Experience the best of Nîmes

Nîmes grew around a spring, where the Romans laid out a town in the first century BC. The Arènes, an amphitheatre among the best preserved in the Roman world, still hosts bullfights and concerts, and the Maison Carrée, a small temple with Corinthian columns, stands in a square opposite Norman Foster's glass-fronted Carré d'Art, a gallery of contemporary art.

The Jardins de la Fontaine, laid out in the 18th century around the Roman spring, climb to the Tour Magne, a Roman tower on a hill with views over the city. A crocodile chained to a palm tree on the city's coat of arms recalls the veterans who settled here, and the cloth woven in Nîmes gave denim its name. The Pont du Gard, a three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge, lies to the north-east, and the walled town of Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue to the south.

Brandade de morue, a purée of salted cod, olive oil and milk, is the signature dish, served beside olives from local groves and the red, white and rosé wines of the Costières de Nîmes. At Pentecost the Féria fills the streets with bullfighting and music. Summers are hot and dry, with a bright light.