Where to See the Roman Empire in the South of France

The port at Marseille, France, highly prized since (and perhaps before) the Greek empire. August 18, 2019.

I don’t need to tell you that the Roman Empire expanded well beyond Rome—in fact, in its heyday, Rome covered a vast territory that spread around the entirety of the Mediterranean Sea.

Though the Roman Empire included the entirety of what today we call France, it had its power seats—its regional hubs and largest cities—in the south of France, along the Mediterranean. In fact, Marseille calls itself the first city in France due to its history as first a Greek and then a Roman stronghold—a timeline that reaches far back into recorded antiquity.

Alas, much of Roman Marseille has gotten buried in the city of today, though it still has a strong presence easily uncovered if you visit the city with a focus on learning its Roman history. (Yet, as Marseille is the largest city in France, you can also visit Marseille and see nothing Roman whatsoever.)

Fortunately, Roman history lovers will find sites in the south of France where the Roman Empire has pride of place and where its artifacts have maintained much of their form over the centuries.

A little history factoid for you: In many cases, we no longer have ancient ruins because when a building fell out of use or fashion, people destroyed it to make space for something else—much as we do today. In some cases, especially for buildings made of stone, people then used the components for new construction. (Stone is heavy and pricey, after all!)

In the cases of some of the Roman Empire sites so well preserved in the South of France, we still have them today because people continued to use them—often all the way up to the time at which city leadership realized their historic value and decided to preserve them as tourist sites. (In fact, the arena in Arles and the stadium in Nîmes are even still in use today for sporting events and performances.)

Let’s dig into what Roman Empire marvels you can see on your visit to the south of France.

The Roman Amphitheater and Theater in Arles

Arles doesn’t have as much of its Roman past preserved as Nimes does, but you’ll still find here a remarkably intact Roman amphitheater and a theater.

The gorgeously well preserved amphitheater in Arles, France. August 19, 2019.

The amphitheater has occasional guided tours and a few posters on the walls to explain what you see—though mainly you’ll need to imagine or research in advance the role and functioning of this large entertainment center built in the first century.

You’ll find the theater, also built in the first century, right next to the amphitheater. Though not as well preserved, you can still get a feel for the overall large size (it could house around 10,000 people) and layout of the space.

If you visit over lunch, consider a meal at L’Épicerie du Cloître (or head out of Arles to one of the other restaurants in Provence we loved).

For ideas on other things to see and do in the region, check out my articles about Avignon (in the summer and in the winter) and my article—with links to more!—about vacationing in Provence.

Nîmes: The Best-Preserved Roman City in France

Nîmes, one of ancient Rome’s regional capitals, has one of the best-preserved Roman arenas existing today—one that has become a massive concert venue for big-name musical stars, even.

The regular people, like me, get to walk through the stadium in Nîmes and learn about it via a (slightly cheesy) audio guide in several languages, including English. You get to visit the stadium floor as part of the tour—the aspect that impressed me the most. From the center of the stadium, standing on the gravel, I felt I best experience the immensity of the space.

Arnaud and me on the floor of the arena in Nîmes, France. March 1, 2022.

Nearby, Nîmes features a massive museum covering Roman history and, a short walk from the stadium and museum, you can see a temple to Diana; a large rectangular temple called, incongruously (because it is neither a house or square), the Maison Carrée; and the remains of an old castellum aquae basin that distributed water into the city from the Pont du Gard aqueduct, which the Romans had built to provide water to Nimes.

Note that the tourist venues in Nîmes close for lunch, so plan accordingly! Fortunately, you can easily walk to several cute restaurants in the city center during the break—just make reservations, as they fill up quickly.

The Pont du Gard and its Museum

To see the starting point for that aqueduct in Nîmes, you can travel a bit to see the Pont du Gard, a stunning—and stunningly well preserved—feat of engineering spanning the Gard River (where you can see people bathing, picnicking, and camping).

The Pont du Gard is massive; seeing it really brought home to me the power of the Roman Empire—not just in terms of size and political heft, but in wealth and knowledge. You have to appreciate the money needed to build this structure and the intellectual and physical know-how required to conceive of it and then realize it.

The Pont du Gard in France, a massive feat of ingenuity, audacity, and engineering. August 24, 2019.

The site has a museum adjacent to it where you can learn more about the building of the aqueduct and the Roman history around it, which is absolutely worth a visit.

Click here to read more on our visit to the Pont du Gard, including other things to do in the region.

The South of France is a Feast for Food and History

If you love history—especially ancient history—like I do, you have a feast of options in the south of France.

Even better?

You have a feast of food to enjoy between site visits, too! After all, France—and especially its southern regions—deserves its reputation as a gastronomic powerhouse.

With great food and great Roman sites, you might not even need to visit Italy. (And now on that count, I am definitely kidding.)