Hi, dear France travel guru, it's me again. After asking stupid questions on Mont St Michel & Chateua d'If, here comes one more question about Pont du Gard.

We will arrive Arles on 28 Jun(mon), and will go to Avignon to join a local tour to Sault & Gordes for lavendar on Tuesday afternoon (2pm). I have heard there are several buses from Nimes to Pont du Gard, wonder whether we can first take a train from Arles to Nimes, then take a bus to Pont du Gard.. spend a hour or two there and returning to Avignon before 1pm..

Does it sound feasible?

Also, I tried to search for the bus schedule from Nimes/Arles/Avignon to Pont du Gard, but couldn't find any... does anyone know?

I took the bus from Nimes to Pont du Gard a few months ago. Here is the schedule for Monday-Fridays:

7:25, 8:30, 11:00, 12.05, 13:05, 15:15, 16:20, 17:10, 18:20, 19:20. The above times are for buses leaving from Gare Routiere (next to train station) at Nimes. The bus drops you off about 1/4 mile from the entrance to the Pont du Gard grounds. The name of the bus company is STD Gard. There is a nice gift shop and cafeteria there as well. Trip takes about 35-40 minutes.

Here are the return buses:

6:55, 8:10, 11:25, 14:45, 16:55 18:45.

The bus number is the #168. You can determine from this if the trip is worthwhile for your limited amount of time.

I think the Pont du Gard may be the greatest thing I have ever seen in visiting 21 European countries.

Larry J

One other thing. The schedule I posted in my previous post is good through June 30, 2004. There may be changes in the schedule beginning July 1, 2004.

Larry J

Larry,

I'm glad to see that you were able to do what you wanted via the bus.

And I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Pont du Gard: it is truly awesome in the original sense.

Larry J, thanks a lot for your prompt reply!!

For the returning bus, is it to Nimes or Avignon?

I am thinking that, if I need to wait for the bus after taking off from the train, I may go take a brief look on the arena in Nimes. Some books said it's the best roman arena in France and even better than the one in Arles.. any advice?

Hello, Just a small tip to maybe add to your comfort level. I visited Pont du Gard toward the end of May. Much to my surprise, (never occurred to me) there were lots of mosquitos there. I left early because I did not have repellent with me. I have no idea about mosquito times in France but here in the Southern USA they are worse as the summer goes on so you might consider repellent.

Glad that you were given info on how to get to Pont du Gard. We had a car so just drove there and it definitely was one of the highlights of our trip that year. Depending on what time of day you are there, if you enjoy taking pictures on your trips, walk over to the opposite side of the bridge and see if the bridge is reflecting in the river. It was when we were there and we got some great shots.

The arena in Nime is beautiful and there is a wonderful statue of a matador in front of the arena. Got some great pix of him as well. Whether it is better than the one in Arles I guess is in the eye of the beholder or someone who understands Roman ruins better than I. They are both very interesting and the fact that they are still used we thought was fabulous.

There is also a temple in Nimes that is in tremendous shape (sorry I don't remember the name). We couldn't find a place to park so weren't able to get up close but did see it from the street as we drove by. It was full of people sitting on the steps, etc.

Have a wonderful time in this beautiful part of the world.

Vivianhk

The bus schedule I posted is from Nimes and return to Nimes. The 168 bus line does not go through Avignon as that is in a different direction.

If you want to visit the arena while in Nimes it is about a ten minute walk from the train and bus stations.

The old Roman temple is called Maison Carree and is maybe 15 minutes from the train station.

To Underhill,

Thanks for you past help. Yes I found the bus service from Nimes to Pont du Gard was very convenient and no hassle at all. I am still looking for a bus schedule between Avignon and St. Remy as I will be in St. Remy for a week (July 15-22). I will rent a car after being there a day or two but don't want car until I have settled in at St.Remy and explored the town a day or two. If you can come up with anything on Avignon/St.Remy bus service I will have my next grandson named after you.

Best wishes,
Larry J