Pont Du Gard

There are many many good hotels in Avignon that are not on RS abbreviated list. If we knew what you're looking for in a hotel then there will be lots of recommendations from posters on this forum. I stayed in the Hotel Central, which was located in the center of town walking distance to the Papal Palace and easy to get to where the buses would pick you up. It's nothing fancy but very clean and convenient, A/C, free wifi, nice staff, pretty garden courtyard. I don't think it's one of RS picks but I enjoyed it. I was there in July during the Theater Festival (actually arrived the night before and saw the big parade which was a blast). I was able to book my July dates in March so they may still have rooms available for your dates. I had a single but I think the doubles were <$150.

Nimes (covered in Rick's Provence book) actually has more bus departures to Pont du Gard, about 6/day Mon-Fri. Arles does not have convenient public transport. I would continue to explore options in Avignon, if that's your first choice. While it's not very scientific, you might try some hotels that Rick describes as have more rooms to start with. A search engine like booking.com can also help identify places with space available.

Wherever you stay, be sure to go to the Pont du Gard. It is truly amazing. This Wikipedia article is a pretty good one about it -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PontduGard.

Walk across the bridge and pay attention to the graffiti scratched into the structure. The oldest I found there was from 1181 with the typical printed capital letters of the time and a dotted cross. It made me wonder if a Crusader had spent some time on that bridge.

My other favorite was a mason's symbol from 1783. My understanding is that French journeyman masons were required to visit the Pont du Gard as part of their traditional tour around France.

I appreciate the suggestion on Nimes. I only have the Rick Steve's France book...not the Provence Book. I am not 100% set on Avignon. I chose it because in the France book it sounded most convenient without a car. We were planning on arriving by train to Avignon and then bus to Pont Du Gard. Really we just wanted to see the Pont Du Gard...where we stay as a base doesn't matter much.

My wife and I spent two nights in Nimes and used it as a base to explore Pont du Gard and Orange (we had a car). We loved it. There's a great arena, the Jardins de la Fontaine, Maison Carree, and the Castellum Aquae where water was distributed from Pont du Gard. It was smaller and quieter than Arles. We stayed in and airbnb rental in the heart of the roman town which was within walking distance to everything we wanted to see in Nimes.

I'd definitely suggest the RS Provence book as well for the additional info. There is a Kindle version available too, though it's not a huge book.
The Pont du Gard was a real highlight for us, just incredible. We arrived an hour or so before sunset and left well after dark. Had the place practically all to ourselves in mid September.

There are B&B's in Avignon as well, we used one and it was great not only to catch breakfast before heading out, but to have some conversation with the owner to start the day. A B&B saves a stop for you, and when using public transport that could be a big deal.

I took the bus from Nimes to Pont du Gard two summers ago, it was easy but be sure you know the timetable. If you stay in Nimes, there may be tours of Pont du Gard that include a rafting segment on the river that passes under the acqueduct. I loved Nimes, enough to do there and very convenient transportation to other towns.

You will definitely have an easier time getting do the Pont du Gard out of Nimes over Avignon. I spent four months in Avignon, and know it pretty well - you are going to love it! Just take the train to Nimes, and there are more frequent buses out to the Pont du Gard. It's reasonably convenient.

Be sure you go to the Pont du Gard museum before you walk up to the bridge. It is a great little museum and well worth learning about how the bridge was built before actually seeing it.

I second the recommendation for the museum at Pond du Gard -- it also helps fill in the sites at Nimes, Arles, and all the way down to Marseilles -- where there is another almost new museum worth most of a day.

Hi

Dont know if its available but we have booked rooms at hotel Bristol, which seems very reasonable and well located. Havent stayed there yet but will be in Avignon for three days after dropping car off (after seeing Pont Du Gard)

Enjoy

Mike DC

Thanks for the advice on the museum at the Pont Du Gard. We will make sure to visit that first!