Lonely Planet Provence & Southeast France Road Trips

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN:
  9781788685740
• Print ISBN:
  9781786573957

Destinations

Nîmes & Around

A magnificient Roman amphitheatre, museums and markets compete for attention in this bustling commercial area.

Provence

With its picturesque lavender fields and delectable cuisine, Provence is a feast for the senses.

French Riviera

Life’s a beach in this idyllic region, as popular for its sun, sea and sand as it is for its arts scene.

Promenade des Anglais , Nice
VALERY BARETA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Nîmes & Around

Nîmes is a busy commercial city these days, but two millennia ago it was one of the most important cities of Roman Gaul.

NÎMES

Links to Nîmes’ past are clearly illustrated by the city’s collection of Roman buildings, including a magnificent amphitheatre and a 2000-year-old temple.

There are plenty of museums and markets to explore in Nîmes’ palm-lined streets, as well as a host of high-profile festivals throughout the year. Nîmes is also proud of the futuristic Musée de la Romanité, which opened in mid-2018 and is one of the best archaeological museums in Languedoc-Roussillon. In 2018, Nîmes applied – to no avail – to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Nimes

1 Top Sights

1 Les Arènes C4

1 Sights

2 Carré d’Art – Musée d’Art Contemporain A2

3 Maison Carrée A2

4 Musée de la Romanité C4

5 Musée du Vieux Nîmes C2

4 Sleeping

6 Hôtel Central D1

7 Hôtel des Tuileries D3

8 Royal Hôtel A2

5 Eating

9 Aux Plaisirs des Halles B1

10 La Marmite B1

11 La Petite Fadette B1

12 Le Carré d’Art A2

13 Les Halles B1

14 L’Imprévu A2

15 Mercadante B1

6 Drinking & Nightlife

16 La Grande Bourse B3

17 Le Café Olive B3

3 Entertainment

18 Ciné Sémaphore B4

19 Théâtre de Nîmes B2

1 Sights

Les ArènesRoman sites

map Google map

(

04 66 21 82 56; www.arenes-nimes.com; place des Arènes; adult/child incl audioguide €10/8;

9am-8pm Jul & Aug, to 6.30pm Apr-Jun & Sep, to 6pm Mar & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec) Nîmes’ twin-tiered amphitheatre is the best preserved in France. Built around 100 BC, the arena once seated 24,000 spectators and staged gladiatorial contests and public executions; it’s still an impressive venue for gigs and events. An audioguide provides context as you explore the arena, seating areas, stairwells and corridors (known to Romans as vomitories), and afterwards you can view replicas of gladiatorial armour and original bullfighters’ costumes in the museum.

At 133m long, 101m wide and 21m high, with an oval arena encircled by...

Table of contents

• Cover
• How to Use This eBook
• Contents
• Welcome to Provence & Southeast France
• Provence & Southeast France Map
• Provence & Southeast France Highlights
• City Guide
• Need to Know
• Road Trips
• Destinations
• Road Trip Essentials
• Behind the Scenes
• Index
• Our Writers