Things to do in Nîmes
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Nîmes
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, long evenings, terraces open and sea swimmable, with Ferias in these windows.
Cooler and mistral prone in March, crowd free and cheap, with Jardins in flower by April.
Hot and dry at 30 to 38 degrees, Festival and night markets, with August closures and mosquitoes.
Autumn light and chestnut season but the wettest risk, short days by November.
Mild winter, lowest prices and empty Roman sites, with winter birding at its best in the Camargue.
What's on
- Feria de Pentecôte late May / early June
The big Feria with corridas, abrivados, bodegas and a city wide party over five to six days.
- Festival de Nîmes mid-June to mid-July
Major rock and pop acts playing night concerts inside the Arènes.
- Feria des Vendanges mid-September
Smaller, more local harvest Feria with abrivados, corridas and the Ban des Vendanges parade.
- Journées Romaines late April / May
Roman reenactments, gladiators and a Roman market in the Arènes, the best family timing.
- Les Jeudis de Nîmes Thursday evenings, July-August
Summer night markets with producers and music in the Écusson and Fontaine quarters.
- Uzès Truffle Weekend January
Truffle weekend in Uzès, a foodie pilgrimage in peak truffle season.
Best things to do in Nîmes
Arènes de Nîmes
Near perfect Roman amphitheatre you can walk in full, with a strong audioguide and city views from the top tier.
Musée de la Romanité
Museum opposite the arena that explains Roman Nîmes with mosaics, rebuilt houses and a rooftop arena view.
Maison Carrée
Best preserved Roman temple in the world, most magical outside at golden hour when the limestone glows.
Jardins de la Fontaine
Historic public garden around the ancient spring, with the Temple of Diana and Tour Magne climb for sunset.
Les Halles de Nîmes
Covered market to taste brandade and petit pâté at source and graze stalls for the best cheap lunch.
Carré d'Art
Norman Foster glass museum facing the Roman temple, with contemporary art and a rooftop temple view.
Écusson
Medieval lanes, carved facades and the palm and crocodile square that make the essential free old town walk.
Festival de Nîmes
Concerts, Roman Days and Feria nights inside a Roman arena, an experience unlike anything else in France.
Where to stay in Nîmes
Écusson / Arènes
first trip, all-round base
Everything is within ten minutes on foot, with the best restaurants and bodegas on your doorstep.
Jardins de la Fontaine / Quai de la Fontaine / Jean Jaurès
luxury, couples and calm
Leafy quays and grand hotels five minutes from the Écusson but noticeably quieter and greener at night.
Gambetta / North Écusson
value boutique, repeat visitors
Residential and local just north of the core, still five to eight minutes to the Arènes for less money.
Quartier des Amoureux / Feuchères
quiet residential, practical
Tree lined station avenue with B&Bs and aparthotels, lower prices and a ten to fifteen minute walk in.
Think twice about
- Chemin-Bas d'Avignon
Deprived outer estate with no visitor sights or hotel stock and poor late night transport to the centre.
- Valdegour
Deprived outer estate with no visitor sights or hotel stock and no practical late night walk to the centre.
- Pissevin
Deprived outer estate with no visitor sights or hotel stock and no practical late night walk to the centre.
- Mas de Mingue
Outer estate with no visitor sights or hotel stock, not a base a visitor can use or walk from at night.
Best restaurants in Nîmes
Duende
Two star Gagnaire table reinterpreting Gard produce, the gastronomic summit of the city.
Skab
One star terroir cooking a few steps from the Arènes, with a lovely shaded patio and generous menus.
Restaurant Alexandre
Grand Gard destination table in a mas with gardens, the regional benchmark for luxury produce.
Restaurant Jérôme Nutile
Gastronomic table on a mas estate south of the centre, plus a more relaxed bistro alongside.
Le Questel
Locals bistronomic favourite west of the centre, seasonal cooking with lively bar energy and no formality.
Vincent Croizard
Small modern French restaurant in the Écusson with precise creative plates and strong value menus.
ROUGE
Contemporary produce led restaurant inside the Margaret hotel, with a chef counter and cocktail bar.
La Table du 2
Brasserie above the Romanité quarter to choose for the arena area setting, sunset and a Costières bottle.
