Nîmes and its history

This city walk allows you to discover numerous mansions, religious buildings and traces of the Roman Empire. A stroll through the Jardins de la Fontaine is a welcome break in this beautiful green setting.

Details

511722
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.93 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 72 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 72 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 111 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 39 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Nîmes (30000|30900)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.832596° / E 4.36602°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2942OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Nîmes SNCF train station, paid parking under the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle or free parking in the streets adjacent to the station.

(S/E) From the station entrance/exit, cross Boulevard Talabot and follow Avenue Feuchère opposite, walking along the central path. A little further on, on the left, is the Gard prefecture. At the end, before entering the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, turn right onto the lane that runs alongside Boulevard de Pragues. Cut across the entrance to the underground car park and continue a little further to see the Church of Sainte-Perpétue and Sainte Félicité on your right.

(1) Return to the esplanade, cross Boulevard de la Libération and turn left at the fast food restaurant into Rue de la Couronne. After Place de la Salamandre, continue straight ahead on Rue des Fourbisseurs until you reach Place de l'Hôtel de Ville. Look to the left of the square for the façade of a building with a jacquemart.

Walk along the left side of the Town Hall, then turn right under a porch onto Rue de la Trésorerie. Turn right onto Rue Dorée to find yourself behind the Town Hall. At number 10, you will find the Hôtel Villard. This street is lined with many other bourgeois buildings. At the end of the street, you will see the Lapidaire Museum opposite and the Jesuit Chapel on your right. Turn left onto Grand'Rue and look for Hôtel Rivet (Nîmes School of Fine Arts) at No. 10 on your left.

Turn left onto Rue du Chapitre and look a little further ahead on the left, at No. 14, for the Hôtel de Régis. Leave Rue de la Prévôte on your right and continue a few steps until you reach No. 12. Turn right, go under a porch, climb two flights of stairs and turn right into the museum garden. Exit by passing to the left of a pizzeria to arrive at a square with overflowing pools.
Turn left after the pools to go around them and arrive in front of the Musée du Vieux Nîmes. Turn right to arrive at Place aux Herbes in front of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and Saint-Castor.

(2) Turn right onto Rue Saint-Castor and admire the Presbytery at No. 9 on your left. When you reach Place Bellecroix, follow it to the right and continue along Rue Curaterie, which leads to Place du Grand Temple. Turn left to see the building, then left again after it to follow Boulevard Amiral Courbet. Look out for a very pretty covered passageway on your left shortly afterwards.

Continue and cross Rue Nationale (Via Domitia) to arrive in front of the Roman ruins of the Porte Auguste (remains of the ramparts). Turn right opposite the ruins, cross the boulevard and go to see the Church of Saint-Baudile.

(3) After leaving the church, turn right, cross the boulevard and turn left onto Boulevard Gambetta. Follow this boulevard, staying on the well-paved side street on the left. Opposite No. 40 is the Church of Saint-Charles. Continue to No. 32, then turn left onto Rue de Corconne. Turn right at No. 9 to cross the market halls and exit onto Rue Guizot.

Turn left onto this street, cross Rue du Général Perrier and continue to the Clock Tower. Turn right onto Rue de l'Horloge and look for the Hôtel Besserié at No. 13. Cross Rue du Grand Couvent and look left to see the magnificent Théâtre de Nîmes. Continue straight ahead to Place de la Maison Carrée with the splendid monument of the same name, which has recently been renovated. Turn right and then right again to arrive at the steps leading up to the Maison Carrée.

(4) Retrace your steps, cross Boulevard Alphonse Daudet to the right of the Carré d'Art and continue opposite Rue Molière. Pass one street on the left and one on the right, then take Rue Gaston Boissier to reach Place d'Assas. Take a stroll around this very original square. Turn right onto Rue Gaston Boissier, which leads to Quai de la Fontaine. Cross the canal and turn right onto the bridge. Turn left onto the other bank of the Quai de la Fontaine, walk along Place Pablo Picasso and continue along the canal until you reach the entrance to the Jardins de la Fontaine.

Enter the park and follow the path on the right after the toilets. Go up the stairs and turn right, following the signs for Tour Magne. Generally speaking, keep to the paths on the right without ever leaving the park until you reach the highest point at the Tour Magne.

(5) Go back down, always taking the paths on the right. 100 metres after the tower, in front of a pink house, there is a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the park and Avenue Jean-Jaurès in alignment. Continue downhill to the right to reach the bottom of the gardens in front of the Temple de Diane.

