Fontanès combines sacred architectural history with walks that explore rural heritage and former activities connected with water. If you’re looking for a hotel in Fontanès, start by asking which discoveries you want to shape your trip: churches and pilgrimage history, or trails with different themes. For the Les Mas circular hike, the distance, elevation gain and duration are provided as practical planning details; other destinations focus on architectural styles, landscapes and local history.
Churches, Pilgrimage and Early History
The Église Saint-Martin de Fontanès is a Romanesque-Gothic building rebuilt by the architect Henri Antoine Revoil in the mid-19th century. The Protestant Temple de Fontanès offers a different architectural note: it is a simple Neoclassical building from the first half of the 19th century, known as the “open Bible.” The contrasting descriptions of their styles provide two distinct reference points for exploring Fontanès’ architectural history.
Notre-Dame-de-Prime-Combe is also associated with a long religious history. The church was built in the 9th century and restored several times. Notre-Dame de Prime-Combe has been a renowned pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages; the site is known for its peaceful surroundings. For travellers interested in religious traditions, it brings together early architectural history and a pilgrimage tradition that has endured for centuries.
Fontanès’ origins date back to the Chalcolithic period. La Clotte céramique was a prehistoric site there. This extends the historical perspective beyond the churches and pilgrimage site to a much earlier period.
Hiking Trails with Different Themes
The Les Mas route is a 7.4 km circular hike starting in Fontanès. It has an elevation gain of 94 m and takes 2 hours and 10 minutes. Yellow trail markers show the way; the starting point is the car park at the foyer on Chemin du foyer in Fontanès. The hike explores Fontanès’ large, characteristic country estates, which are considered evidence of the area’s rural heritage. The distance, elevation gain and duration help you estimate how much time to allow for this hike.
The La Clotte hike has a different focus: it follows the Vidourle past mills, fords and fountains. These places bear witness to the important connection between water and past human activities. Les Mas focuses on the country estates and rural heritage, while La Clotte explores the relationship between water and its historical uses.
Trails for Different Ways of Getting Around
The Voie verte Sommières-Fontanès is intended for pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and people with reduced mobility; motor vehicles are prohibited. The explicitly listed user groups and the ban on motor vehicles are useful points of reference for anyone planning to travel along this route.
The Voie Verte de la Vaunage is also intended for non-motorised travel and follows a former railway line. Activities include cycling, walking and rollerblading, and in some sections, horse riding. Its former use as a railway line is another historical feature of this route.
Other Local Points of Interest
La Glacière is in the forest. To reach it, take the path to the right of the Pont de la Rascasse, then follow the trail to the icehouse. The directions use the bridge and the trail beyond it as landmarks for reaching the destination.
La Roue du puits is at the entrance to Pondres, on Place du Puits. The area’s natural heritage is also part of its profile: the municipality of Fontanès has three ZNIEFF areas, natural areas of ecological, faunal and floral interest. Together, the historic sites, the different hiking themes and the natural areas offer several practical points of reference for getting to know Fontanès as a destination.
Discover more destinations: Caveirac, Argilliers, Saint-Quentin-La-Poterie, Montdardier, Goudargues, Avèze, Saint-Florent-Sur-Auzonnet, Saint-André-De-Roquepertuis
See the regional travel overview: Gard.
