Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard combines marked hiking trails with Romanesque heritage and traces of the Nîmes aqueduct. The routes vary in length and destination: the Le Pont du Gard hike is a five-hour circular route, while the Sentier des Volques leads to the Oppidum of Marduel. There are also paths through vineyards and garrigue, as well as historic buildings and archaeological remains in the village.
Hiking to the Aqueduct and Oppidum
The Le Pont du Gard hike is 18.6 kilometres long and takes five hours. It starts and ends at Place de la Fontaine, where parking is also recommended. The route is marked with the PR départementale and GR® trail markers. It passes through the garrigue and reveals hidden remains of the former Roman aqueduct, which ran from Uzès to Nîmes. Check the latest trail and parking information before setting out, as conditions in the field and access rules may change.
The Sentier des Volques offers a different destination: it leads to the Oppidum of Marduel and passes through vineyards and garrigue. The trail is suitable for families, marked in yellow and equipped with signs and orientation markers. This distinguishes it thematically from the Le Pont du Gard circular hike: here, the focus is on the oppidum and the trail’s landscape, while the other route highlights a longer circular hike and the remains of the aqueduct.
The Sentier de l’aqueduc et des tunnels romains runs through the garrigue to the Vallon d’Escaunes site. Its destination places further emphasis on the history of the aqueduct and the Roman tunnels. Together, the named trails showcase different facets of the area: a longer circular hike, a trail to the oppidum and a route to the Vallon d’Escaunes. For practical planning, the Le Pont du Gard route has a specified length and duration; for the other two trails, the focus here is on their destinations and landscapes.
Church, Oppidum and Aqueduct
Saint-Bonnet Church is a fortified Romanesque church. Its features include a former fortified porch, a wall walk above the vaults and crenellated levels above the transept arms. The church was classified as a Monument historique on 7 February 1907. Its architectural description gives the village’s Romanesque heritage a tangible form, while the archaeological remains tell a different, older story.
Most of the archaeological remains of the Oppidum of Marduel are located in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard. The oppidum overlooked a ford across the Gardon; around 525 BC, a monumental wall was built there. Several sections of the Nîmes aqueduct are visible in the village. The Gallo-Roman archaeological site of the Nîmes aqueduct in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard is protected as a Monument historique. The remains of the oppidum and those of the aqueduct thus represent different historical themes that can be considered separately when exploring the area.
Calade, Fountain and Crosses
Smaller structures and paths also tell the story of the village. Behind the medieval gate runs a steep path paved with pebbles: a calade typical of the Midi. The covered fountain and washhouse were built in 1861. Earlier, in 1806, under Napoleon I, a fountain was built to replace a capitelle. The two dates mark different stages in the history of the water supply, and the fountain and washhouse are not the same structure.
The religious crosses of Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard can be explored on a walk around the commune. Together with the church, the calade and the fountain and washhouse, they add further themes to the village’s history alongside its archaeological sites and hiking trails. When choosing where to stay, you can weigh up routes with specific destinations against a closer look at the commune’s architectural and religious heritage.
Discover more destinations: Ribaute-Les-Tavernes, Aramon, La Calmette, Collias, La Roque-Sur-Cèze, Massillargues-Attuech, La Bastide-D'engras, Concoules.
Go to the regional travel overview: Gard.
