The Pont du Gard and the Wonders of the Gardon: A Journey to the Heart of Antiquity and Magnificent Nature
Imagine a grandiose landscape where the emerald green of the water dialogues with the white limestone of the cliffs. This is the spectacle offered by the Gardon Gorges , a canyon sculpted by a raging river that has carved its way through the rock. In this territory where water is a precious resource, the Romans left us eloquent testimonies of their ingenuity, including the majestic Pont du Gard , a true masterpiece of the Nîmes aqueduct. Today, we invite you to a fascinating exploration, highlighting the Pont du Gard and other hidden works of art in the scrubland, ending in the heart of the ancient city of Nemosus, all marked by the omnipresence of the Pont du Gard in their history and landscape.
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The Pont du Gard: The Colossus of Antiquity, Jewel of the Aqueduct
The Pont du Gard is undoubtedly the most iconic structure of the Nîmes aqueduct. For two millennia, the Pont du Gard has commanded admiration. This stone giant holds impressive records: 49 meters high, 52 arches spread over three levels, and 360 meters long originally. Roman engineers erected the Pont du Gard to allow water to pass over the Gardon River, making it the highest known aqueduct bridge of the ancient world.
Its grandeur is palpable as soon as you stand at its foot. The stone blocks of the Pont du Gard , weighing between 2 and 6 tons for the largest, bear witness to the scale of the construction site. These "headers" on the facade, these stones projecting from the Pont du Gard , served as supports for the scaffolding. The largest arch spans the river, a strategic choice to avoid building directly in the water. The secret of the longevity of the Pont du Gard ? A dry-joint , without mortar or binder. It is the weight of each stone, blocked by its neighbor, which ensures the solidity of the entire Pont du Gard , and this, for 2000 years! It is estimated that around 11 million blocks were used for the Pont du Gard , mainly coming from the Estel quarry, located 600 meters downstream.
The construction of the Pont du Gard is said to have taken between four and five years , an incredible feat compared to the 18th century road bridge next door, which took the same amount of time for just one level, while the Romans completed three on the Pont du Gard .
Moving marks , witnesses to the work of the craftsmen, are visible on the stone of the Pont du Gard . A mysterious bas-relief, representing a silhouette in profile, is found on the keystone of the main arch of the Pont du Gard . Is it a quarryman, a legionnaire, or the architect himself? This figure, placed in the center and at the very top, near the pipe, undoubtedly symbolizes the reason for the monument's existence: to carry water 50 meters above the river, towards Nîmes, thanks to the Pont du Gard .
Exceptionally, it is possible to enter the heart of the Pont du Gard , in the "specus" , the canal where the water flowed 2000 years ago. The flow is estimated at around 400 liters per second , an enormous volume carried as far as Nîmes. The limestone deposits on the walls testify that the water did not touch the ceiling, proof of a perfect gravitational flow on the Pont du Gard . The aesthetics of the structure were also essential for the Romans, who knew how to subtly cheat on the templates of the arches to obtain a regular base despite an irregular environment. The Pont du Gard is a perfect illustration of Roman architecture: solid, beautiful and aesthetic.
Little-Known Works of Art: The Aqueduct Network beyond the Pont du Gard
The Pont du Gard is just one link in the immense aqueduct that originates in Uzès, the only one capable of supplying enough water to Nîmes. To connect the two cities, Roman engineers took on a colossal challenge: crossing 50 kilometers of scrubland, with its waterways and hills, while maintaining a constant gradient. The most incredible feat is a difference in altitude of only 12.60 meters between the starting point and the finishing point , an average gradient of 25 centimeters per kilometer (one millimeter every four meters!). This network, of which the Pont du Gard is the centerpiece, is a testament to engineering.
The aqueduct has 19 engineering structures along its route. Some are modest, such as the Combe Valmale bridge, while others are astonishingly large, such as the Lône arch bridge . Almost the entire route (90%) was hidden from view, as it was cut and covered, with the engineering structures preserving the famous slope. The Pont du Gard is therefore only a visible part of a complex system.
