Hiking Around Uzès and the Pont du Gard: 8 Loops Through Garrigue and Heritage
Between Uzès, Nîmes, and the Pont du Gard, the Gard department offers some of the finest trails in southern France. There are no towering peaks or intimidating climbs here — instead, you walk through fragrant garrigue dotted with Roman remains, dry-stone huts called capitelles, and hilltop villages with medieval lanes. The Gardon river winds through limestone gorges where you can swim after the hike, and everywhere the southern light sculpts the landscape.
It's an ideal playground for hikers of all levels. The loops are accessible, the trails well-marked, and every route blends nature and heritage in a way unique to this region. Here are 8 hikes to explore this territory on foot.
1. Pont du Gard Loop from Remoulins
Distance: 19.9 km | Elevation: +162 m | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 5h
This is the big loop for experiencing the Pont du Gard in all its glory. The trail leaves Remoulins and follows the Gardon through a riparian forest of holm oaks and ash trees before emerging at the most famous Roman aqueduct in the world. The impact is always the same: three tiers of arches soaring 49 metres high, built 2,000 years ago without mortar, spanning the river with breathtaking elegance.
The loop continues along the garrigue heights, offering bird's-eye views of the Gardon and the aqueduct from above — an angle most visitors never see. The return along the opposite bank lets you observe the monument from every angle.
The highlight: the view of the Pont du Gard from the garrigue ridges, far from the tourist crowds. Bring swim gear for a dip in the Gardon in summer.
2. La Baume Mills and the Gardon from Collias
Distance: 18.3 km | Elevation: +277 m | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 5h
Collias is the starting point for canoe trips down the Gardon Gorges, but it's also the beginning of a magnificent hike that towers above the river. The trail climbs quickly onto limestone cliffs, offering spectacular views of the Gardon's meanders 100 metres below.
Along the way, you discover the remains of the La Baume mills, witnesses to centuries of milling activity in the gorges. The trail then crosses dense garrigue of kermes oaks, junipers, and rosemary — in spring, wild orchids dot the clearings.
The passage by the Chapel of Saint-Vérédème, a troglodyte hermitage carved into the cliff above the Gardon, is the hike's high point. The view over the gorges from this natural promontory is breathtaking.
The highlight: the troglodyte chapel of Saint-Vérédème and the plunging views over the Gardon Gorges. A wild trail just minutes from civilisation.
3. Nîmes Arena and Jardin de la Fontaine
Distance: 16.9 km | Elevation: +195 m | Level: Easy to intermediate | Duration: 4h30
You might not think of hiking in a city, yet this loop starting from the Nîmes Arena is a genuine urban and peri-urban hike. The route connects the city's great Roman monuments — the Arena, the Maison Carrée, the Temple of Diana — before climbing toward the Tour Magne and the Espeisses woods.
The Jardin de la Fontaine, created in the 18th century around the spring that gave birth to the ancient city, is an oasis of cool with its pools, balustrades, and centuries-old plane trees. The climb to the Tour Magne rewards you with a 360° panorama over Nîmes and the surrounding garrigue.
The second half of the route leaves the city and plunges into the Nîmes garrigue — a landscape of limestone hills covered in pines and holm oaks. You quickly forget you're just a few kilometres from the city centre.
The highlight: 2,000 years of history in a single walk, from the Roman Arena to the wild garrigue. The contrast between ancient city and untamed nature is striking.
4. Garrigues Viewpoint from Saint-Maximin
Distance: 16.2 km | Elevation: +297 m | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 4h30
Saint-Maximin is a quiet village between Uzès and Nîmes, but its garrigue hides treasures. The trail leads to the Garrigues viewpoint — a remarkable vantage point overlooking the Gard plain, the Cévennes in the background, and on clear days, Mont Ventoux.
The route crosses a landscape typical of the Gard garrigue: white limestone hills, dry-stone walls, capitelles (stone huts built without mortar, cousins of Provence's bories), and low, fragrant vegetation of thyme, lavender, and rosemary.
This is a hike of silence and solitude — you won't meet many people on these trails, which makes it perfect for wildlife spotting: hoopoes, short-toed snake eagles, and sometimes roe deer in the undergrowth.
The highlight: total immersion in the Gard garrigue and the capitelles — witnesses to a vanished agropastoral heritage. Bring binoculars for the viewpoint.
5. Garrigues Viewpoint and the Alzon River from Uzès
Distance: 15.3 km | Elevation: +299 m | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 4h
This hike captures the essence of Uzès: the elegance of a ducal city, the gentleness of a riverside walk, and the ruggedness of the garrigue. Starting from the centre of Uzès, you can admire the Place aux Herbes with its medieval arcades and the Tour Fenestrelle — the only round bell tower in southern France.
The trail then descends into the Alzon valley. This stream once fed the Roman aqueduct all the way to the Pont du Gard. You follow its shaded banks before climbing to the garrigue ridgeline. The viewpoint offers a panoramic vista of Uzès, recognisable by its towers and spires rising above the greenery.
