TRAVELAvignon Has a Side Most People Never See8 min read

The Bridge That Only Half Survived

The Pont Saint-Bénézet was built in the 12th century to span the Rhône River, connecting Avignon to the opposite bank. Of the original bridge, only four arches remain — the rest were destroyed by floods over the centuries. Those four surviving arches still reach out over the water with enough presence to convey what the full structure must have looked like. A small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas sits on one of the piers, and informative displays at the site explain the bridge’s construction and history. The Pont Saint-Bénézet is also the subject of a French folk song that most French schoolchildren learn, making it arguably the most famous bridge in the country despite being a fragment. The views of the Rhône, the city walls, and the palace from the bridge are some of the most photographed in Provence.

Roman Engineering 30 Minutes From the City

The Pont du Gard sits about 30 minutes by car from Avignon and represents a completely different era. Built around 60 AD, this Roman aqueduct spans the Gardon River on three tiers of arches and was part of a 50-kilometer water supply system that fed the Roman city of Nîmes. The engineering precision involved — the aqueduct drops only 17 meters over its entire length — remains impressive by any standard. Visitors can walk across the top of the structure and look down at the river below, or follow walking trails along the riverbanks that provide different perspectives on the arches. A visitor center on site provides context about how the aqueduct was designed and built without modern machinery. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved Roman structures anywhere in Europe.