Nimes Holidays

Nimes is the classical town of southern Frence. It is often called Nîmes la Romaine because of three monuments: the Roman Arena; a wonderfully preserved ancient temple and grandiose Pont-du-Gard aqueduct. Obviously the Romans did not build them to be used as future museum exhibits, especially the Arena which once pulsated with colour, noise, life and death. Cleverly Nîmes has managed to preserve the wonderful sense of excitement and vitality which still courses round them.

The streets in the old centre form the heart of Nimes. They are mainly pedestrianised and throb with bars and restaurants.  The Victor Hugo tree lined boulevard circles the city centre leading to Maison Carre, which is a small and quite beautiful temple with steep steps, mosaics, statuary and Corinthian columns which was once the focal point of the Roman forum and is now just across from the tourist office and Norman Foster’s Carré-d'Art glass cube of an arts centre where ancient and modern are in perfect harmony.

The Jardins de la Fontaine is northwest of the centre at the top end of avenue Jean-Jaures, and was originally a Roman sanctuary to mark the Nemauses spring which gave the city its name. The sanctuary has long gone and it is now France’s first public garden which was opened in 1750.  This is a huge eighteenth century neo-classical park full of semi-nude male statues, bumper-sized cherubs and sunken waterways surrounding the Temple of Diana. It is well worth climbing the steep wooded slopes behind to the Tour Magne which is the last surviving tower of the Roman walls.  It offers amazing views over Nimes and the surrounding countryside and the climb down is a breathtaking way to approach the city centre.

There are some beautiful eighteenth century town houses which originate from Protestant textile wealth. The Protestants were banned from public office and therefore concentrated all their energies on making their money from cloth, inventing denim which was originally called serge-de-Nîmes.

Nîmes is a wonderful place to spend a holiday.  It does not have the usual dominant central square like so any other French towns, but the streets open out on to the café lined Place du March with its huge palm tree and statue of a crocodile which became the twin emblems of Nîmes when the district was used for the resettlement of veterans after the Roman campaign in Egypt. The Place de l'Horloge has a clock-tower and a chemist which was once the house of Jean Nicot, who was responsible for the importation of tobacco into France, adding his name to the drug.

There are fashion shops on rue-du-Chapitre and small boutiques and more unusual ones on the tiny rue Fresque, which where you will find Duendecillo where you can purchase just about every bullfighting accoutrement if you are that way inclined.

Just make sure that when you plan your holiday in Nimes you book a long enough break and allow yourself enough time to get to know and enjoy  this wonderful and exciting city.