Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Provence. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Provence Provence guide
About Pont du Gard
A UNESCO World Heritage Roman aqueduct bridge built around 19 BC, standing 49 metres high and carrying water 50 kilometres from Uzès to Nîmes for over 400 years, the best-preserved Roman structure in France.
The Pont du Gard is the most impressive surviving section of a 50-kilometre Roman aqueduct built in the first century BC to bring fresh water from springs near Uzès to the Roman colony of Nîmes (Nemausus). The aqueduct was built under the direction of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, the son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus, as part of the comprehensive Romanisation of the region of Gaul. The bridge section crosses the Gardon river in three tiers of arches: the lowest tier has six arches spanning the river, the middle tier has eleven arches, and the top tier, the actual water channel, has 35 smaller arches. The entire structure was built without mortar, using massive blocks of limestone (some weighing up to six tonnes) fitted together with extraordinary precision. The aqueduct fell into disrepair after the Roman period but was used as a road bridge throughout the medieval period.
Did you know? The entire 50-kilometre Roman aqueduct from Uzès to Nîmes descends only 17 metres in total elevation, a slope of 1 in 3,000. This extraordinary precision of engineering required water levels to be calculated to within millimetres across the entire length.
How long is a visit to Pont du Gard?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for Pont du Gard. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Pont du Gard worth your time?
Pont du Gard is among the 12 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Provence, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Provence
Hear the story of Pont du Gard
Preview the Provence tour free in the Gingerguide app.