To the Pont du Gard - Short Break

History & heritage in the South of France
 
Explore this captivating region at your leisure, walking self-guided while your luggage is transported ahead. You stay in 4-star hotels, each with a pool and high-quality cuisine, finishing with a chance to visit the Pont du Gard, a remarkably engineered Roman aqueduct.
Price from
£1100pp
To the Pont du Gard - Short Break. 4 nights
Price from
£1100pp
To the Pont du Gard - Short Break. 4 nights
Price from
£1100pp
 

Holiday information

 

A walking holiday to the Pont du Gard

The limestone hills north of the Camargue form the final fold of the Massif Central. At the western fringe of Provence, these secret, sun-scorched hills conceal tiny stone villages and the ancient duchy of Uzès. Cutting a deep, wooded gorge through the scented hills, the River Gardon slips between the graceful arches of the mighty Pont du Gard, one of the region’s Roman masterpieces. This leisurely walk, perhaps the most relaxed and enchanting of all our short walking breaks, follows attractive paths through these most Mediterranean of landscapes, where the air is perfumed with the scent of herbs, and buzzards and falcons soar overhead. To discover this secret region on foot is a delight, all the more so when you stay in high-quality hotels throughout.
The Pont du Gard is just part of the 50-kilometre-long aqueduct which in Roman times carried water from the source of the River Eure, near Uzès, to Nîmes. It is arguably the most impressive section, a testimony to the Romans’ enormous engineering expertise, and is the largest surviving section of the aqueduct. As such, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Necessary to carry the aqueduct across the Gardon, the bridge was built by the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus and is 273 metres long and 48 metres high, with 3 tiers of arches. The first level carried traffic, and was added to in 1743 to accommodate carriages, while the top level carried the water. The aqueduct took over a century to build, and was finally completed in the first part of the 1st century AD.
 
Gallery

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You have a choice of start dates, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 10 12 15 18 23 27 30 30 25 20 14 11
    mm 77 47 41 66 46 22 9 14 52 88 110 82
  • Arrival in Arpaillargues
    Night 1: at Château d’Arpaillargues (where you stay one night).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Arpaillargues to Collias: 14km, 5hrs; ascent 200m/descent 265m
    You are dropped off in nearby Uzès and, before setting off on your walk, it is well worth taking an hour or two to explore – we provide detailed notes for a town trail. Besides some handsome old stone arcades, there are numerous monuments in the medieval heart of the town, including the elegant Fenestrelle Tower and the Ducal Palace.

    The walk to Collias is full of interest, and serves as a good introduction to the landscapes of the garrigue – gently rolling hills coated in kermes and holm oaks and other small shrubs, and dotted with sleepy hamlets. After descending into the Alzon valley – from where there are great views back to Uzès’ historic towers – you pass several old renovated mills, walking through open farmland, orchards and vineyards to reach Sagriès. Here, you ascend into the garrigue and on to the attractive village of Senilhac, before walking along the top of the Gorges du Gardon, with tantalising glimpses of the river way below you. Your destination for the next two nights is the Hostellerie le Castellas in Collias.
    Arpaillargues to Collias: 14km
    Leaving Senilhac
  • Circular walk from Collias: 13km, 4.5hrs; ascent/descent 240m; shorter option: 7.5km, 3hrs; ascent/descent 220m
    Today’s walk takes you along a shaded path through a lovely valley before reaching a delightful ruined Romanesque hermitage. From here, a brief climb onto the Gardon plateau allows you to choose whether to make a quick return through the wooded slopes of the river gorge, or to extend your walk southwards across the flower strewn plateau of the garrigue. If you are lucky, you may spot Bonelli’s eagles or Egyptian vulture as you walk. Along the way there are great views, with Mont Ventoux to the east and the Cévennes to the north.
    Circular walk via Gardon plateau
    Circular walk from Collias: 13km
    Circular walk from Collias: 7.5km
  • Collias to Vers Pont du Gard: 11km, 4hrs; ascent 105m/descent 140m
    This is a charming walk across the farmed plain of the river Alzon. On a combination of quiet country roads, farm tracks and small paths you encounter vineyards, traditional villages, and old stone quarries that date back to Roman times, before finally arriving at the welcoming pool and garden of the La Bégude Saint Pierre.

