NIMES FAQ`S

How do I get from the airport to my hotel?

Nîmes-Garons Airport is located about 12 miles from the city center in the town of Garons.

Just one bus serves the airport: a shuttle to Nimes city center. The bus stop can be found a few feet on the right as you exit the airport terminal. The shuttle is timed to coincide with flight departures and arrivals. It leaves the airport shortly after arrivals, so you will need to pass through the airport quickly to catch it after your flight. You can purchase tickets on board the bus, by credit card if necessary. The cost is around €6.80 per person for a one-way ticket. The journey takes about 30 minutes and stops at Nimes train station (Gare SNCF), as well as on the boulevard Gambetta and at various other central locations. You can ask the driver to drop you off at your hotel in the center if need be.

There are several major car rental companies at the airport as well, including Avis, Hertz and Sixt, that all have desks in the arrivals area of the Nîmes Airport. By Car, you can access Nimes via Autoroute A9 or A54.

There is a taxi rank in front of the airport terminal. The cost to go from the airport to Nîmes is about €25 - 30.

Once in Nîmes itself, all sorts of onward connections are available from the rail station, including regional buses, car rentals, and trains.

How do I get from the train station to my hotel?

Train: TGV (high-speed train station): 2h 50 min from Paris, 1h 20 min from Lyon, 1h from Marseille

Trains and buses use the same station. There is only one train station in Nîmes and it is about a half a mile to the Roman arena and town center, a 10 minute walk. There are car rentals and taxis that can found for onward connections as well if you are not going into the city center.

How do I call/hail a taxi?

Taxis can be hailed on the street, at the train station, on Place Aristide Briand or on Boulevard de la Liberation. The city`s only taxi company is Taxi Tran. www.taxinimes.fr, Tel. +33 4 6629 4011

Is Nîmes a walking city?

Nîmes is surprisingly compact, with all of its major sights within comfortable walking distance of each other.

How do I get around Nimes using public transportation?

The Transports en Commun Nimois (TCN) buses can get you where you need to go. The buses provide service throughout the city of Nîmes as well as to the surrounding communities.

The buses run daily, including Sundays and bank holidays, except for May 1. Tickets and weekly passes can be obtained on the buses or at the TCN kiosk at the main Esplanade bus stop. It is open from 7:45 am until 12:15 pm, and then from 1:15 pm until 6:15 pm Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays from 9:00 am until 12 noon, and 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm.

Regional buses are operated by Edgard (tel. 08-10-33-42-73; www.edgard-transport.fr), which runs buses between Nîmes and Avignon, Montpellier, Arles, Uzès, and other local towns.

I will have a car in Nîmes, where can I park?

We recommend using public parking; even if it costs a bit more, as many parts of the city are by parking permit only. Parking is limited. For long term parking we advise you to use on the car parks in the center.

On-street parking Nîmes paid parking is set on Monday-Saturday from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 2:00 - 7:00 pm hours.The parking rates (all are approximations):
- Red zone (max 2 hrs): €0.60/20 min.
- Yellow zone (max 4 hrs): €0.60/20 min.
- Green zone (max 8 hrs): €0.30/20 min.
The first 15 min is free of charge.

Car parks Nîmes
Unlimited parking is set to car parks in the city center. Parking rates in public car parks are about €1.70 to €2.20/hour, daily maximums €13.00 to €21.00.
Parking is free for 2 hours on the first Saturday of each month.
P1 - Parkindigo Arènes - rue Briçonnet rue Notre Dame - Nîmes
P2 - Q-park Gare Feuchères - 1 Allée Boissy d'Anglas - Nîmes
P3 - Interparking Les Halles - 5 Rue des Halles - Nîmes
P4 - Interparking Coupole - 7 Rue des Halles - Nîmes
P5 - Parkindigo Porte Auguste - Blv Alphonse Daudet - Nîmes
P6 - Parkindigo Maison Carrée - Blv Alphonse Daudet - Nîmes
P7 - Interparking Gare de Nîmes - 10 Av. du Général Leclerc - Nîmes
P8 - Q-park Jean Jaures - 56 Rue du Mail - Nîmes
P9 - Parkindigo les Jardins de laFontaine - Place Jules Guesde - Nîmes
P10 - Parking Zenpark - 24 Rue Sainte-Félicite - Nîmes

Is Nimes a dangerous city?

Nîmes is a very friendly town overall, but in many French towns petty crime has been on the rise, and tourists are at the greatest risk so you need to look out for yourself. The most common types of crimes are pickpockets at train stations, on buses and even at the airports.

Women should feel safe while visiting, even if they are traveling alone. All visitors should use caution when heading out at night. Purse snatching, or the snatching of other bags is generally the biggest threat to tourists. Because of this don`t make yourself a target. Don`t flash large sums of money, and watch your possessions at all times when you`re on the go.

