Occasionally nicknamed ‘The French Rome,’ the compact and lively Mediterranean city of Nîmes should be on everyone’s radar for a short break, especially as it has 300 days of sunshine a year, a strong Roman heritage and produces some pretty spectacular wine!
It is the perfect way to get a taster of the South of France with its charming culture, an enchanting old town to explore, spectacular well preserved Roman monuments to marvel at, excellent restaurants and shops to experience and incredible wines to sip on! There is something for everyone in this historically rich city.
Nîmes was a very important city as well as an area of viticulture during Roman times and even pior to this evidence suggests wine making was significant here by the Greeks.
Nimes was named Nemausus after a local Gallic deity.
Today it continues to be home to a superb wine region located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Cévennes region, at the border of Provence and the Languedoc, which is well worth a visit!
Getting to Nîmes
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You can fly directly to Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport or alternatively, Marseille, and it is about an hour and a half drive from Marseille to Nîmes.
From the airport there is also a shuttle bus called a navette in French, that leaves about 20 minutes after the arrival of each flight and goes directly to the Nîmes train station.
Sightseeing in Nîmes
Arenes de Nîmes
This impressive Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes has proudly stood the test of 2,000 years and looks pretty good for its age!
I love that it is still used for celebrations and concerts, and every May is a solemn scene for six days of bullfighting during the Feria de Nîmes. The likes of Sting and The Black Eyed Peas have also performed here and I can imagine the atmosphere being amazing!
It’s incredible to explore the configuration of the stairwells and galleries and seeing it in its entirety from the top!
Les Halles
You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to food in Nîmes and a visit to the big covered marketplaces called les halles is an absolute must. From fresh fruits, seafood, cheese to the dreamiest Chantilly cream, you will find absolute gems of produce here!
Maison Carrée
The incredible temple, Maison Carrée, is the only fully preserved temple of the ancient world.
It is an exemplary piece of Vitruvian architecture and like the amphitheatre, has been here for more than 2,000 years and the only signs of age are a bit of weathering on the columns in the marvellous portico.
The temple was dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, two grandsons of Emperor Augustus who died in their youth.
In the next 20 centuries it became a house, granary, church and was also the mooted tomb for the 16th-century Duke of Uzès , Antoine de Crussol.
All its various roles helped to keep temple in one preserved piece for as long as it has.
Temple de Diane
When in the Jardins de la Fontaine, make sure you don’t miss the Temple de Diane. The purpose of the building is not known, however, but how it has remained intact and in good shape for thousands of years is amazing.
To the sides are passageways with centuries-worth of graffiti etched into the walls, and there are fragments of expertly-carved stonework in the main room.
Just by the entrance there’s a plaque telling you the story of the site since medieval times, and how it was damaged by fire in the early modern age.
A wander through the old town is a must! Brimming with local shops, restaurants, cafes, fountains and stunning architecture, you can spend hours here.
You will notice a crocodile and a palm tree everywhere in Nîmes and this is because the first coin minted in Nîmes had a crocodile chained to a palm frond on one side – the palm represented victory, the crocodile signified Egypt, and it commemorated the victory of the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, when the Egyptians were conquered.
The symbol became the emblem for Nîmes in 1535, when the city was awarded a new coat of arms by Francois I, based on the coin. It was updated in 1985 to the more modern logo that it is today.
Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle
Dating back to the 16th century, this vast esplanade has represented one of the central areas of Nimes for centuries. At its centre is an impressive fountain representing the city of Nimes, which was added in 1851.
Pont du Gard
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pont du Gard is an incredible Roman monument, constructed for the Nîmes aqueduct to cross the Gard river. Today it is still considered a masterpiece in design and engineering.
This requires an excursion out of the city but it is so worth it to see!
Carré d’Art
Nimes’ Normand Foster building, opened in 1993, is a twinkling glass and steel structure that houses the library and contemporary art spaces as well as a rooftop restaurant that has a wonderful view of the Maison Carrée down below.
Wine tasting in the Costières-de-Nîmes
Along with Nîmes having a rich historical, cultural and architectural heritage, the city and its surroundings benefits from a Mediterranean climate that is ideal for growing vines, and therefore offers a wide choice of places to visit and taste some excellent high quality local wines. Though the region is small, the diversity of wines styles is huge!
The terroir is also very interesting. Soils of clay like sand, limestone, gravel or sandstone, known as Gress, surround the roots of vines that may reach a depth of 5-15 metres. The terroir enables the roots to maintain moisture despite the searing summer heat while the gravel provides natural drainage during heavy rains.
The heat of the stones tempers the cool breezes from the Petite Camargue and has a “moderating effect”and thus the roots of the vines remain cool during the searing heat of the day. As a result, grapes are able to maintain their freshness and purity.
I highly recommend making time in your itinerary to visit a few producers and go for tastings as it makes for a wonderful experience and an amazing way to discover some new wines.
Château Mourgues du Grès
Château Mourgues du Grès is owned and run by François & Anne Collard.
