abbydog

My friends and I are taking. a train from Marseille to Nimes for one day in April to visit Les Arenes, Maison Carree, and Musee des Beaux-Arts. Is that too much for one day? Can you offer tips or recommendations for making the most of our time?

dfourh

It's a 7 minute walk from the station to Musee des Beaux-Arts, and you might do that first to see how much time you want to leisurely spend there. Then a 10 minute walk takes you right around the side of the Arenes to Maison Carree - - though don't take the straight path down the broad Blvd. Victor Hugo thorough, instead duck into the narrow lanes just NE of the Arenes to get there. Maison Carree has a 20-minute video in the interior, though little else to see on the interior and it really doesn't demand a lot of time - - but either on the way there, or afterward, stroll the pretty lanes of the compact old town for a lunch. If it is Friday the outdoor market runs along the eastern edge of the old town, and there is also the covered market Les Halles, but both are only open till 1pm. The Arenes is then open till 5pm, but you might want to read reviews regarding how much time is worthwhile to spend there - - there are some differing perspectives. But if you find yourself with much time left over, right across the street is the fairly new (2018) Musee de la Romanite' (this museum of Roman history is open till 6pm) which is really worthwhile and might represent a superior use of time.

abbydog

Wow, what an amazing response!! Thanks so much for all the advice!

Michael

When we visited Nīmes in 2014 the cashier at the Maison Carré syggested that the video was not worth it for us as it was only in French. But there is a nearby canal that leads to a spring area that was part of thermal baths, at the base of the hill with the remains of a medieval tower that offers a splendid panoramic view of the city.

https://flic.kr/p/ogboyF https://flic.kr/p/oxF3Jc