Visiting Uzès & Pont du Gard

Just an hour's drive from Avignon TGV, you'll be in the heart of the Gard department, Uzès. Famed locally for its Saturday morning market, and throughout France for its blend of chic architectural design in the private maisons secondaires and trendy restaurants, and traditional Provençal-style public buildings and agricultural vistas, Uzès is one of France's lesser-known gems, which just makes it shine all the brighter.

Easy to access from Marseille, Montpellier, or Avignon, Uzès lies about 24 km north-northeast of Nîmes. The city first appeared in the history books as the Gallo-Roman oppidum Ucetia, and continued to have a presence in the history of the region, being the home of the Duke of Uzès. The Duchy of Uzès is still one of the town's main attractions, as the view from the top of the tower over the surrounding countryside spreads for miles on a clear day.

Getting there and away: Take advantage of France's high speed train network and you can find yourself in Uzès in under five hours after checking out from the hotels in Paris, and even less if your hotel is close to the main train station of Paris Gare de Lyon. The trip from Paris to Avignon TGV takes on average two hours and forty minutes, making a visit to Uzès a great chance to get out of the capital, and it's even possible to check out what's happening in the vibrant and dynamic city of Avignon all in the same vacation or mini-break.

From Uzès, you've got virtually unlimited possibilities to explore the rest of the south of France, and many visitors combine a visit to the city with a trip to either the Pyrenees mountains or the Mediterranean coast. Another option is travelling from France on to Italy, for like they say, all roads lead to Rome! And with the simplicity of travel these days, that translates into hotels in Rome, museums in Rome, and most importantly, gelati in Rome! The close proximity of Italy is constantly suggested in Uzès, with the reminders of the historical Roman era being ever present thanks to the remnants of Roman ruins in the city and the nearby early engineering wonder of the Pont du Gard. There's lots of summertime fun to be had on the Gardon River, with plentiful canoeing and swimming opportunities.

Though it must be said, the jump off the rocks near the Pont du Gard is not for the faint-hearted!

Visit Uzès to discover all this, and more, for yourself.