Nimes Shopping

The main shopping area in Nimes is in the centre of town around the rues du Général-Perrier, des Marchands, du Chapître and pedestrianised rues de l'Aspic and de la Madeleine. A Sunday market operates from 8.00 am to around 1.00 pm in the car park at the Stade des Costière which is the town’s football stadium at the southern edge of the boulevard Périphérique that encircles Nîmes.

If you have a sweet tooth then you must visit one of the pastry shops and ask for the local speciality almond biscuits called croquants villaret and caladons.  The most popular shop is patisserie Villaret at 13 rue de la Madeleine (Tel: +33 4 66 67 41 79). Or you might prefer to give the sugar fix a miss and go for a santon which is a very attractive wood or clay figurine sculpted into a character from Provencal country life. For a selection of santons in various sizes, visit the Boutique Provençale, 10 place de la Maison Carrée (Tel: +33  4 66 67 8171).
In the Old Town you will find chain stores mixed with interior-design, boutiques and fabric shops selling Provençal cottons that used to be produced here (Les Indiennes de Nîmes, Les Olivades, Souleiado). Antiques and collectibles can be found in tiny shops dotted around  the back streets.

Aux Pates Fraiches has a great selection of pates and cured meats which are displayed with great style and artistry.  You can find them at rue des Broquers which is on a side street two lanes back from the arena in the Centre Ville area of town.

If you are looking for something different and are a fan of bullfighting then a visit to El Duendecillo at 20 rue Fresque is a must.  It is a shop dedicated to bullfighting and the matador Marc Serrano with some excellent original paintings and a selection of artwork as well as calendars and postcards.  Bullfighting held in the arena in Nimes comes in two forms with the traditional Spanish fights when the bull is killed and the Camargue version where the bull lives and where points are gained by trying to pull ribbons off the animal’s horns.  If your are a real fan of bullfighting then you can purchase a complete  toreador costume at Maria Sara Création (who was a famous female bullfighter). 40 bis rue de la Madeleine Tel: +33 4 66 21 18 40.

There is a daily Green Market selling fresh fruit and vegetables, olives, fish, cheeses and local produce every morning (except Sunday) at Les Halles in the heart of Nimes.  There is also a Marche market held every Monday morning along the boulevard Jean Jaures where your can purchase bright regional textiles, linens, pottery and brocante (collectible bric a brac).

A selection of other shops well worth a visit include Cacharel  is a fashionable clothing store which is part of a famous chain founded in Nimes, 2 place de la Maison Caree (Tel: +33 4 66 21 82 82). FNadal is a tiny shop crammed full of olive oil dispensed from vats, herb soaps, local honey, coffee and spices, 7 rue St Castor (Tel: +33 4 66 67 35 42):