Provence
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Provence - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Arènes
The best-preserved Roman amphitheater in the world is a miniature of the Colosseum in Rome (note the small carvings of Romulus and Remus, the wrestling gladiators, on the exterior, and the intricate bulls' heads etched into the stone over the entrance on the north side). More than 435 feet long and 330 feet wide, it had a seating capacity of 24,000 in its day. Bloody gladiator battles, criminals being thrown to animals, and theatrical wild-boar chases drew crowds to its bleachers. Nowadays it hosts bullfights, which transform the arena (and all of Nîmes) into a sangria-flushed homage to Spain, and summer concerts. Self-guided audio tours are available.
Bd. des Arènes, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 -
2. Musée de la Romanité
The newest museum in Nîmes is impossible to miss: first for its location, just opposite the Arènes, and second for its exterior featuring a gleaming, translucent facade meant to evoke a Roman toga. Exhibits inside this luminous edifice showcase the city's Roman past with more than 5,000 artifacts, as well as touch screens, interactive displays, and other state-of-the art features that will delight both adults and kids. Highlights include intact mosaics discovered during recent excavations, a model of a domus (Roman house), and a green roof with panoramic views of the amphitheater and all the city's major sites. The sidewalk café is great for a quick lunch or afternoon drink, and the upstairs La Table du 2—which also has impressive views—is a Michelin-starred brasserie that serves lunch and dinner.
16 bd. des Arènes, Nîmes, Occitania, 30900, France04–48–21–02–10Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9, Closed Mon. -
3. Musée des Beaux-Arts
The centerpiece of this early-20th-century building, stunningly refurbished by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is a vast ancient mosaic depicting a marriage ceremony that provides intriguing insights into the lifestyle of Roman aristocrats. Also in the varied collection are seven paintings devoted to Cleopatra by 18th-century Nîmes-born painter Natoire Italian, plus some fine Flemish, Dutch, and French works (notably Rubens's Portrait of a Monk and Giambono's The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine).
23 rue de la Cite Foulc, Nîmes, Occitania, 30000, France04–66–76–71–82Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, Closed Mon. -
4. Carrée d'Art
Directly opposite the Maison Carrée and looking a bit like an airport terminal, the glass-fronted Carrée d'Art was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. It literally reflects the Maison Carrée's creamy symmetry and figuratively answers it with a featherlight deconstructed colonnade. In addition to a library and archives, the sleek, modern structure houses the Musée d'Art Contemporain (Contemporary Art Museum), with a permanent collection of works that date from 1960 and onward and fall into three categories: French painting and sculpture; English, American, and German works; and Mediterranean styles. There are often temporary exhibits of new work, too. Atop the museum, enjoy spectacular city views over lunch at the Ciel de Nîmes. The restaurant, which closes at 6 pm, is also an excellent spot for afternoon tea or a drink.
Pl. de la Maison Carrée, Nîmes, Occitania, 30000, France04–66–76–35–70Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8 -
5. Cathédrale Notre-Dame et St-Castor
Nîmes Cathedral was damaged by Protestants during the 16th-century Wars of Religion but still shows traces of its original construction in 1096. A remarkably preserved Romanesque frieze portrays Adam and Eve cowering in shame, the gory slaughter of Abel, and a flood-wearied Noah. Inside, look for the 4th-century sarcophagus (third chapel on the right) and a magnificent 17th-century chapel in the apse.
Pl. aux Herbes, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–67–27–72Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Jardins de la Fontaine
A testimony to the taste of the Age of Reason, this elaborate formal garden was created on the site of the Roman spring in the 18th century, when the Source de Nemausus, a once-sacred spring, was channeled into pools and a canal. The shady haven of mature trees and graceful stonework makes for a lovely approach to the Temple de Diane and the Tour Magne.
Corner of Quai de la Fontaine and Av. Jean-Jaurès, Nîmes, Occitania, 30000, France04–66–58–38–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
7. Maison Carrée
Lovely and forlorn in the middle of a busy downtown square, this exquisitely preserved temple strikes a timeless balance between symmetry and whimsy, purity of line and richness of decoration. Modeled on the Temple to Apollo in Rome, adorned with magnificent limestone columns and elegant pediments, the Maison Carrée remains one of the most noble surviving structures of ancient Roman civilization anywhere. Built around 5 BC and dedicated to Caius Caesar and his brother, Lucius, the temple has survived subsequent use as a medieval meeting hall, an Augustinian church, a storehouse for Revolutionary archives, and a horse shed. In addition to hosting temporary art and photo exhibitions, it contains a permanent display of photos and drawings of ongoing archaeological work. Don't miss the splendid Roman fresco of Cassandra (being dragged by her hair by a hunter) that was discovered in 1992 and carefully restored. There's also a fun 3-D projection of the heroes of Nîmes.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. de la Maison Carrée, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €6 -
8. Musée d'Histoire Naturelle
Nîmes's oldest museum, inaugurated in 1895 in a listed 17th-century chapel, contemplates the natural and human sciences via a vast collection of stuffed beasts, menhirs, and other wonders. The setting has barely changed since 1930s, when France was a still a vast colonial power. There's a planetarium, too.
13 bd. Amiral Courbet, Nîmes, Occitania, 30000, France04–66–76–73–45Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9, Closed Mon. -
9. Musée du Vieux Nîmes
Housed in the 17th-century bishop's palace opposite the cathedral, this museum shows off garments embroidered in the exotic and vibrant style for which Nîmes was once famous. Look for the 18th-century jacket made of blue serge de Nîmes, the renowned fabric—now simply called denim—from which Levi Strauss first fashioned blue jeans.
Pl. aux Herbes, Nîmes, Occitania, 30000, France04–66–76–73–70Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, Closed Mon. -
10. Temple de Diane
This shattered Roman ruin dates from the end of the 1st century BC. The temple's function is unknown, though it's thought to have been part of a larger complex that is still unexcavated. In the Middle Ages, Benedictine nuns occupied the building before it was converted into a church. Destruction came during the Wars of Religion.
Jardins de la Fontaine, Nîmes, Occitania, 30020, France -
11. Tour Magne
At the far end of the Jardins de la Fontaine are the remains of a tower the emperor Augustus had built on Gallic foundations; it was probably used as a lookout post. Despite losing 30 feet in height over the course of time, the tower still provides fine views of Nîmes for anyone energetic enough to climb the 140 steps.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. Guillaume-Apollinaire, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €3.50
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