Towns & cities · Nîmes
1 Nîmes
Prefecture of the Gard with exceptional ancient heritage, whose arena and Maison Carrée stand next to the elegant eighteenth-century Jardins de la Fontaine.
View full page →3 days in the footsteps of Roman Provence
Arenas, theatres, aqueducts and ancient towns: Provence and the Gard hold the finest collection of Roman monuments outside Italy. Three days to travel back in time, from Nîmes to Orange and Arles.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Nîmes to Pont du Gard
Nîmes: the Roman city and the Musée de la Romanité, facing the arena, then the Pont du Gard, one of the best-preserved aqueducts in the world.
Museums · Gard
2 Musée de la Romanité de Nîmes
The Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes faces the Roman amphitheatre, in the Gard, in Occitanie.
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Bridges · Gard
3 Pont du Gard
The Pont du Gard was built shortly before the Christian era to let the Nîmes aqueduct, nearly 50 km long, cross the Gardon.
View full page →Day 2 — Théâtre antique d'Orange to Vaison la Romaine
The ancient theatre of Orange and its intact stage wall, then Vaison-la-Romaine and its ancient districts.
Monuments · Vaucluse
4 Théâtre antique d'Orange
Located in Provence, the Ancient Theatre of Orange is the best-preserved Roman theatre in the West, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Villages · Vaucluse
5 Vaison la Romaine
Between the Rhône valley and Mont Ventoux, Vaison is very close to the Dentelles de Montmirail, in hill country scented with vines and olive trees.
View full page →Day 3 — Le musée de l'Arles Antique to Glanum
Arles and its Arles Antique departmental museum, then Glanum, a Gallo-Roman town at the foot of the Alpilles.
Museums · Bouches-du-Rhône
6 Le musée de l'Arles Antique
It is in Arles, in the heart of Provence, that you will discover this exceptional museum that presents one of the richest archaeological collections in France, heritage of the prestigious past of the town.
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Museums · Bouches-du-Rhône
7 Glanum
The site of Glanum was inhabited by local peoples from the 6th century BC. Around the 2nd century BC, the town became Hellenised through contact with Greek merchants from Marseille.
View full page →When to go
Spring and autumn are ideal for visiting the open-air sites. Summer is very hot: visit early in the morning. The Chorégies d'Orange and the Nîmes feria liven up the summer.
Getting around
Nîmes, Orange, Avignon and Arles are linked by train. A car is more practical for the Pont du Gard, Vaison-la-Romaine and Glanum.
Our tips
- The Nîmes Romanité pass gives access to the arena, the Maison Carrée and the Tour Magne.
- At the Pont du Gard, come early to avoid the heat and the crowds.
- Bring a hat and water to the ancient sites.
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