Southern France has some fine Roman sites, but for audacious engineering, nothing can top Unesco World Heritage Site Pont du Gard ( www.pontdugard.fr ), 21km northeast of Nîmes. This three-tiered aqueduct was once part of a 50km-long system of water channels, built around 19 BC to transport water from Uzès to Nîmes. The scale is huge: 48.8m high, 275m long and graced with 35 precision-built arches, the bridge was sturdy enough to carry up to 20,000 cu metres of water per day. Each block was carved by hand and transported here from nearby quarries – no mean feat, considering the largest blocks weigh over 5 tonnes.
The Musée de la Romanité provides background on the bridge's construction, while kids can try out educational activities in the Ludo play area. Nearby, the 1.4km Mémoires de Garrigue walking trail winds upstream through typically Mediterranean scrubland, and offers some of the best bridge views.
There are large car parks on both banks of the river, about a 400m walk from the bridge.
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