We will be driving to Pont du Gard to see both the museum & the aqueduct. I have read about the left & right bank & according to the web site everything except the restaurant seems to be on the left. If we want to stop in the cafeteria how do we get from one side to the other? Looking at a map I don't see a bridge.

There is a bridge right next to the aqueduct.

You walk over the Pont du Gard. Look upwards when you are on it, you can admire the magnificent workmanship on the stonework. There are lots of spots around for picnics if you wanted to take something with you.

Kay

Some more confusion above !

The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct built over the River Gardon around 100 AD to transport water from near Uzes to Nimes.

The road next to it is a road bridge built in around 1700 AD.

Until recently - say 1999 - you could drive over the road bridge, park on either side (free) and climb up to the top of the aqueduct.

Today, the road bridge is closed to traffic, but open to pedestrians. Access to the aqueduct itself is forbidden. Road access to the new facilities is via purpose built car parks (€5 for 1 day, €8 for an annual season ticket !).

More info

*There is free access for pedestrians who follow the canal through the forest and arrive from the other side of PdG : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/ph...-photo-408.htm

*The hotel has reopened after 10 years : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/ph...-photo-459.htm

* Satellite view : http://maps.google.com/maps?q=remoul...03449&t=k&z=18

*You can swim and kayak below PdG

*The river flooded over the road bridge during the floods of September 2002

*There is an English artist who has been painting the PdG with different views for 25 years. He is either in the shade selling pictures or painting new pictures from various angles.

Peter

If you go there, please don't waste your time watching the movie about Pont du Gard, it is the dumbest movie!

I confess that every time I go there, I always ignore the museum and just visit the Pont du Gard itself.

The Pont du Gard is an amazing structure. The Romans were very clever people

We happened to be watching the old "Civilisation" series by Lord Clark over the last few days. It was surprising (to me) to see traffic over the Pont du Gard back then (ca 1969) as well as other places in Europe ( the Piazza del Campo in Siena), but that's the way it was...

Hi S,

There are two restos at the PdG.

From the left bank public parking lot you can walk to a cafeteria-style place before you reach the aqueduct. It was closed for a private party the night that we were there.

If you continue on and take the pedestrian walkway across the river, you come to
"We arrived just before the sunset; just in time to walk through the park from the parking lot to catch a few pictures of the viaduct. As night settled, we crossed over to the other side for dinner at <b>Le Vieux Moulin</b>. This is a hotel/restaurant that has come under new management and been recently renovated. They have a very nice outdoor area for sipping an aperitif before dinner. About 110E for dinner for 2 w/wine and drinks.

You might be interested in my trip report:
Ira Returns From 22 Loverly Days in Europe - Sep, 2009
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

Enjoy your visit.

You can spend plenty of time there even without viewing the movie. I would urge you to walk across and then walk up the hill to see it from a different vantage point. Here are some photos from July 2009:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ntdugard/show/

I walked across the top of the aquaduct itself in
1986. It was very cool. But the stones were very uneven some were missing and it was a long way down with no railings.

I'm amazed we were allowed to do it.

Photo taken by me in the 1970's looking along the top of the aqueduct :

http://the-languedoc-page.com/images/pdg2.jpg

Some of the postcards for sale in the shop show pedestrians on the top of the structure.



Peter

I am confused - can you still walk over the aqueduct like me and my young son once did and which remains a highlight of my European travels?

Yes, you can walk over the aqueduct.

When we visited the Pont du Gard a few years ago, we overheard a French woman say in english to her companions "This is the most beautiful place in France." I thought of all of the places we had been in France, and would have liked to have discussed it further, but didn't. It really is a wonderful sight, though.

Hi Guys,

In my humble opinion, forget about the car and take the PDG in as part of a hiking tour – it’s the best way to do it!

Here’s one I’d recommend:

http://www.walking-holidays-france.c...t-du-Gard.html

Finally, I find the whole visitor complex really tacky and the Vieux Moulin is soooooo expensive, I’d take a good packed lunch along with you!

Cheers!

NottinghamMilli

Just to say that access to the top of the aqueduct is blocked off.

You can still walk across the road bridge.

Peter

ditto, peter

That's why I love Fodorites! Where else could I get such current & accurate info. I think it was flygirl's great pictures that cleared it up for me. I thought that the footbridge was part of the aqueduct & I knew the actual aqueduct was closed to pedestrians. Now I understand everyone's explanation.
Ira, I had already found & read your "22 loverly days" report - thank you. The hiking idea sounds great but we will be with someone who probably couldn't manage it so that will have to wait for the next trip.
Does everyone agree that the museum really isn't worth the time? Does it matter which side we park, left or right? It sounds like it makes no difference since we'll be walking back & forth over the footbridge anyway.