Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Holidays Away in Nimes

By Naomi Swift


Nimes is the name of a city within the South of France that is located in the Languedoc-Roussillon area close to Arles and Montpellier. It has a Hispanic and Roman history that is over 2000 years old.

Eurostar deals have made this a popular city to visit, especially from the UK. With just a single ticket the train can be boarded at the St Pancras International Station in London that travels to Paris and from there to Nimes. There are many attractions that a visitor to Nimes can enjoy, as it is a truly beautiful city that is an ideal location for history and art lovers.

There are amusement parks, museums and attractive sites that a visitor can explore. The Jardins de la Fontaine is a stunning garden that showcases an array of plants and flowers. The Arenas de Nimes are ancient ruins of a stadium that boasts of a rich Roman heritage. The Carre d'Art is a museum and art gallery that houses famous art and paintings of regional artists. The Maison Carree is an old Roman temple that will transport you back into the rich past of the Roman Empire. The Musee des Beaux-Arts is an art gallery that houses periodic events and exhibitions.

Nimes offers the visitor many resorts and hotels. There are Eurostar deals with certain hotels that are situated around this city. Eurostar offers the traveller the ease of being able to book online and saving you money. There are also many pubs, discos, clubs and bars to enjoy throughout the night.

Nimes is well known for its textiles and denim and is a perfect place to do some holiday shopping at shopping centres, malls and show rooms as well as from open markets and numerous street stalls. An imposing Roman structure that still stands today is the Roman amphitheatre which in medieval times used to be filled in with housing. It was subsequently cleared during Napoleon's time and today holds bull fighting and concerts.

The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct bridge that sits over the Gard River which was built during the 1st century AD. It is a very popular tourist attraction where people can swim in this river underneath these arches in summer.

The Camargue is an area that is famous for the wild horses. It is a very popular area site for canoeing or boat trips in the canal that runs through this area. Horseback rides can be taken around this countryside and also towards the coast on a domesticated animal. You can ride as far as Port de Camargue which is by the Mediterranean that has a marina with lots of seafood restaurants. This coastline has many long and sandy beaches such as the beautiful Espiguette beach that is 23 km of sand and is perfect for windsurfing. The Cevennes National Park is popular for hiking the mountain trails found here.

The Aigoual is the highest peak which offers spectacular views of the neighbouring hills. Anduze and Ales are historic mountain towns with lovely old churches and where you can rest from your bicycle ride or hike. Le Vigan is a historic town famous for its silk. Locally made silk items can be bought on their market days.




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