Showing 1-9 of 9 results
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Archaeological Museum
The Musée d'Archéologie has some interesting Roman and pre-Roman tombs, mosaics, inscriptions and artefacts unearthed around Nîmes. It also houses a hotchpotch of artefacts from Africa, piled high and tagged with yellowing captions such as 'Abyssinia' and 'Dahomey'. In the same building, the Natural History Museum has a musty collection of stuffed animals.
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Carré d'Art
The striking glass and steel building across the square from the Maison Carrée, completed in 1993, is the Carré d'Art (place de la Maison Carrée), which houses the municipal library and Musée d'Art Contemporain. The work of British architect Sir Norman Foster, it harmonises well with the Maison Carrée and is everything modern architecture should be: innovative, complementary and beautiful - a wonderful, airy building to just float around.
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Maison Carrée
The Maison Carrée is a remarkably preserved rectangular Roman temple, constructed around AD 5 to honour Emperor Augustus' two adopted sons. It's survived the centuries as a medieval meeting hall, private residence, stable, church and, after the Revolution, archive.
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Musée d'Art Contemporain
The refreshing Musée d'Art Contemporain in the Carré d'Art makes a welcome contrast. Housing both permanent and rotating exhibitions of modern art, it merits a visit, even if only to prowl the innards of this striking building.
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Musée d'Histoire Naturelle
In the same building as the Archaeological Museum, the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle has a musty collection of stuffed animals gazing bleakly out. Only the custodians, protected from importunate visitors inside their own glass case, have life.
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Musée des Beaux-Arts
Musée des Beaux-Arts has a wonderfully preserved Roman mosaic (look down upon it from the 1st floor). This apart, it houses a fairly pedestrian collection of Flemish, Italian and French works.
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Musée du Vieux Nîmes
Musée du Vieux Nîmes, in the 17th-century Episcopal palace, is a small museum that, in addition to the usual period costumes and furniture, has a whole room showcasing denim, with smiling pin-ups of Elvis, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.
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Roman Amphitheatre
Built around AD 100 to seat 24,000 spectators, this magnificent amphitheatre is wonderfully preserved, even retaining its upper storey. Its system of passages and exits are engagingly called vomitories and were designed so patricians attending combats never had to rub shoulders with the plebs up top. It lives on as Les Arènes , a sporting and cultural venue.
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Tour Magne
A 10- to 15-minute uphill walk to the top of the Jardins de la Fontaine (Fountain Gardens) brings you to the crumbling shell of the 30m high Tour Magne, raised around 15 BC and the largest of a chain of towers that once punctuated the city's 7km-long Roman ramparts. From here, there's a magnificent view of Nîmes and the surrounding countryside.
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Showing 1-9 of 9 results
