Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plan Ahead for Swimming and Hiking:
Pont du Gard is perhaps best enjoyed on
your back and in the water—bring along a swimsuit and flip-flops for the rocks. The best
Pont du Gard viewpoints are up steep hills with uneven footing—bring good shoes.
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Museum
In this state-of-the-art museum (well-presented in English), you'll enter to the sound of
water and understand the critical role fresh water played in the Roman “art of living.”
You'll see examples oflead pipes, faucets, and siphons; walk through a mock rock quarry;
andlearnhowtheymovedthosehugerocksintoplaceandhowthosemassivearcheswere
made.Whileactualartifactsfromtheaqueductarefew,theexhibitshowstheimmensityof
theundertakingaswellasthepayoff.Imaginetheexcitementasthisextravagantsupplyof
water finally tumbled into Nîmes. A relaxing highlight is the scenic video of a helicopter
ride along the entire 30-mile course of the structure, from its start at Uzès all the way to
the Castellum in Nîmes.
Other Activities
Several additional attractions are designed to give the sight more meaning—and they
do (but for most visitors, the museum is sufficient). A corny, romancing-the-aqueduct
25-minute film plays in the same building as the museum and offers good information in
a flirtatious French-Mediterranean style...and a cool, entertaining, and cushy break. The
nearby kids' museum, called
Ludo,
offers a scratch-and-sniff teaching experience (in Eng-
lish) of various aspects of Roman life and the importance of water. The extensive outdoor
garrigue
natural area, closer to the aqueduct, features historic crops and landscapes of the
Mediterranean.
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Viewing the Aqueduct
A park-like path leads to the aqueduct. Until a few years ago, this was an actual
road—adjacent to the aqueduct—that had spanned the river since 1743. Before you cross
the bridge, pass under it and hike about 300 feet along the riverbank for a grand viewpoint
from which to study the world's second-highest standing Roman structure. (Rome's Co-
losseum is only 6 feet taller.)
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