Tourism in Nîmes

Nîmes is a town of art and history in the Gard, 25 km from Camping Crin Blanc, known for its exceptionally well-preserved Roman monuments. It is sometimes called “the French Rome”, so many ancient remains are still standing in its old centre. From the campsite, it is a natural extension of a day exploring the region: the morning among the rice fields and manades of the Camargue, the afternoon in the cobbled streets of the Écusson, the historic district of Nîmes. The town is easy to explore on foot from the main car parks in the centre, with no extra transport needed once you are there.

The Nîmes Arena is a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, still used today for ferias and concerts, and open to visitors all year round. Built to hold tens of thousands of spectators in Roman times, the monument has come through two thousand years with its structure almost intact, a rare case in Europe. An audio guide tells its story, from circus games to modern bullfights, including its medieval use as an inhabited fortress.

The Maison Carrée is a Roman temple from the beginning of the Christian era, considered one of the best preserved in the world thanks to continuous use since Antiquity. Dedicated to the grandsons of Emperor Augustus, it owes its good condition to its many uses over the centuries: church, stable and now a cultural venue with an immersive film on the history of the town. The visit is quick, 30 to 45 minutes, making it easy to combine with the Arena, a few minutes’ walk away.

The Jardins de la Fontaine are a fifteen-hectare park laid out in the 18th century around an ancient spring, free and open to all year round. Balustraded pools, statues and shady paths make up one of the first public gardens created in France, a pleasant place to catch your breath after visiting the ancient monuments. At the top of the park, the Tour Magne, a remnant of the Roman ramparts, offers a panorama over the town and, on a clear day, as far as the Cévennes. Entry requires a low-cost ticket.

A stone’s throw from the Arena, the Musée de la Romanité, opened in 2018, traces twenty-five centuries of Nîmes history through an archaeological collection preserved thanks to excavations in the region. Its rippling glass façade, designed by the architect Elizabeth de Portzamparc, speaks directly to the Roman amphitheatre opposite. A few streets away, the Carré d’Art, a contemporary art museum designed by the British architect Norman Foster, mirrors the Maison Carrée : two temples, one ancient, the other of glass and steel, face each other on the same square.

The Old Nîmes, or Écusson, is the town’s pedestrian historic centre, where narrow streets, old façades and small squares reveal themselves as you stroll. The covered Les Halles market, lively all year round, brings together produce from the Gard: olives, goat’s cheese, charcuterie. Two local specialities are worth trying: brandade de morue nîmoise, made with salt cod and olive oil, and croquant biscuits, a crunchy treat made in the town for more than a century.

Must-sees in Nîmes

Don’t miss the Nîmes Arena, the best-preserved Roman amphitheatre in the world, and the Maison Carrée, an ancient temple intact for two thousand years, a few minutes’ walk from each other.

Between Roman heritage, contemporary architecture and the Gard art of living, Nîmes promises a day out full of discoveries.

The Nîmes Arena was built at the end of the 1st century AD, under the Flavian emperors, to host gladiator fights and wild animal hunts before large crowds. The amphitheatre is 133 metres long and 101 metres wide, with two storeys of sixty arches each, a layout close to that of the Colosseum in Rome.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Arena became a real fortress in the Middle Ages: houses and a chapel were built inside, and a fortified district grew up there, entrenched behind makeshift ramparts. This district survived until the early 19th century, before the monument was cleared and restored.

Today, the Nîmes Arena hosts the Feria de Nîmes every year, as well as bullfights, concerts and major shows, alongside tourist visits. It remains one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world, still in use twenty centuries after it was built.

Nîmes is in the Gard, in Occitanie, on the edge of the Camargue gardoise. The town is one of the must-see destinations for a stay in the Camargue. It is also a great starting point for discovering other nearby places, especially the Pont du Gard (about 25 km), Montpellier (about 50 km) or Arles, on the other side of the Rhône. Your stay is also a wonderful opportunity to discover iconic places such as the Pont du Gard or the Camargue Regional Nature Park.