We explored the Pont Rou, or "broken bridge," its medieval name . This 230-meter-long aqueduct, zigzagging in three directions, is built on a sheet of limestone. Its 36 arches and 37 piers are remarkable, but what's surprising is that most of them are blocked. The reason? The Nîmes aqueduct had a "congenital defect": the absence of a waterproofing mortar, the opus signinum, at the bottom of the pipe. The aqueduct leaked from birth, which, over time, risked destroying the masonry. The arches were therefore blocked to limit leaks and preserve the structure, proof that even the Romans faced challenges, even if the Pont du Gard remains a model of perfection.
The aqueduct also crosses hills, not by going around them, but by piercing them! We visited a large tunnel , where engineers built walls inside to pass the pipeline. These underground passages, where the water could reach 1.20 meters deep, are a demonstration of the adaptability and know-how of the Roman workers. The tool marks on the walls, the sheaf carving, and the holes for small oil lamps testify to the ingenuity of these ancient miners, completing the picture of the engineering that produced the Pont du Gard .
The layout of the aqueduct is remarkably clever, so much so that even with modern means, it would be difficult to do better. The city of Nîmes did not have a vital need for water to survive, but to "live in the Roman way" : having fountains, baths and games, essential for a city that wanted to resemble Rome, and for this, the water carried by the Pont du Gard and the rest of the aqueduct was essential.
Nîmes: At the Terminus of the Aqueduct and beyond the Pont du Gard
The terminus of the aqueduct is naturally in Nîmes. The city has evolved considerably, but it still preserves some of the most beautiful vestiges of the ancient world. At the turn of a street, we discover the Castellum divisorium , the water tower, the final point of the aqueduct. This structure is exceptional; there are only two surviving examples of terminal basins for the distribution of water from a Roman aqueduct in the world (here and in Pompeii). The water, conveyed by the Pont du Gard and the rest of the aqueduct, arrived through a slightly diverted channel to create a rotating movement, before being distributed by lead pipes.
Nîmes, or Nemosus, was founded by the Celts around the sacred spring of the Fontaine. The Romans, diplomats, retained the name of the city and developed it ideally located on the Via Domitia. Nemosus received the title of colony and was adorned with powerful monuments and symbols .
The Magne Tower , the tallest and most imposing of the towers that punctuated the 7 km fortified enclosure, dominated and signaled the presence and prestige of the city.
To appreciate the scale of Roman excess, head to the Arena of Nîmes , one of the best-preserved amphitheaters of the ancient world. Built at the end of the 1st century AD, it is very similar to the Colosseum in Rome, with its two levels of 60 superimposed arcades. At Nemosus, they wanted to be "more Roman than the Romans."
This amphitheater could accommodate approximately 24,000 spectators . The higher up the stands one sat, the lower one's social status, but the view of the gladiatorial combats was just as good. The organization of the arena, with its levels, bays, stands, network of stairs, and circulation galleries, is a model that inspired today's large stadiums. Even locations for merchants and refreshment stands were planned.
Behind the scenes of the arenas, hydraulic pipes allowed the enormous amount of water to be drained away in the event of rain. The most incredible discovery beneath the arena is a cruciform room , which was used to lift gladiators and scenery onto the arena using ingenious lifting systems.
The image of gladiators is often distorted. At the time in question (150 years after Spartacus), the gladiator was no longer a slave, but a free man who, by contract, agreed to risk his life to become a star. The games in the amphitheaters were a cement of the Empire , a common good that united very different peoples (Gauls, Britons, Syrians, Spaniards, Africans). This adherence to Romanization contributed to the long duration of the Empire.
The heart of the Roman city was the forum . The Maison Carrée , a temple dedicated to imperial worship, with its 30 9-meter-high columns and delicate friezes, is the best-preserved temple in the Roman world. Thanks to reconstructions by artists such as Jean-Claude Golvin, we understand that the Maison Carrée was only one element of a more complex forum.
