The Pont du Gard is one France's most popular ancient attractions in Europe and is visited by 1 million people every year. Built by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the bridge crosses the Gardon river and is the main construction in a 50km long aqueduct which supplied the city of Nïmes, then Nemausus, with water. Made up of three levels of arches standing 50m high and measuring 360m across the top at its longest point, the Pont du Gard is an awe-inspiring work of technical achievement.
Whilst the bridge itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the lands around it are also a beautiful nutural site that is protected as a Grand Site of France. Caves containing evidence of human occupation during prehistoric times can be found as well as the quarry where the soft yellow limestone from which the bridge is built was mined.
The Pont du Gard museum is an excellent study of the site with life-size reconstructions, multimedia screens, and reproductions including a 500msq domus. There's even the fun Lindo museum targeted at kids for children aged between 5 and 12 years old and also a 13 minute documentary film on show in the cinema. Outside, you can enjoy the stunning natural surroundings with a 1.4km walk, the Memoires de Garrigue, where you can learn about how humans have shaped the area throughout history.
