Nîmes is a commune in the south of France. It has some remarkably well preserved monuments from the Roman period, such as the “Arènes”, “La Maison Carré” and “La tour Magne”. Its rich past earned it the nickname of “French Rome”. The town has developed around its arms, with its historical centre contained in the interior of an enclosure formed by wide boulevards (located on the ancient medieval ramparts), which are bordered by two lines of trees of over 100 years old, giving the place a pleasant shadow.
The town is known for its principal cultural events and festivities: Flamenco Festival, the European tournament of Archery, Le Temps des Jardins (cultural and musical festival), the Thursdays of Nîmes (open-air evening markets held every year in summer), the Festival of Nîmes, Festival of Jazz and Nimagine (a craft show held for eight days in mid-November)
Constructed at the end of the 1st century after Christ, the amphitheatre of Nîmes is without doubt one of the best preserved in the world, measuring 133m long and 101m wide. Inside, about 25,000 spectators were able to watch fights between animals and gladiators. The Arènes is today, a prestigious place, which is regularly transformed into a big concert hall where both local and international artists perform.
Accommodation in Nîmes' university residences
The university residences in Nîmes are run by various independent groups and most of them offer affordable visitor accommodation in the summer months. It should be understood that these residences are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the halls do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.
Getting to Nîmes
The highway A9 is one of the major routes connecting the north of Europe to Spain via the valley of Rhône: its two accesses, east and west, favour rapid links with Lyon, Montpellier (and the extensions towards Spain), Toulouse and Bordeaux. The towns of the south, such as Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Nice and Italy are linked by highway A54. The town has direct high-speed train links, and as a result the station of Nîmes is at about 1 hour from Marseille, 1 hour and 20 minutes from Lyon, 2 hours and 50 minutes from Paris, 3 hours and 10 minutes from Geneva or even 4 hours and 40 minutes from Lille. The airport of Nîmes, Alès Camargue Cévennes, provides the only air services of the town. Situated at about 10 km to the south of the town, it regularly receives inbound traffic from London (Luton), Liverpool, East Midlands, and Brussels.