Visiting the Pont du Gard (France)

The Pont du Gard may be a three-level stone conduit crossing the Gardon watercourse vale, regarding twenty five klick west of Avignon. designed over 2000 years agone, in 19 BC, by Marcus Vipsanius statesman, the relative-in-law of Octavian.

A road bridge was other to the structure in 1743 and used till 1996. the location is currently well maintained and a awfully fashionable traveller attraction.

Cost

The visit value for the Pont du Gard (2012) is associate degree eighteen monetary unit parking charge. there's no further per-person value. You get a price tag at the entry booth to the parking lot (on either the Latin Quarter or the proper bank). At the guests center (right bank side) you will find caisse kiosks wherever you insert the cardboard and pay, any time before you depart.

Entry. the most entry parking is on the Latin Quarter (rive gauche) aspect of the watercourse, on the D19/D981 road between Avignon and Uzès (just northwest of Remoulin). the most visitant center is on this aspect, wherever you rehearse to access the bridge.

There's additionally parking on the proper bank (rive droite) aspect of the watercourse. Access to the present aspect is at the western fringe of Remoulins. Cross the bridge on the side of city and switch right (north) onto the Ave du Pont du Gard. This road goes regarding one.5 klick to finish at the parking lot for the Pont du Gard and a edifice.

Pont du Gard - Roman conduit. the most purpose of this web site is, of course, the Roman conduit (see Pont du Gard History, below). For this, you are taking a leisurely walk from the visitors' center dead set the "pont", examine the development, get pleasure from the read up or down the watercourse vale, wander across to the so much aspect, explore down on the watercourse at the so much aspect, or take the paths up to the tip on the close to aspect.

Pont du Gard - Visitors' Center. The visitors' center is wherever the price tag machines and data center ar set. Here too ar the restrooms, snackbar, bistro, memento boutiques, store and audioguides for your visit (available in many languages). The visitors' center additionally has "Discovery" areas, with associate degree interactive depository and an academic kid's play space.

Dining. Les Terrasses café-restaurant on the there is snack-bar/café fare at the guests center, and a stunning up-scale eating place on the Latin Quarter. On the right-bank, Les Terrasses café-restaurant is in an exceedingly pretty setting to a lower place large plane trees, and has menus at 18€, 30€, 40€ and a 10€ kiddies menu (2012). 

Cycling,

Very popular athletics routes cross the Pont du Gard. instead of procure the guests parking, many of us appear to park at Remoulins, at the side of the Remoulins bridge, at the start of the Ave du Pont du Gard. From there, you'll unload your bikes and cycle in to and across the bridge (although you are requested to steer your bike after you withstand the guests center).

Hiking

There is no charge for access to the Pont du Gard for hikers. The GR6 (Grande Randonnée) hiking path crosses the bridge.

To the south, the GR6 crosses the low uncleared hills (146 m) to the village of St Bonnet-du-Gard, and continues south via Sernhac and Meynes to Beaucaire on the Rhône.

On the side of the Pont du Gard, the GR6/GR63 trails go west on the Gorges du Gardon, past Collias and on up the Gordon to Anduze. 

Eastward from the side of Pont du Gard, the GR63 goes through the alert village of Castillon-du-Gard, Rochefort-du-Gard and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, on the Rhône beside Avignon.

Pont du Gard History

The Pont du Gard was other to United Nations agency's list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1985.

Designed to hold the water across the little Gardon watercourse vale, it absolutely was a part of {a close toly|an almost|a virtually} fifty klick (31 mi) conduit that brought water from springs near Uzès to the Roman town of Nemausus (Nîmes). the total conduit had a gradient of thirty four cm/km (1/3000), down solely seventeen m vertically in its entire length and delivering twenty,000 solid meters (44 million gallons) of water daily.

It was made entirely while not the employment of mortar. The aqueduct's stones - a number of that weigh up to six tons - ar command along side iron clamps. The masonry was raised into place by block and tackle with a vast human-powered treadmill providing the ability for the winch. a fancy scaffold was erected to support the conduit because it was being designed. The face of the conduit still bears the mark of its construction, within the style of projecting system supports and ridges on the piers that supported the curving wood frames on that the arches were made. it's believed to own taken regarding 3 years to make, using between 800 and one,000 employees.

From the fourth century forwards, its maintenance was neglected, and deposits crammed up to 2 thirds of the passage area. By the ninth century, it became unusable, and therefore the folks of the world started mistreatment its stones for his or her own functions. However, the bulk of the Pont du Gard remains remarkably intact.

From the center Ages to the eighteenth century, the conduit was used as a traditional bridge to facilitate traffic across the watercourse. The pillars of the second level were reduced broad to create additional space for the traffic, however this jeopardized the soundness of the structure. In 1702 the pillars were renovated to their original breadth so as to safeguard the conduit. In 1743, a replacement bridge was designed next to the arches of the lower level, in order that the road traffic might cross on a purpose-made bridge. The conduit was renovated within the eighteenth century, by which period it had become a serious traveller sight, and was renovated once more within the reign of Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte within the mid-19th century.

The outstanding quality of the bridge's masonry diode thereto changing into Delawaregree|associate} obligatory stop for French journeymen masons on their ancient tour round the country (see Compagnons du Tour de France), several of whom have left their names on the masonry. Markings left by the first builders also can be seen, indicating the positions during which the dressed stones were to be placed: for example, FRS II (standing for fronts sinistra II, or "front left 2").

In 1998 the Pont du Gard was hit by major flooding that caused widespread injury within the space. The road leading up thereto and therefore the neighboring facilities were badly broken, though the conduit itself wasn't seriously injured.

The French Government sponsored a serious renovation project in conjunction with native sources, United Nations agency and therefore the EU that terminated in 2000, pedestrianising the complete space round the conduit and greatly up the visitant facilities, together with establishing a depository on the north bank. The project has been criticized for its value (€32 million) and for the perceived loss of natural great thing about the encircling landscape and space. One side-effect is that it's not attainable to steer through the passage at the highest of the conduit. However, the renovation has ensured that the world round the Pont du Gard is currently a lot of quieter thanks to the removal of auto traffic, and therefore the new depository provides a far improved historical context for guests.