Recent archaeological discoveries in Nîmes, such as splendid mosaics and a statue of Neptune found in more than 100 fragments, continue to reveal the buried riches. The statue of Neptune , god of water, underlines the omnipresence of this element for the Romans, essential to the development of public buildings such as baths and fountains. Without the Pont du Gard and its system, Nîmes would not have been able to shine as it did.
The story of Asterix has sometimes given an image of the conquest of Gaul as a succession of battles. In reality, it took place smoothly, the conquerors having integrated the local elites and above all, brought their know-how and technology, improving the quality of life. Going back to the sources of Romanity is to understand that monuments like the amphitheater or the aqueduct, and particularly the Pont du Gard , had a utilitarian function, but above all, they displayed the grandeur of Roman civilization.
The Gardon River: A Wild and Vital Character, at the Foot of the Pont du Gard
Some call it the Gard, others the Gardon. It is one of the most unpredictable and wild rivers in the south of France. Fed by a multitude of small tributaries born on the slopes of the Cévennes, also called "gardons", it can go from a trickle of water to an impetuous force. This river is the natural setting of the Pont du Gard .
In these Cévennes valleys, Yannick, a ranger at the national park, knows how to spot the tiny streams of water that give rise to this watercourse. The Gardon is like the trunk of a tree, with its branches (the roaches) and its twigs (the small tributaries). Sudden flooding has made these watercourses famous, with the flow rate being able to increase 1000-fold in a few days. However, the danger has not prevented residents from settling near their banks and developing them, often near structures such as the Pont du Gard .
On the Gardon de Mialet, a small dam built before the Revolution allows for the capture of some of the water. Philippe Huster checks the proper functioning of this ancient structure every week. The water is then directed into a canal called Béal in the Cévennes, allowing it to be transported to the growing areas. Each owner takes great care of their Béal, cleaning it once a year and after each flood.
This Béal leads to the extraordinary Bamboo Garden , a listed historical monument. Since the 19th century, dozens of species of bamboo from every continent have grown here, offering a unique invitation to travel in Europe. The first bamboo trees were planted in 1856 by Eugène Mazel, a wealthy landowner with a passion for botany. The largest specimen in the park has an impressive diameter, and it is important to remember that bamboo is not a tree, but a grass. Some young bamboo shoots are even edible.
The Gorges du Gardon: A Natural and Historical Sanctuary Around the Pont du Gard
The river leaves the Cévennes through a monumental breach . A few kilometers further on, the last two Gardons join to form a single river. It is in this rock that, 6 million years ago, the river carved out an exceptional natural monument: the Gardon Gorges . For more than 20 kilometers, the waters flow through a mineral sanctuary, just before or after passing under the emblematic Pont du Gard .
The vertical walls, over 120 meters high, provide an ideal training ground for civil security crews. Their exercises, dropping rescuers onto tiny platforms in the middle of the cliff, are impressive. Every year, dozens of rescuers are trained in these perilous maneuvers.
Hidden within these cliffs is a secret site off-limits to the public: the Baume-Latrone Cave , one of the oldest decorated caves discovered to date. Only a handful of scientists, including archaeologist Philippe Galant, are allowed to enter, as the cave is dangerous due to the presence of carbon dioxide.
After more than 200 meters of progression through narrow passages, the treasure appears: on the walls, paintings made by man more than 32,000 years ago . Along with those in the Chauvet cave, they are among the oldest in the world. These drawings, made with clay applied directly to the wall, represent around ten animals, including eight mammoths. The style is almost abstract, but the liveliness of the gesture is surprising. One particular figure, originally called "the spider," is actually a stylized representation of a mammoth.
This unique treasure almost disappeared due to human stupidity. Degradation, engravings, and rubbing by modern visitors have damaged the prehistoric paintings. Until the 1970s, the cave was open and unattended, highlighting the importance of protecting such sites. All this heritage, whether natural or built, like the Pont du Gard , requires constant attention for its preservation.