The return crosses vineyards and olive groves — you're in the Duché d'Uzès appellation, one of France's most recent AOC wine regions.
The highlight: the panorama of Uzès from the viewpoint and the bucolic descent along the Alzon. A hike that blends urban heritage with unspoiled nature.
6. Pont du Gard Loop from Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard
Distance: 14.4 km | Elevation: +242 m | Level: Intermediate | Duration: 4h
This loop offers a different approach to the Pont du Gard — more intimate than from Remoulins. Starting from Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard, a small village perched above the garrigue, you walk through rolling hills of white limestone and holm oak groves before reaching the aqueduct.
The trail partly follows the route of the ancient Roman aqueduct that carried water from Uzès to Nîmes — a 50-kilometre canal with only 12 metres of drop, a feat of ancient engineering. You can still see remains of the channel on certain stretches.
The descent toward the Gardon and the Pont du Gard follows a shaded path that opens directly onto the monument. The return via the left bank and the upper garrigue offers sweeping views of the valley.
The highlight: walking in the footsteps of the Roman aqueduct and arriving face-to-face with the Pont du Gard via a back route, far from the car parks and tour buses.
7. Blauzac Capitelles and Roman Bridge
Distance: 14.2 km | Elevation: +213 m | Level: Easy to intermediate | Duration: 4h
Blauzac is an overlooked village between Uzès and Nîmes, and that's precisely its charm. This hike is a journey through time across the Gard's rural heritage: restored capitelles, dry-stone walls, an ancient Roman bridge, and lavognes — stone-lined watering holes for livestock.
The Blauzac capitelles are among the best-preserved in the Gard. These dry-stone huts, built without mortar using an ingenious corbelling technique, served as shelters for shepherds and farmers. You'll discover several along the trail, some tall enough to stand up in.
The Roman bridge spanning a small stream is a discreet but moving remnant of the road network that once connected the cities of Roman Gaul. In spring, wild irises grow between its stones.
The highlight: the perfectly preserved capitelles and the bucolic atmosphere of a trail that seems frozen in time. An ideal family hike.
8. Fort Saint-André and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Distance: 19.0 km | Elevation: +137 m | Level: Easy to intermediate | Duration: 5h
We leave the heart of the Gard here for its eastern border, facing Avignon. Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is the "city of cardinals" — in the 14th century, papal court prelates built their residences here, giving the village an exceptional architectural richness.
Fort Saint-André, a 14th-century royal fortress, crowns the hilltop and offers a stunning view of Avignon, the Palais des Papes, the Rhône, and Mont Ventoux. It's one of the finest panoramas in the region, and the starting point for this long loop exploring the hillsides and vineyard plains between Villeneuve and the Rhône banks.
The route crosses vineyards and orchards (you're in the Côtes du Rhône appellation), follows irrigation canals inherited from Roman times, and offers shifting perspectives on the silhouette of Avignon. The elevation gain is minimal for the distance — this is a flat hike, ideal for long spring or autumn days.
The highlight: the view from Fort Saint-André over Avignon and the Palais des Papes. A hike best done at sunset for the golden light on the papal city. Lightweight trail shoes are perfectly sufficient on this flat terrain.
Practical Tips for Hiking in the Gard
Best Season
The Rhône-side Gard is hikeable nearly year-round, but some periods are more pleasant:
- March to May: ideal temperatures (15 to 25°C), garrigue in bloom, Gardon river full enough for scenic views. The perfect window
- September to November: heat subsided, grape harvest, golden autumn light on the stones
- Summer: temperatures often exceed 35°C. Reserve hikes for early morning (start before 7am) and favour trails along the Gardon for a swim. Carry at least 2 litres of water per person
- Winter: the mistral can blow hard, but sunny windless days are magnificent. The bare garrigue reveals walls and capitelles usually hidden by vegetation
What to Pack
- Sun protection — the sun is strong in the Gard, even in spring. SPF 50 sunscreen, a cap, and sunglasses are essential
- Plenty of water — few water sources on garrigue trails. 1.5 L minimum, 2.5 L in summer
- Proper footwear — limestone is sharp and slippery when dry. Shoes with grippy soles are recommended
- Swimwear — for trails along the Gardon, a swim at the foot of the Pont du Gard is an unforgettable experience
Hit the Gard Trails!
From the millennia-old Pont du Gard to the medieval lanes of Uzès, from the wild Gardon Gorges to the forgotten capitelles of the garrigue, these 8 hikes paint a complete portrait of this captivating territory. The Rhône-side Gard is the essence of southern France distilled: the light, the stone, the heritage, and that fragrant garrigue perfuming every step.
Find all these trails with downloadable GPX files on OpenRando Explorer. Load the track on your phone and let yourself be guided through 2,000 years of open-air history.
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