(6) Take the central path to leave the park at the Quai de la Fontaine gate, cross the quay and continue straight ahead on the central path of Avenue Jean-Jaurès. Follow it for about 350 metres and turn left after No. 25bis to follow Rue Émile Jamais (many art galleries). At the end of the street is the Saint-Paul Church.
Cross Boulevard Victor Hugo and turn right onto the pavement until you reach the Amphitheatre (arena) of Nîmes. Turn left onto Boulevard des Arènes to go around the building and you will find yourself at Place des Arènes.

(7) After admiring the amphitheatre, with your back to it, turn left to cross Boulevard de la République and reach the Fontaine Pradier fountain on Esplanade Charles de Gaulle. Turn right and follow the central lane of Avenue Feuchère to return to the station (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 39 m - Nîmes SNCF train station
  2. 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 44 m - Church of Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 47 m - Notre-Dame and Saint-Castor Cathedral
  4. 3 : km 1.68 - alt. 47 m - Saint-Baudile Church
  5. 4 : km 2.69 - alt. 48 m - Maison Carrée
  6. 5 : km 4.15 - alt. 111 m - Tour Magne
  7. 6 : km 4.61 - alt. 54 m - Temple de Diane
  8. 7 : km 6.35 - alt. 44 m - Amphithéâtre (arènes) de Nîmes
  9. S/E : km 6.93 - alt. 39 m - Nîmes SNCF train station

Notes

Water fountain and toilets in the Jardins de la Fontaine.

Opening hours of the Jardins de la Fontaine:

  • 1 to 30 September from 7.30am to 8pm
  • 1 October to 1 March, 7.30am to 6.30pm
  • 2 to 31 March from 7.30am to 8pm
  • 1 April to 31 August: 7.30am to 10pm

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
sarahjm
sarahjm

A big thank you for this lovely tour, which gave us a very pleasant introduction to Nîmes.

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ang64
ang64

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A tour that showcases the cultural sites of the city of Nîmes.

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cbourrague
cbourrague

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A winter Sunday, a fantastic itinerary. Be warned, the stop at Les Halles can be very tempting 😊

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To visit, yes, because we discovered it was a feria weekend!
Car parks were often full, there was a lot of noise, the bullring was inaccessible, and the streets were crowded. The only quiet place was the church.
It's a shame because it's a very beautiful town. The gardens are magnificent.

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Eve80
Eve80
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 14 April 2024
Many thanks to the author... the explanations are really clear and precise... A very easy hike that allows you to discover the city of Nîmes, the main buildings and neighbourhoods, the garden, the arenas, etc., which we didn't know about... We were pleasantly surprised by this city... a green city that we saw in nearly 30 degrees! The trees provide enough shade to protect you from the sun. I highly recommend it
The only slight downside:
At number one, it says: "A few steps to number 12. Turn right, go under a porch, climb two flights of stairs and turn right into the museum garden. Come out on the left side of a pizzeria." Turning right is not possible as there is a large wooden gate, so it is not possible to climb the stairs, etc.
We continued along the path and turned right to rejoin the route.
I recommend this beautiful walk
Best regards, Eve and Jc

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SAGAU
SAGAU

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Good description, easy to follow

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YVONGLO
YVONGLO

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, and by adding the Magne Tower to the Bois des Espeisses, you can combine the city with nature

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patrouchkabol
patrouchkabol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A walking tour of the city that allows you to see the main sights of Nîmes... and do some shopping.
A must-do on your first visit.

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pierre0323
pierre0323

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

nice walk, thank you

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GBenoist
GBenoist

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful city! The guided tour takes you past all the key sights.

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GBenoist
GBenoist

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

we enjoyed the surroundings, and most of the paths are wide. However, part of the trail is not very wooded and should be visited early in the morning. The descent to the river is a bit challenging, but swimming is a welcome relief on hot days.
Very nice!

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Martpou
Martpou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good description of this walk, which allowed us to discover this beautiful city.
Thank you!

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vaudagne
vaudagne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't know Nîmes, but we were able to discover it thanks to this guide. The centre is magnificent, with huge tree-lined avenues and beautiful parks

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Bergamote66
Bergamote66

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I enjoyed doing this tour on a scooter. The pavements, promenades and gardens have surfaces that are well suited to scooters.

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Martine Viste
Martine Viste

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

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