Roman Arena sights in Nîmes
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Les Arènes
Nîmes’ magnificent Roman amphitheatre, the best preserved in the whole of the Roman Empire, was built around AD 100 to seat 24,000 spectators. It’s easy to forget, as one marvels at the architectural accomplishments of the Romans, what a nasty streak they had too. The arena hosted animal fights to the death, stag hunts, man against lion or bear confrontations and, of course, gladiatorial combats. In the contemporary arena, it’s only the bulls that get killed. An advance of a kind, you might say.
There’s a mock-up of the gladiators’ quarters and, if you time it right, you’ll see a couple of actors in full combat gear slugging it out in the arena.
Buy your tick…
reviewed
-
B
Les Arènes
Impressively intact, and retaining its upper storey, Nîmes’ Roman amphitheatre was once the setting for wild-animal hunts, executions and, of course, gladiator fights. Built around AD 100 to seat 24,000 spectators, the interior has four seating tiers and a system of exits and passages designed so that patricians never had to rub shoulders with the plebs up top. An excellent free audioguide brings the amphitheatre’s dramatic history to life.
Year-round, Les Arènes stages plays, music concerts and bullfights.
reviewed