🍽 Where to eat well near the Pont du Gard? (Vers-Pont-du-Gard & surrounding areas)
Here is a selection of restaurants close to the site, from gourmet cuisine to Provençal bistros .
🍷 1. The Terraces (on the Pont du Gard site)
Type: Semi-gastronomic restaurant, view of the bridge
🔗 Les Terrasses
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Exceptional setting, refined dishes.”
⭐⭐⭐☆ – “Very beautiful but a little expensive for the quantities.”
🍽 2. The Little Station (Towards Pont-du-Gard)
Type: Traditional French cuisine in a renovated old train station.
🔗 La Petite Gare on TripAdvisor
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Warm welcome, delicious home-cooked food.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Charming and authentic.”
🍕 3. The Little Spoon (30400 Villeneuve-lès-Avignon)
Type: Simple and tasty local cuisine, fresh produce.
🔗 La Petite Cuillère
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Great value for money.”
⭐⭐⭐☆ – “Good home cooking.”
🍷 4. The Tractor (Argilliers, 5 min)
Type: Creative bistro, revisited local dishes, artistic setting.
🔗 Le Tracteur
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Unique atmosphere, original cuisine.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “A hidden gem.”
🧀 5. The Jars (Castillon-du-Gard)
Type: Provençal cuisine, local specialties.
🔗 Les Jarres
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Magnificent view and generous cuisine.”
⭐⭐⭐☆ – “Good but sometimes slow service.”
🧗 Canyoning activities near the Pont du Gard
🌊 1. Canyoning in Haut-Chassezac (Lozère)
📍 About 1h30 drive – near Villefort
Level: Intermediate to sporty
Course: jumps (up to 8 m), natural slides, abseiling, swimming in pools
🔗 Canyoning Cévennes – Bivouak Nature
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “An incredible wild setting, thrills guaranteed!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Top guide, very professional and reassuring.”
🌊 2. Tapoul Canyon (Aigoual Massif)
📍 About 1 hour 45 minutes drive – Rousses (48)
Level: Sporty (technical and physical)
Course: 10 m abseils, slides, multiple jumps
🔗 Cévennes Instructors Office
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “The most fun canyon in the Cévennes!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “A must-do if you like thrills.”
🌊 3. Rieutord Canyon (Mont Aigoual)
📍 Around 1h30 – near Saint-André-de-Majencoules
Level: Accessible to beginners
Course: Slides, small jumps, ideal for families
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Perfect for discovering canyoning in complete safety.”
⭐⭐⭐☆ – “Fun, but a bit short.”
🌊 4. Canyoning in the Soucy Gorges (Gard)
📍 At 1:10 a.m. – Saint-Jean-du-Gard
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Route: Clear water, pools, short abseiling descents
🔗 Canyoning Gard with Bambou Canyon
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Magical natural setting and accessible to teenagers.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Great activity, very good supervision.”
🌊 5. Devil's Canyon (Hérault Gorges)
📍 At 1:15 a.m. – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
Level: All levels (equipped courses)
Course: Jumps, zip lines, abseiling, swimming
🔗 Between two natures
Customer reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – “Perfect organization, superb site.”
⭐⭐⭐☆ – “A little touristy in the summer, but very fun.”
🛠 Practical advice
Equipment provided: wetsuit, helmet, harness
What to bring: swimsuit, worn sneakers, water bottle
Conditions: know how to swim, minimum age depending on the course (often 10-12 years)
🗺 Spots (near Pont du Gard)
| Canyon | Car time | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Chassezac | 1h30 | Intermediate |
| Tapoul (Mount Aigoual) | 1h45 | Sporty |
| Rieutord | 1h30 | Beginner |
| Soucy Gorges | 1h10 | Beginner |
| Devil's Canyon | 1h15 | All levels |
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