Nîmes Transportation

The Nimes "airport" was the tiniest airport I had ever seen. It was more like a large barn structure with few amenities inside. At the time, it received only one flight daily from Stanstead Airport in London, and I was on it. Similarly, there was only one public bus that took passengers to the city, and it left shortly after the plane landed. So, unless things have changed, be warned! I was cluelessly dawdling in the washroom and missed it. I ended up taking a taxi, which took forever to arrive and cost me 20 euros! What a start to a vacation eh?

Some road distances to Nimes from:

- Charleroi (Belgium): 903 kms.
- Madrid (Spain): 988 kms.
- Linz (Austria): 1.260 kms.
- Eger (Hungary): 1.684 kms.

Checking the website, you’ll find more road distances together with the driving times and the best routes.

trains to nimes are frequent, and the TGV from montpellier-lyons-paris stops here (just make sure you get off or youll be going skiing instead of sunbathing)

the train station is a bit out of the centre, we always walked and it took us about 15 minutes from the station to the ampitheatre, but taxis are readily available and not too expensive

I went and stayed at Nimes this June, 2010, via my Rail pass. Hotel Park is about 1.5 miles from the train station. There are two buses - one to downtown and one to the train station. There are taxis on the centre side of the train station, but elsewhere can be challenging. On June 29th a taxis was supposed to pick me up in downtown Nimes in 10 minutes. It never came after 35 minutes, and I missed a bus connection. In frustration I rented a car at the train station for a day to see Pont du Gard (aqueduct), then Orange (Theatre). In summarry, it may be better to stay at Avignon or Arles, if you are relying only on rail and buses.

Here's a map and a schedule of the shuttle bus from Nimes Airport to town.

http://france-for-visitors.com/france-maps/languedoc/nimes-map.html
http://www.nimes.aeroport.fr/presentation/index.asp?rub_code=8&thm_id=55&gpl_id=

Tickets on board the bus for 5 euro.

After getting a very expensive parking ticket in Ireland, a country where I CAN read the language, I'm always a little reluctant to try and find street parking in foreign countries where I'm a little shaky on it so in the larger tourist oriented cities, we just located a parking garage which is what we did in Nimes. You can follow the blue P signs to located parking, some of it outside and some of it in a garage. We were heading to the Arena first so we parked at the one marked Arenes, parking is by the hour and you can use even American non chip credit cards to pay.

Are you nervous about taking your baby or child on a plane trip? You aren't alone, most parents are nervous about it. We have moved with the kids to Alkmaar by car this holiday and drove some distances by car on when we were there and we learned a few things that hopefully will help you.

General:
Bring books, old favourite toys and new surprise toys. Do remember that balls are not a good idea as they can end up anywhere! Our best buys were definitely books, especially sticker books are great! They can peel the stickers off, are glossy, have thick pages to turn easy, have bright colours and come in endless subjects. They're a nice break from the other books your child might be tired of, too. Put aside fears of setting poor eating habits, and bring on the snacks! We told Iris: “Welcome to the world of boredom eating."

Car:
Toy bars meant for stroller use are a big help in the car, as they often feature toys plus a snack cup, and are big and easy for you to grab from the front seat for refills. During the car trip it’s always a good idea to play a game and sing some songs. It sounds rather easy, but it does work!

Finally:
We only have one last statement! Just do it! Don’t be afraid that it might go wrong. We have learned this, because we have been travelling with Iris from the beginning. She was only 6 weeks young when we had our first short vacation and stayed in a hotel. Iris has been used to it rather fast and (maybe because of it) has always been an easy kid to get along with.