The Pont du Gard is accessible on foot in 30 to 40 minutes, or by car, a 5-minute drive from the Patio du Mûrier gîte in Vers Pont Du Gard.
Due to the Covid, visits to Pont Du Gard must be done with a health protection mask. Also be sure to find out about the health standards in force, some areas having been closed in 2020 and having reopened since.
A little history on the Pont du Gard
The must-see Pont du Gard is a historical monument listed as World Heritage by Unesco. Built by the Romans in the 1st century AD, it brought drinking water with its three floors to Nîmes
This aqueduct is the only ancient one with three floors still standing today. Built without any mortar, it is quite impressive to note that it is the weight of each stone that gives the building its solidity which still endures today. The number of blocks used is estimated at 11 million, coming from a quarry downstream from the Bridge.
Some stones weigh six tons and are over two meters long. The set of stones has a total estimated weight of fifty thousand tons.
The Pont du Gard was built in four to five years, a record time compared to the 18th century single-storey bridge that was built in just as much time.
The specus is located at the top of the Bridge, water flowed there at a rate of 400 liters per second depending on the season.
The aqueduct actually begins at the foot of the town of Uzès. The Romans had to cross fifty kilometers of garigue on a constant slope, while the drop to Nîmes is just over twelve meters. Thus, the garigues of Vers Pont Du Gard still hide vestiges of this Roman monument.
Surprisingly, the city of Nîmes did not have an essential need for water, nevertheless the Romans used a lot of water in their culture, in particular with thermal baths, fountains, etc.
Construction is therefore more linked to cultural than vital needs. It also allowed the Romans to bring their civilization to the region in order to make the native Gallo-Romans.
The waters of the Eure spring were sent to a regulation basin, before being returned to the aqueduct, to the Pont du Gard before arriving in Nîmes.
The entire aqueduct will have been built over thirty years, so at least five have been dedicated to the Pont du Gard.
