Pont Du Gard Pont du Gard & the Garrigues Travel Guide: Best Hotels, Restaurants & Experiences

Roman aqueduct heritage, garrigue landscapes, Provençal stone villages, boutique hotels, regional wine estates.

Where to Stay

1. Le Vieux Castillon

1 Michelin Key

Eighteen medieval houses thread together through walkways, bridges, and stone staircases to form this boutique hotel within a Renaissance village. A Parisian interior architect has stripped the interiors to whitewashed minimalism, creating cool contrast against ancient walls. The heated pool surveys Gard vineyards and Mont Ventoux, while tenth-century château ruins frame the Languedoc horizon. A Clarins spa with hammam and jacuzzi completes the retreat; families find ample space and a welcoming atmosphere.

Where to Eat

1. L'Hirondelle - Château de Collias

Michelin Selected

A pale stone château near the Pont du Gard houses this fine dining destination, where Mediterranean ingredients from the South of France take center stage. The main restaurant operates Thursday through Monday evenings, presenting refined cuisine with evident technical skill. For a more relaxed affair, the Bougainvillier occupies the castle's former dining rooms, offering a bistronomic set menu in equally handsome surroundings.

2. La Belle Vie

Michelin Selected

Minutes from the ancient aqueduct, a 19th-century limestone building surrounded by vineyards and century-old plane trees houses Denis Martin's tribute to Occitan terroir. Trained under Glenn Viel at the three-starred Oustau de Baumanière, Martin delivers precise, expressive plates—lamb from Les Baux, Mediterranean seabass—served on shaded terraces or in the luminous dining room. Eleven rooms invite overnight stays by the heated pool.

3. Le Vieux Castillon

Michelin Selected

Medieval lanes and lavender fields frame this Provençal table, where the dining room wears the sun-washed palette of the South. The kitchen follows a dual rhythm: lunch keeps things uncomplicated, while evening service shifts toward refined, season-driven compositions built on local produce. A Michelin Plate holder, it suits travelers seeking regional authenticity without forfeiting polish.

4. C'la Vie

Bib Gourmand

A hundred-year-old plane tree shades the terrace at this Bib Gourmand address near the Pont du Gard, where chef Richard Durand draws on his family's baking heritage to craft daily menus rooted in local produce. Flavours arrive bold and distinct, accompanied by a wine list that does justice to the surrounding Rhône Valley and Languedoc appellations. Relaxed, genuine, reward-driven dining.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to visit the Pont du Gard and surrounding garrigue?

Late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–October) offer mild temperatures ideal for exploring the aqueduct and hiking the garrigue trails. Summer brings dramatic evening light shows at the monument but also peak crowds and intense heat. Winter visitors find quiet contemplation and lower rates, though some smaller restaurants close seasonally.

What local specialties should visitors try in the Pont du Gard area?

Look for pélardon, the tangy AOC goat cheese aged in the garrigue air, and brandade de Nîmes, the salt cod and olive oil emulsion that defines the regional table. Tapenade, small Picholine olives, and Costières de Nîmes wines — particularly the rosés — complete the local canon. The Uzès market on Saturdays is the best place to taste before buying.

How far is Uzès from the Pont du Gard and what makes it worth visiting?

Uzès lies roughly fifteen kilometers northeast of the aqueduct, an easy twenty-minute drive through scrubland and vineyards. The town rewards exploration: a medieval ducal palace, the circular Place aux Herbes ringed by café terraces, and boutiques selling local linens and pottery. Many visitors base themselves here for its concentration of restaurants and evening atmosphere.

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Pont Du Gard

The ancient aqueduct rises from the Gardon valley like a theatre set carved in golden limestone — three tiers of arches that once carried water to Nîmes and now draw visitors into a landscape of wild thyme, holm oaks, and cicada song. The surrounding garrigue stretches toward Uzès, a ducal town of honeyed stone arcades, and south to Remoulins, where the weekly market fills the squares with local olives and pélardon goat cheese.

Accommodation here favors restored mas farmhouses and small domaines where the pool overlooks vineyards and the breakfast table features apricot confiture from a neighboring orchard. The dining scene runs from simple terraces serving brandade de morue to more ambitious kitchens working with Costières wines and Cévennes lamb. Evenings belong to aperitifs on a village place, the scent of lavender drifting in from the surrounding scrubland.