Nîmes Travel Guide

 
by Toshioohsako
 
  •   Nîmes
    by Toshioohsako
  • View of Nimes from Tour Magne
      View of Nimes from Tour Magne
    by leics
  • Amphithéâtre (Nimes, France)
      Amphithéâtre (Nimes, France)
    by Redang
  •   Nîmes
    by mjcCafe
  •   Nîmes
    by lotharlerch
 

Pro

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  Roman Ruins, good base for exploring Provence 


Con

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  A bit grubby round the edges 


In a nutshell

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  Impressive architecture rich in Roman history and monuments 

 

Explore Nîmes

Things to Do  

Jardin de la Fontaine and Tour Magne

Jardin de la Fontaine and Tour Magne, Nîmes

 redbed Says:  Gorgous park easily within walking distance from the town centre. There are lots of Roman like statues, ruins, palm trees and fountains, it really is like a private garden of royalty. When we went, we were lucky enough to see a sort of show for free, as there are stables in... 

The Tour Magne Is At The Highest Point in Nimes

The Tour Magne Is At The Highest Point in Nimes, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  Adjacent to the Jardin de la Fontaine, to the north, is a hill which is topped with a Roman Tower, the Tour Magne, of 16 BC, older than the ramparts. From the top of the hill is a broad view around Nimes. 

See the Temple of Diana

See the Temple of Diana, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  Immediately to the left of the Jardin de la Fontaine area, are the remains of the Temple of Diana which was thought to have been a library. It has two corridors and a nave and today is open to the sky. 

Visit the Jardin de la Fontaine

Visit the Jardin de la Fontaine, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  A fine set of gardens is set in the southwest part of the center of Nimes. These gardens are in the area where a spring still comes up but is no longer the water source of ancient Nimes. In the 18C the chief engineer of Louis XV, one Jacque Mareschal, created this oasis of... 

Go Through Les Arenes

Go Through Les Arenes, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  The Arenes required little to restore it to modern use in the early 19C. With a modern covering, much of it can be used all-year for concerts and other performances. For corridas during festivals it seats about 24,000. After the Roman period it survived first as a fortress... 

Look At the Outside Details of the Maison Carree

Look At the Outside Details of the Maison Carree, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  There are fine details beneath the roof of the Maison Carree to study. Look at the Corinthian capitals and the fine frieze that surrounds the roof. Under the eaves are a set of lion heads. The under surface of the roof is detailed with several different patterns of leaves... 

The Maison Carree

The  Maison Carree, Nîmes

 hquittner Says:  The Maison Carree was probably built by Agrippa to honor his sons in the 1C BC and it has been in continuous use ever since. The name was given to it in the 16C. In the 18C it was copied for use by Thomas Jefferson in the construction of the Virginia State Capitol. It has an... 

Hotels  

Novotel Atria Nimes Centre

 1 Review and 150 Opinions  Our room was on the 1st floor, overviewing la Esplanade Charles de Gaulle. Average-sized, clean and... 

Les Aubuns Country Hotel Nimes

 1 Review and 33 Opinions  We booked 2 nights at this family-run hotel in February 2005. It was a lovely peaceful area, even... 

Restaurants  

Cafe Bar des Beaux Arts: Very smiley staff

Cafe Bar des Beaux Arts: Very smiley staff, Nîmes

 leics Says:  Set in the little Place aux Herbes opposite the cathedral, this bar/cafe impressed me with the cheeriness and courtesy of its staff.They serve all the usual bar/cafe drinks and snacks, of course, including draught beer (beer a la pression).It was very busy with locals... 

La Brioche Doree: Good snacks

La Brioche Doree: Good snacks, Nîmes

 leics Says:  Part of a chain, but the food is good.A selection of sandwiches/panini/baguettes, hot or cold, good standard and interesting fillings. Good coffee, juices, some patisserie too. Pleasant young staff. It's self-service: you order at the counter and take your tray of goodies to... 

Transportation  

Shuttle bus from Nimes Airport to Nimes

Shuttle bus from Nimes Airport to Nimes, Nîmes

 ATLC Says:  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.htmlhttp://www.nimes.aeroport.fr/presentation/index.asp?rub_code=8&thm_id=55&gpl_id=Tickets on board the bus for 5 euro. 

Nimes - buses, taxis

Nimes - buses, taxis, Nîmes

 jayrule Says:  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.... 

