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The Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard in the south of France near Avignon is one of the greatest sights in all of ancient history. It's an incredibly impressive structure, in fact, the tallest ancient bridge and the second highest structure the Romans ever built, after the Colosseum in Rome which is just six feet higher.
Pont du Gard is part of an ancient, water channel about 31 miles in length, built mostly on or beneath the ground to carry water to Nimes. The Romans constructed this bridge across the valley about 2,000 years ago to maintain an even flow of water with just a very slight change in level, dropping only about one inch every 300 feet. This engineering miracle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Three levels of arches hold up the water channel that runs across the top. The tallest arches that Roman engineers ever built are on the bottom. Their buildings relied heavily on the arch, for many interior spaces were differing variations of this critical feature: large rooms were often made with barrel-vaulted ceilings, really a series of arches connected together, and an arch could also be spun around on its axis to form a dome, another important Roman innovation.
Coming all this way to Pont du Gard, you want to fully enjoy the various vistas for a complete appreciation. The paved path from the visitor center affords some decent views, but don't settle for this. Stroll across the bridge, then up a well-marked hillside path to gain access to the aqueduct's upper level where you can actually walk through the canal itself. It is partly open and partly covered, forming a dark tunnel that tall folks will need to stoop to get through. In ancient times it was completely covered over to protect the water. Here you acquire first-hand respect for the amazing engineering skill that created this marvel.
Exiting the aqueduct channel, walk back down slope, then along the stream on the sunny side of the structure for a few hundred yards to get the best possible view looking back toward the soaring masterpiece. Perhaps you'll get lucky and have a calm day with a mirror reflection of the bridge in the river's smooth surface. This is one of the world's most astonishing ancient sights, a marvel inherited from antiquity.
Keep one eye on the clock, for you might want to catch the bus to Avignon, leaving the same traffic circle at 1:22pm and arriving back in Avignon at 2:00pm. You do want that 1:22pm bus because the next one is at 6:45pm, reasonable only if you spent more time in Nimes earlier in the day. Otherwise, it's nice to be back in the great city of Avignon by mid-afternoon to catch up on sights you may have missed, do more shopping, or take a nap to recover from these three intensive days.