    You should aim to reach here by lunchtime, leaving the afternoon free to visit the Pont du Gard, its excellent museum and visitors’ centre. Even if you have seen pictures of this spectacular monument, it is hard not to be awed by the sheer size and scale of the engineering feat that it represented 2000 years ago, when you see it for the first time.
    Collias to Vers Pont du Gard: 11km
    The incredible Pont du Gard
 

Accommodation

You stay in three high-quality hotels, all characterful and comfortable, and with excellent restaurants.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 4 nights: 01 April 2025 - 30 June 2025 & 01 September 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start Saturday to Wednesday | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 21 Apr 2025 £1105 £230
    22 - 30 Apr 2025 £1175 £245
    1 May - 26 Jun 2025 £1255 £290
    1 Sep - 1 Oct 2025 £1245 £290
    2 - 27 Oct 2025 £1100 £275
    3rd & 4th person discount -£94
    Single traveller supplement £94

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: return taxi from Nîmes airport, or return rail/taxi from Montpellier airport.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    4 nights: 01 April 2025 - 30 June 2025 & 01 September 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start Saturday to Wednesday | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 21 Apr 2025 £1460 £230
    22 - 30 Apr 2025 £1515 £245
    1 May - 26 Jun 2025 £1690 £290
    1 Sep - 1 Oct 2025 £1595 £290
    2 - 27 Oct 2025 £1440 £275
    3rd & 4th person discount -£99
    Single traveller supplement £99

    Includes all elements in the 'walk price', plus standard-class travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras to either Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, or Lille, with onward travel as described below.

    Included travel from the UK: UK-Lille/Paris (Eurostar), Lille/Paris-Avignon (TGV), approx duration out 6h45 plus 0h55 taxi transfer. Home, Avignon-Paris/Lille (TGV), Paris/Lille- UK (Eurostar), approx. duration 6h30 plus 1h15 taxi transfer.
    > More about 'by rail' prices
    > The 'rail experience': what to expect

    If you book your holiday less than 6 months in advance of your travel date, seats may no longer be available at the tariffs on which our prices are based, but we may be able to offer you seats on the same services at a supplement.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel du Château d'Arpaillargues, Arpaillargues
    'Château': 01 Apr - 26 Jun 2025 £44
    'Château': 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £44
    Hostellerie le Castellas, Collias
    Larger: 01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £30
    Larger: 01 May - 26 Jun 2025 £42
    Larger: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £42
    Suite: 01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £46
    Suite: 01 May - 26 Jun 2025 £76
    Suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £76
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £30
    Superior: 01 May - 26 Jun 2025 £46
    Superior: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £46
    Hotel La Bégude Saint Pierre, Vers-Pont-du-Gard
    Suite: 01 Apr - 26 Jun 2025 £57
    Suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £57
    'Tropézienne' with terrace: 01 Apr - 26 Jun 2025 £25
    'Tropézienne' with terrace: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £25

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Hotel du Château d'Arpaillargues, Arpaillargues (with dinner) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 26 Apr 2025 £185 £246
    27 Apr - 26 Jun 2025 £210 £271
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 £210 £271
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £185 £246
    Hostellerie le Castellas, Collias (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £114 £185
    01 May - 26 Jun 2025 £135 £238
    01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £135 £238
    Hotel La Bégude Saint Pierre, Vers-Pont-du-Gard (with dinner) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 26 Apr 2025 £260 £425
    27 Apr - 26 Jun 2025 £275 £445
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 £275 £445
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £270 £530
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Nimes, Montpellier or Marseille
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Paris CDG.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Marseille (via Paris) Air France 
    Birmingham - Montpellier (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Birmingham - Montpellier (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Marseille easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Bristol - Montpellier easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Marseille Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Marseille (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Edinburgh - Marseille (via Amsterdam) Air France 
    Edinburgh - Marseille (via Paris) Air France 
    Edinburgh - Montpellier (via Amsterdam) Air France 
    Edinburgh - Montpellier (via Paris CDG) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Marseille easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Marseille (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Marseille easyJet 
    Gatwick - Montpellier easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Marseille British Airways 
    Heathrow - Montpellier (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Montpellier easyJet 
    Luton - Nîmes Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Marseille Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Marseille Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Marseille Ryanair 
    Manchester - Marseille (via Amsterdam) Air France 
    Manchester - Marseille (via Paris) Air France 
    Manchester - Montpellier (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Manchester - Montpellier(via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Marseille (via Paris) Air France 
    Newcastle - Montpellier (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Southampton - Marseille (via Paris) Air France 
    Southampton - Montpellier (via Paris CDG) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Teesside International - Montpellier (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Paris CDG.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.
     

    Connecting travel options - flying via Nîmes

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    direct taxi Nimes airport to hotel (0h30) included 1800
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    direct taxi hotel to Nimes airport (0h30) included flexible

    Connecting travel options - flying via Montpellier

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Montpellier to Nimes (0h25), taxi Nimes to hotel (0h35) included 1530
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Nimes (0h50), rail Nimes to Montpellier (0h25) included 1230

    Connecting travel options - flying via Marseille

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    shuttle bus Marseille airport to Aix TGV (0h15, pay locally), rail Aix TGV to Avignon TGV (0h25), taxi Avignon TGV to hotel (1h) £38 1600
    direct taxi Marseilles airport to hotel (1h50) £114 flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Avignon TGV (1h), rail Avignon TGV to Aix TGV (0h25), shuttle bus Aix TGV to Marseille airport (0h15, pay locally) £25 1430
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 3 dinners
    2 picnics
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • transfers from Nîmes or Montpellier
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to France, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is French. The currency is the Euro. French time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
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