It is quite impressive to see infrastructure on the World Heritage list, and this site is very deserving of its place on the list. The structure is absolutely massive and an astounding feat of engineering. It is 50 metres high and is part of the aqueduct that ran to Nimes over a distance of 50km. If you look closely you can see that the arches are not actually the same size but vary slightly.

The top tier has the aqueduct running along it. It is possible to have a guided tour of this. I did climb up the banks with the hope of seeing inside, but unfortunately you can only see a locked door and a staircase. It was worth the climb though, as the view was very impressive (picture).

You can walk across the bridge for free; well you actually walk on the 18th century one built next to the roman structure at the first level which mirrors it so you can’t see the difference from a distance. There are great views from the picnic area on the left bank and plenty of trails off around the area if you fancied a hike or cycle. If you want to go for a swim take an old pair of shoes as the water is very rocky and very cold; we found this out the hard way.

On practical matters, there is a brand new interpretive centre on the right bank. Busses will drop you off near here. There are 3 buses from Avignon (the most useful leaves at 12) and there are slightly more regular buses from Nimes (worth a visit). A WARNING though, there is a bus stop at the entrance to the car park but busses do not stop here or even go past!!! And the times displayed do not relate to the actual times of busses; it was only thanks to a helpful parking assistant that we didn’t get stranded.

This is an impressive site and makes a great day trip from any of the nearby cities. If you want to see how important this structure is have a look at the ‘fictional’ bridge on a €5 note and compare it to this one!