Local Customs  

Local Food dish: Brandade

Local Food dish: Brandade, Nîmes

 scotstraveller Says:  If, like me, you like to try local specialties, you may decide to order Brandade (or Brandade de Morue Nîmes to give it's sunday name). This is a cod based mousse dish. The thing is, I have tried it a few times and always burn my mouth, once very badly. For some reason, it... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Some parts are a bit rough

Some parts are a bit rough, Nîmes

 redbed Says:  By the train station at night in particular, a lot of leery men and homeless people, and some guy started screaming at this woman for no reason and had to be taken away by the station security men. It seemed OK in the day, maybe just be a bit wary walking through there in... 

Queues

Queues, Nîmes

 leics Says:  This may not apply if you visit Nimes at other times, or out of season.But if you go in August expect (very) long queues to get into the amphitheatre and Maison Carre.Not only are there visitors from abroad (and one or two school parties), but it seems many French people... 

Tourist Traps  

nimes airport

nimes airport, Nîmes

 geoffcops Says:  Don't do what we did. nimes airport has no food or hot drinks only one cold bottle/can dispenser machine the other side of customs. so once you have checked in dont go through the gates until the last minute go to the bars after checking your lugage. we went straight through... 

What to Pack  

Folding umbrella for dates outside high season

Folding umbrella for dates outside high season, Nîmes

 scotstraveller Says:   Nimes has great weather, but outside of the obvious high summer dates, it can rain unexpectadely, even on nice-ish days. After many years visiting, I always carry a fold down umbrella. Doesn't take much room but very useful from time to time when you least expect it. 

Off The Beaten Path  

Rather nice fountain

Rather nice fountain, Nîmes

 leics Says:  This is a modern fountain, but really rather pleasant.It may not look much in the photo, but the continual sound of falling water is very soothing.Set in a little square of Rue Poissoniere, at the side of the cathedral, it is a series of cascades through which one can walk.A... 

Graffiti

Graffiti, Nîmes

 leics Says:  One of the 'aisles'of the Temple de Diane in Les Jardins de la Fontaine has been restored with more 'modern' stone, which can clearly be seen.I suspect these stones date from the time when the temples ruins were used as a church in Medieval times.But the 'off-the-beaten... 

Favorites  

An interesting ticket deal

An interesting ticket deal, Nîmes

 lotharlerch Says:  If you intend to visit not only NImes but also Orange and Les Baux en Provence or at least two out of these 3 places you can buy at the principal sights of any of these places a ticket which covers not only the main attractions in the city you are actually visiting but also... 

Don't Rock Climb on the bridge!

Don't Rock Climb on the bridge!, Nîmes

 lonestar_philomath Says:  The bridge is over 2000 years old and the stone shows the age. Please treat the bridge with respect and don''t pick at it for a souvenir! It is terrible to take a piece of history from its native environment. 

The Place

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The People

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 The bridge is over 2000 years old and the stone shows the age. Please treat the bridge with respect and don''t pick at it for a souvenir! It is terrible to take... 

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  What is the best way to go from Milan to nimes? Is there Rail service.? 

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A: It is possible to go from Milan to Nimes by rail, but it's not very fast - the fastest solution is 8 hours with 2 changes (Geneva and Lyons) and all the other ones are... 

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Top Nîmes Writers

1

A very french break

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 Ryanair seems to specialise in flyng to airports you never knew you wanted to go to until you saw the price. But here at last an airport near a place I' ve actually heard of before. On the other... 

2

NIMES AND PONT DU GARD

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 On Monday, September 25, 2000 Hans, Wim and I toured NIMES which is in the province of "LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON" in southern France. Nimes has several very well preserved Roman sites, such as the Roman... 

3

For the Roman remains, of course.......

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 Thanks to Ryanair, Nimes is easily accessible from my (very) local airport, so I decided it warranted a visit simply because of its Roman remains. Pity I took the grey, damp English summer weather...... 

4

Roman Nimes

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 Nimes is probably most famous for its Roman history, and it has several very well preserved and stunning Roman sites, some right bang in the city center, like the impressive amphitheatre, and some... 

5

Nimes, and Pont du Gard

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 The third stop on our 2003 vacation in France... We arrived in Nimes on May 6th, from Carcassonne, by train, and took a taxi to our hotel. After checking in, we started walking the city to see the...... 

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