Outdoor things to do in Nîmes
Pont du Gard
Three tier Roman aqueduct over the Gardon with a museum, river beaches, swimming and kayaking underneath.
Camargue 4x4 Safari
Guided 4x4 into manades and marshes you cannot reach alone, for flamingos, white horses and black bulls.
Camargue Horseback Riding
Beginner friendly ride on a calm white Camargue horse through marsh and along the beach with a manade.
Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau
Boardwalks through marsh where flamingos feed metres away, the closest reliable flamingo encounter in France.
Golf de Nîmes Vacquerolles
Welcoming 18 hole course in garrigue hills eight minutes from the centre, good for visitors and beginners.
Golf de Nîmes Campagne
Prestige parkland round around a chateau like clubhouse south of Nîmes, with mature trees and water.
Golf Club d'Uzès
Informal family run 9 holes near Uzès, a relaxed cheap round to pair with lunch in town.
Uzès
Prettiest small town day trip, with a ducal castle, cathedral and one of the great southern market squares.
Best hotels in Nîmes
Maison Albar Hotels - L'Impérator
Flagship five star on the Fontaine quay with two pools, spa, gardens and Duende restaurant in house.
Hôtel Jardins Secrets
Intimate luxury hideaway in an 18th century mansion with a walled garden, pool and cloister like calm.
Margaret - Hôtel Chouleur
Design led boutique hotel in a historic Écusson mansion, with the ROUGE restaurant and cocktail bar.
Hôtel de l'Amphithéâtre
Classic mid range hotel in a historic building literally a minute from the Arènes, with warm owners.
Royal Hôtel Nîmes
Characterful old hotel on a pretty square with spacious rooms, a good breakfast room and helpful staff.
Appart'City Collection Nîmes Arènes
Modern central aparthotel with kitchenettes and larger spaces, good for families and longer stays.
Mas de Boudan
Four room domaine on the southern edge with a gastronomic restaurant on site, a calm foodie stay by car.
ibis Budget Nîmes Centre Gare
Clean central budget chain near the station with reliable air conditioning and late arrival possible.
Is Nîmes expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €82 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €165 a person |
| Splurge | €350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Arènes de Nîmes: a few days ahead
- Festival de Nîmes: months ahead
- Pont du Gard: a few days ahead
- Camargue 4x4 Safari: a few days ahead
- Camargue Horseback Riding: a few days ahead
- Mas des Tourelles: a few days ahead
- Maison Albar Hotels - L'Impérator: months ahead
- Hôtel Jardins Secrets: months ahead
- Book hotels, fine dining and Feria or Festival tickets months ahead for Pentecost, Vendanges and headline nights.
- Buy the Pass Romanité joint ticket online the day before in season to skip the Arènes queue.
- Reserve Duende, Skab, Questel and Croizard, and confirm August opening as some kitchens close for holidays.
- Reserve kayak, safari, horseback and balloon trips three to seven days ahead in summer.
Is Nîmes safe?
- Pickpockets in Feria crowds, at the station and on crowded Trambus, so use a front pocket or cross body bag.
- Stick to Feuchères and the boulevards late at night rather than empty station fringe streets.
- In autumn heed flood alerts and never park or camp in dry riverbeds during Cévenol rain episodes.
Nîmes travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Arriving for a quiet Roman holiday during Feria without checking the calendar, with closed streets and all night music.
- Buying a corrida ticket expecting non lethal course camarguaise, or the reverse, as posters do not make it clear.
- Expecting a furnished temple inside Maison Carrée, when the building itself is the exhibit.
- Sightseeing the Arènes at midday in summer heat, and driving satnav routes into the pedestrian Écusson.
Getting around Nîmes: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, sights sit within a 1km radius.
- Arrive at Nîmes Centre station, a ten minute walk to the Arènes, and prefer it to the out of town high speed station.
- Bring a car only for excursions and park in Indigo Arènes, Maison Carrée or Porte Auguste, then walk.
- Use the LIO bus for Pont du Gard and the train or bus via Le Grau-du-Roi for Aigues-Mortes.
Who Nîmes suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Nîmes your trip
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