In which quarter house in Nîmes?

Are you going to visit or stay in the "French Rome", the prefecture of the Gard? Discover in which area to stay in Nîmes?

Located between the Lower Rhone Valley and the Languedoc plain, between the Mediterranean and the Cévennes, the city of Nîmes is the prefecture of the Gard department (30) and is one of the most visited cities in the south of France: with a breathtaking historical and cultural heritage, Nîmes is one of the best open-air vestiges of the Roman Empire. With 150 672 inhabitants and 266,175 people throughout the urban area, spread over 161.85 km2, Nîmes is mainly visited for its ideal climate, its ancient vestiges – areenas, Maison Carrée, Tour Magne, sanctuary of the Fontaine -, its ferias and festivals. Nîmes was both Roman, Camarguaise, Cévenole, Languedocienne, Provencal and Hispanic, a Protestant fief having enamelled the wars of religions of the 17th and 18th centuries and a high place of textile production (the canvas of Jean Denim).

Staying in Nîmes, the “French Rome”, can be relatively expensive if you go there in the summer and according to the neighborhoods. Here's exactly where to sleep in Nimes, the atmospheres and things to do.

Nîmes centre

Known as the Ecusson – as in Montpellier – the hyper-centre is the historic district and one of the most sides of the city. Symbolically, it is the birthplace of the famous writer Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897). It houses most of the historical monuments visited by millions of tourists each year: the arenas, the Maison Carré, the gate of Auguste, the Tower of the Horloge. A peaceful atmosphere reigns as a master in the alleys of the centre, sprinkled with small bars and friendly restaurants and other small shops where to shop. Don’t miss visiting the Old Nîmes Museum, the prefiguration gallery of the future Museum of Romanity, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Arènes (of course), the Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor Cathedral, and finish by strolling to the Charles-de-Gaulle Esplanade. It is the most central area to stay in Nîmes, but also the most touristic to do everything and see everything on foot.

La Placette

A small area west of the Ecusson is the popular district of Nîmes, with a strong Protestant and Gypsy identity. The associative fabric is particularly active, living under the flamenco sounds, and where the inhabitants indulge in their passions: petanque and tauromachie. As you walk through the alleys of the neighborhood, you feel like a world apart: a small popular village in the city where everyone knows each other. If you are looking to escape the tourist effervescence of the ancient city centre, it is here that it is recommended to sleep in Nîmes.

Gift

We still drift west to find the Cadereau district, crossed by Avenue Jean Jaurès and the Quai de la Fontaine. It is a residential area adjacent to the city centre, close to the Jardins de la Fontaine – especially the Roman Baths – and the Magne Tower, where you can enjoy the shopping soul of the neighbourhood: bars, restaurants and shops of all kinds.

Fuchères-Triangle

This neighborhood forms an imaginary “V” south of the Ecusson, home to an ideal drop point for tourists: the Nîmes SNCF train station. Traversed by the boulevard Talabot and Avenue Feuchères, it is an ideal drop point to stay in Nîmes just a short walk from the city centre, taking advantage of everything it has to offer – walks, terraces and shops – especially if you have a train to take early in the morning, without taking public transport.

Main photo credit: Pixabay