The Collard’s have always been innovators, working to unlock the very best of the terroir. François’s father was the first to plant Syrah in the region and today it is the most widely planted variety in the Costières de Nîmes.
Each of their bottles shows the emblem of the sundial that is on the wall of the winery, with the words “Sine Sole Nihil,” which translates to “There is nothing without sunshine.”
I loved wandering through the vines, which have galets roulés as key components of the terroir. They are larger, rounded stones smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône river.
They are thought to be integral to the growth of vines and more importantly the ripening of the fruit by absorbing the heat from the daytime sunshine and then releasing that heat slowly overnight due to their natural capacity for heat retention and transmission.
We had an excellent time tasting their range of wines, which have great minerality thanks to the terroir, lovely aromas and sharp finishes, whilst soaking up the view and stunning landscape garnished with fragrant broom flowers, aromatic herbs and gorgeous vines, some as old as 60 years.
We were treated to an incredible picnic with a superb spread of vegetables, dips, cherries and home made dishes, all sourced from local producers. If this is something you are able to arrange and make time for it was a wonderful gastronomical experience!
Chateau l’Ermite d’Auzan
To see biodynamic viticulture in place I recommend a visit t0 Chateau l’Ermite d’Auzan, a 80 hectare wine estate located on the South side of the Costières de Nîmes, facing Camargue and the Mediterranean Sea.
We met with Tanguy (the 4th generation winemaker at Château L’Ermitage) who told us all about their move towards biodynamic farming, permaculture and the production of their own inputs, including the use of natural essential oils from herbs and plants grown on the estate, such as lavender and rosemary.
We tried a range of their wines in their gorgeous tasting room, which was a wonderful experience.
The standout wine for me was the white Auzan with aromas of fresh Fresh fruits, peachy flavours and a subtle toasty note too.
It was fantastic and fascinating to learn about the ways in which they are moving towards biodynamic viticulture and their first biodynamic vintage will be in 2022!
Chateau de Nages
Château de Nages is a producer in the Southern French appellation of Costières de Nîmes, and is particularly associated with supple red wines based on the Syrah and Grenache grape varieties. It is the family wine estate inherited by Michel Gassier, who also produces a range of wines under his own name from vineyards acquired separately.
We had a wonderful tour of the vineyards to see and learn more about their move towards regenerative farming and the various experiments they have across various vineyards.
We also got to try wines from Château de Nages and Domaine Gassier, comparing them as they are from different terroirs.
It was really fascinating listening to Michel, who is a terroir driven winemaker, and I could have spent hours there!
If you get a chance spend an afternoon here tasting the wines and learning more about their move towards regenerative farming.
Chateau Guiot
Château Guiot is situated in the Costières de Nîmes, a region with a climate that takes the best of the southern Rhone and the eastern Languedoc, that’s to say, the pebbled soils that retain heat as well as a underlying bed of clay means ripe grapes that add warmth and depth of flavour to the wines.
The nearby Mediterranean Sea offers a beneficial microclimate, a natural thermal regulation giving the grapes richness and concentration.
François and Sylvia Cornut set their sights on Château Guiot in 1976 and bought it that same year to express their know-how and passion. The Cornut family very quickly changed the grape varieties there to plant noble grape varieties conducive to the production of great wines. Syrah, Grenache, Marsellan, Mourvèdre and Cabernet Sauvignon make up the bulk of the grape varieties.
Today it is run by the next generation, twins Alex and Numa.
You can visit their cellar for a tasting of Château Guiot wines, which is a fantastic experience and a gorgeous space.
I particularly enjoyed trying both the 2020 and 2021 Rose Vintage, both so varied in aroma, taste and colour, even though just a year apart!
Chateau de Campuget
Château de Campuget was established in 1942 and is a top quality estate near Nîmes, steeped in history. The Château itself was built in 1753 and at the same time the first vines were planted, prompting the 1753 range of wines which mark this historic date.
The vineyard is located 15 kilometers south of Nimes in the town of Manduel in the heart of the Protected Designation of Origin Costières de Nîmes. Its main characteristic is its soil made of “gress”, pebbles rolled by the various floods of the Rhone in the Quaternary era. It allows the vine to set up in the best possible conditions. It is thanks to this filter soil that the roots manage to draw very deeply the water essential for their growth.
The vine also benefits from the Mediterranean sunshine which allows the grapes to ripen perfectly and to be picked up very early.
The average age of the vineyard is of the order of 25 years. It is mainly composed of Syrah and Grenache grapes for reds and Grenache blanc and Roussanes for whites, characteristic of the great vineyards of the Rhone Valley.
We had a wonderful tasting of the signature wines in the courtyard with Franck-Lin Dalle, who is the third generation of his family to run the estate.
In 2019, Château de Campuget was certified as Haute Valeur Environmentale, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management.
If you fancy staying here you can as they have amazing accommodation on site including a six bedroom villa complete with a pool with a gorgeous view!
I hope this has inspired you to add this hidden gem of a destination to your travel radar!
For more information visit https://www.costieres-nimes.org/
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