Once upon a time... the Pont du Gard

An interactive museum
Here, you'll find an interactive museum, designed like an interpretation centre, which will immerse you in the heart of Roman culture. After visiting the museum you'll know all there is to know about a wide range of subjects: you'll learn about the importance of water, its different uses, the engineering techniques used to control the water supply and build such a vast structure 2,000 years ago, and also how one of the world's best preserved and oldest monuments has managed to survive the centuries. Whether it is a simple one hour walk or a full half-day immersion, visitors are free to wander around the site at their own pace, conducting their own investigations!

Throughout the museum, multimedia technology, models, virtual reconstructions and sound effects lend a sense of realism to these images from the past. Life size reconstructions of the Pont du Gard’s quarries, its canal and two of the third-tier arches are the most spectacular part of these themed areas.

A documentary "A bridge across time"

To round off the museum visit, or for those in a hurry, right next to the museum is a cinema which screens a 15 minute film, on constant a loop, retracing the entire history of the site and aqueduct. "A bridge across time" is a documentary that transports visitors from one era to another, accompanied by a rather unusual guide, a dragonfly created from computer-generated images.
This film, which has no audio commentary, is accessible to all, whatever your age or language. Most of the film is made up of images, with breathtaking views of the aqueduct. Plans alternate with video images, teaching illustrations, animations and chronological markers, outlining the history of the monument.

Ludo for 5 and 12 years old

For children, there's also a fun play area - the Espace Ludo - next to the museum and cinema. The Espace Ludo, designed to stimulate curiosity and provoke questions, is a genuine discovery playground for children aged between 5 and 12. Take your children on a fascinating expedition which will engage their powers of observation and imagination. Explore the ancient world by putting yourself in the shoes of a Gallo-Roman schoolchild or archaeologist, learn how to control water using a variety of techniques, and discover the wealth of flora and fauna that populate the site.

The remains of the aqueduct in a mediterranean garden "Memoires de garrigue"

Finally the outdoor Mémoires de Garrigue trail will take you on a journey back in time, exploring the history of Mediterranean agriculture, the local terroir and the remains of the aqueduct that snake through the garrigue. Discover the wide variety of plants that thrive in this environment and delight in the subtlety of their colours and scents. Follow the 1.4 km looped trail through 15 acres of restored agricultural land and discover the great richness of this Mediterranean landscape. You can explore to your heart's content, wandering through fields of cereal crops, vineyards, olive and mulberry trees, holm oaks, fruit trees and other useful plants. It's a delightful, poetic, rural trail that you can enjoy throughout the year; an oasis of calm and a great place to wander. As you follow the trail, you'll begin to appreciate the role played by man in shaping this garrigue landscape and developing pastoral and agricultural practices over the years.

Whatever your schedule, your age, or intellectual curiosity, a detour to the Pont du Gard's various museum zones is a must if you want to learn about the history of this unique site.