Nîmes Travel Guide

The Pont du Gard is the pinnacle of Roman engineering, a magnificent three-tier arched aqueduct across the Gardon valley, about two thousand years old, with its astonishing scale, exquisite craft and good preservation, an immortal monument of Roman civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Pont du Gard was built about two thousand years ago in Roman times, a core part of a grand aqueduct the Romans built to carry spring water from tens of kilometers away to the city of Nîmes; the bridge is the magnificent crossing of the aqueduct over the Gardon valley. This bridge is majestic and breathtaking: built of three tiers of huge stone arches stacked, about fifty meters high, spanning the valley, grand and elegant; built without mortar, only precisely cut giant stones fitted together, it has withstood nearly two thousand years and river erosion and still stands, its exquisite engineering (including the precise slope designed for water flow) showing the extraordinary wisdom and high level of Roman civilization. This well-preserved Roman aqueduct bridge is an outstanding example of Roman engineering and one of Europe's tallest surviving Roman aqueducts, long listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitors come to the Pont du Gard, pay homage to this grand three-tier arch bridge up close, stroll by the valley and bridge (view from above, below or different angles), and learn the history and craft of the Roman aqueduct in the museum beside it, imagining the glory of Roman civilization. Explore west of Avignon, pay homage to the grand Pont du Gard, and feel the immortal wonder of Roman engineering—a soul-stirring sight.