, and i read in the paper that they STILL use it for bullfights (if anyone can confirm this it would be good). look for the signs saying 'vomitoires' - i was wetting myself - surely 'vomir' means to throw up in french - what is a vomitoire then?actually it just means passage, but you would like to imagine the people in roman times feeling a little queasy from bull fight. anyway, there are plenty of cafes beside it and a good underground parking. actually, the parking in nimes is excellent. you could also walk to the trainstation here if you felt like it. smaller than the ampitheatre at arles, but better preserved.

Go to the ville d'Uzès, and...

by holligolytly

Go to the ville d'Uzès, and check out le Duché. This was the first dukedom in France.
Uzès was home to many famous writers and artists including Jean Racine and one of my personal favorites André Gide.

Roman Nimes

by Kate-Me

Nimes is located in southern France, capital of the Gard department.

It was about 50 BC that Nîmes became a Roman colony, as witness the earliest coins which bear the abbreviation NEM. COL, "Colony of Nemausus".
Nîmes was situated on the Via Domitia, a Roman road constructed in 118 BC, connecting Italy to Spain.

The city derives its name from Nemausus 'From The Source'.
Augustus made the city the capital of Narbonne province, and gave it all its glory. He also gave the town a ring of ramparts six kms long, reinforced by fourteen towers, two gates of which gates of which remain today, Porte Auguste and the Porte de France.
He had the Forum built and perhaps also the aqueduct. Nothing remains of certain monuments, the existence of which is known from inscriptions or architectural fragments found during excavations.
We know that the town had civil basilica, a curia, a gymnasium and perhaps a circus.

Nimes today, still contains very important Roman structures.
In the city centre, its amphitheatre dates from the 1st or 2nd century AD and is the best preserved roman Amphitheatre in France. It's still used today as a bull arena and for concerts.
Also in the city centre is the Maison Carrée (Square House), a small Roman temple dedicated to sons of Agrippa. It was built around 19 BC and is said to be one of the best-preserved Roman temples anywhere in the former Roman empire.
Close to the city centre, Mont Cavalier is crowned by the Tour Magne ("Great Tower"), a ruined Roman tower dating from the year 15 BC.

The Pont du Gard aqueduct, 20 kms from Nimes, (either built by Agrippa or Augustus) is extremely well-preserved. The aqueduct used to carry water across the Gardon river valley.

In less ancient history, Nîmes is also historically known for its textiles. Denim, (blue jeans fabric) derives its name from this city "de Nimes"

The contemporary symbol and shield of the city of Nîmes is a crocodile chained to a palm tree

English website link: http://france-for-visitors.com/languedoc/nimes/index.html

symbol of Nimes (from an icon in the footpath)

Garden near the Tour Magne