If you`re using a rental car make sure to lock the doors while visiting tourist attractions such as museums, monuments, restaurants, hotels, beaches, trains, train stations and airports. Photocopies of travel documents and credit cards should be kept separate from the originals and key telephone numbers maintained to contact banks if credit cards are stolen or lost.

You should always have your passport on you, no matter what. If you get into any trouble you can call the Nîmes Police Department, or get in touch with the United States Consulate or Embassy.

Can I pay/tip in US dollars?

The currency of Nîmes is the Euro, US dollars are not accepted.

We recommend that you exchange a small amount of cash prior to your trip, enough for a cab ride or basic spending on arrival. It is also useful to remind your bank and credit card company that you will be traveling to make sure your cards will work while in France. We recommend you record all your credit card numbers, as well as the phone numbers to call if your cards are lost or stolen.

Under the euro system, there are seven notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. Notes are the same for all countries. There are eight coins: 1 and 2 euros, plus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents.

In Nimes, like elsewhere in France, a service charge is always included in the bill. If you are particularly pleased with the service, you may certainly leave a few extra euros on the table. But this additional tip is neither expected nor necessary.

For more information about tipping visit:
Tipping in France

What is the weather like?

The area of Nîmes is located near the French Mediterranean offers some truly excellent weather year round. The peak tourist season is in the summer months of July and August when the warm sun of the south of France brings the tourists from near and far. Yet it is seldom too hot even on the sunniest days. The temperatures average from the low to mid 80`s during the daytime hours, and tend to cool off as the sun goes down to the mid 60`s at night. Located not far from the Mediterranean Sea the city generally has a mild climate throughout much of year. The summer months tend to be the driest and there is never an exceptionally wet time of the year.
Spring and autumn both feature excellent weather, with temperatures that can still reach the upper 60`s to around 70 degrees during the day, and only fall into the high 40`s at night.

Winters are also a great time to visit as well when you can explore the city off-season and take in the rich historic past. Daytime temperatures can still be well into the 50`s during the day, and the city seldom reaches freezing.

I don`t speak French. Will many people speak English?

French is the official language spoken in Nimes however; you will find the staff at most tourism-related venues (hotels, restaurants, shops, cafes) speak some English. Once you go out of town to the countryside and the mountains there is less English spoken. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

What is the food like?

Some great regional treats such as brandade de morue (creamy salted cod), tapenade, picholine olives and carpet shells or 'petit pâtés nîmois' (small pies) will be staple items found at most of the restaurants in town. Some other local favorites include the `Gardianne de taureau` (a beef stew) or Nîmes lamb, then finish the meal with `Pélardons` (goat cheeses from the Cévennes) and `croquants Villaret` (traditional biscuits). This meal can be accompanied by Costières de Nîmes wines or Perrier water (the spring is just a few miles from Nîmes).

What are the best areas for shopping?

You`ll find shops and little boutiques along many of the narrow streets of the old town, including Rue des Marchands, and the pedestrian Rue de l`Aspic and Rue de la Madeleine. These boutiques are great for all budgets. Les Halles, the large, covered food market in rue Général Perrier, is open daily until 1 pm offering up delicious local produce. A huge all-day Monday market takes place in the parking lot of the Stade des Costières, site of most of the town`s football (soccer) matches, adjacent to the southern edge of the boulevard périphérique that encircles Nîmes. Here you`ll find clothing and flower stalls alongside foodsellers. The organic farmers` market sets up every Friday from 7 am to 1 pm on avenue Jean-Jaurès south of the Jardins de la Fontaine.

Note: Value-added tax (VAT) rate is currently 20% in France for standard goods. A reduced rate of 10% applies to restaurants, transport, and certain medical drugs. And a 5.5% tax applies to food, water and non alcoholic beverages, books, some entertainment events and some domestic personal services. If you are not an EU resident, you may be able to reclaim VAT if you jump through enough hoops.

What is the nightlife like in Nîmes?

The summer months brings all sorts of activities to the arena, including concerts and theater under the stars. More information on these events can be found at the Tourism office. Most any night of the week you`ll be able to find lively crowds at place d`Assas and place de la Maison Carrée.

What are the major events in Nimes?

The traditional Ferias (the `Féria dePentecôt` on the days running up to and including Whit Monday and the `Fériades Vendanges` in the third week of September), with their festivities and bullfights, attract more than a million people every year. In the summer, the Jeudis de Nîmes (Thursdays in Nîmes) boast evening markets and music in the streets of the old town. And then there are the Nuits des Jardins (Garden Nights) where concerts are held in the magnificent setting of the Jardins de la Fontaine, and the Festival de Nîmes concerts that take place in the Roman amphitheatre. The city also hosts the Grands Jeux Romains (Grand Roman Games) when Nîmes lives like the Romans, as well as the much-loved Flamenco Festival, the film festival `Un réalisateur dans la ville, and the `Festival de la Biographie`.

Whatshould I do if I need medical assistance or need to go to the hospital?

Emergency dial 112

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire CHU, 7 Rue Hoche, 3000 Nimes France, Tel. 04 66 59 90 60