The 10 addresses that make Uzès

With its medieval arcades, XVIIIᵉ mansions and imposing castle, it's undeniably one of France's most beautiful towns, and yet. Uzès has never wanted to be confined by its past. Thanks to its film-set heritage, it has starred in numerous films, starting with Jean-Paul Rappeneau's famous Cyrano de Bergerac. It has also launched a number of initiatives to attract artists and craftspeople and promote contemporary culture, with festivals such as Nouvelle Danse, Comics, Nuits Musicales... And that's not all, as the town also invites visitors to discover an ideal landscape, set in the heart of the garrigues and not far from the marvellous Pont du Gard. It's a city that has yet to be discovered , and you'll want to do it fast.. .

Where to stay in Uzès?

Hôtel La Maison d' Uzès

A member of the Relais & Châteaux group, this listed building lies in the very heart of old Uzès. Restored with spirit, it is built around a sumptuous XVIIᵉ staircase that leads to the nine rooms and suites decorated with vintage furniture and natural materials, with splendid views over the city's rooftops. Guests come here for the serenity of the surroundings, for the treatments offered at the l'Occitane spa, nestled under beautiful vaulted ceilings and enriched by aa Roman bath, and for the (very) tasty cuisine of chef Christophe Ducros, which can be enjoyed on the shady patio as soon as the weather turns warm.

• Double room from 222 euros
• 18 rue du Dr Blanchard 30700 Uzès. Tel: 04 66 20 07 00
• Further information on Hôtel La Maison d'Uzès

Guesthouse, Les Toiles du 15

On the edge of town, this former XVIIIᵉ mansion has been transformed into a guest house by artists and designers 100drine and Dom Labreuil, who invite their guests to their suitcases in one of the five rooms decorated with antique floor tiles, vintage furniture and their own works (paintings, sculptures, ceramics). It's the perfect place to call home, where guests are free to use the kitchen for lunch or dinner, enjoy the refreshing garden and swimming pool, and take part in the many meetings and exhibitions organized by the owners...

• Double room from 150 euros
• 15 rue du Puits-Venden 30700 Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers. Tel: 06 87 33 01 40

Where to eat, drink and dine in Uzès?

La Maison d'Uzès

Here's the review of this 3-Toques Gault&Millau restaurant: "A superb marmoreal ensemble in the heart of the town, a private mansion of great cachet playing on the two classifications of the period, Monument historique on the one hand, and Relais & Châteaux on the other." Read more

• Rating : 15/20
• 18 rue du Docteur Blanchard, 30700 Uzès

La Parenthèse

Here's the review of this 1-toque Gault&Millau restaurant: "On the boulevard's doorstep, a regular table that relies on the sure values of tradition, applying it to good effect: rabbit jelly with onion jam and Uzège wine...". Read more

• Score : 11,5/20
• 1-3 rue Grande-Bourgade, 30700 Uzès

La Famille wine bar

On Place aux Herbes, this wine bar is owned by actor Roman Kolinka, who had the good idea of recruiting Victor Faure to preside over the place's destiny. Here, you can sit on the terrace and enjoy a glass of local, organic wine (with special mention for the delights of Domaine La Réméjeanne and Domaine Gournier). And let yourself be tempted by the exquisite tapas prepared by the former chef of Artémise.

• 9 Place aux Herbes 30700 Uzès. Tel: 09 72 83 90 76
• Further information on La Famille

Things to see and do in Uzès

The Place aux Herbes and its market.

Always the beating heart of the town (the Edict of Nantes was proclaimed here) and today, a square full of charm with its medieval arcades and XVIIIᵉ mansions, its plane trees and terraces that play touch-and-go. Locals gather here throughout the day, after a stop at the bookshop La Place aux Herbes, which regularly offers meetings with writers, and where Jean-Louis Trintignant was a regular. On Saturday mornings, the square hosts one of the finest markets in the Gard, with stalls filled with local fruit and vegetables, honey and herbs from the garrigue, fish from Languedoc and meats from Provence. Also a farmers' market on Wednesday mornings.
► Place aux Herbes. 30700 Uzès.

The old town and the Duchy

From the Place aux Herbes, thread your way through the cobbled streets to admire the traces of Uzès' past, starting with the ensemble formed by the former bishop's palace and the Cathédrale Saint-Théodorit with its extraordinary masterpieces: organs protected by a wooden case (the only one in France), round campanile from XIIᵉ, again unique in the country.

From this square, head for the Duchy, reached via rue du Docteur-Blanchard. Dominating the town, the Château des Ducs d'Uzès, the chapel, the old dwelling and the former keep are a very tangible reminder of the town's prestigious past.Now the property of Jacques de Crussol d'Uzès, 17ᵉ of the name, the site houses apartments still decorated with family portraits and Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture. A vivid, life-size plunge into French history.

Claude Thibault

The medieval garden

We love this secret garden, created in the XIIᵉ and set in the shadow of the king's and bishop's towers. Conceived as a living herbarium, it is home to some 450 medicinal or foraging plants, all labelled with their names, origins, virtues and uses in the Middle Ages. Highly committed, the garden is a refuge for the LPO (League for the Protection of Birds) and a member of the Gardon Biosphere Reserve. It's also a place full of poetry, with numerous exhibitions and concerts held at the foot of the King's Tower. Not to be missed!
► Impasse du Port Royal, 30700 Uzès. Tel: 04 66 22 38 21.

Unpolished design Club gallery

Hidden away in the former seminary of Uzès, a high-flying gallery run by Guillaume Petit, who was formerly artistic director of Made in design. Here you'll find the very best in local craftsmanship, including creations born of Noé Duchaufour Lawrance's collaboration with Revol, as well as Italian and Scandinavian design. Lovers of decoration, and in particular contemporary ceramics, can extend their discoveries by heading to the nearby village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, home to some remarkable workshops and the Terra Viva gallery, which organizes sales and exhibitions highlighting a young generation of ultra-talented ceramists.

• Galerie Unpolished design club, 28 Boulevard Charles Gide, 30700 Uzès.
• Galerie Terra Viva, 14 rue de la Fontaine. Saint-Quentin-la-Poteri e

Haras d' Uzès

The only stud farm in southern France and one of the most beautiful in the country. With its 16 hectares of woods and meadows, its 65 stables, its historic carriages and, of course, its horses, this site offers a unique insight into the world of horse riding. Open to visitors all year round, it offers a wide range of activities (carriage driving, discovery of the different equestrian disciplines) and organizes some very fine summer performances in the Grand Maneouvre.s beautiful performances in the 550-seat Grand Manège, including the show Les Peuples Cavaliers, a journey in the company of the world's nomads that recreates, with poetry and emotion, the bond between man and horse.
►Mas des Tailles. 30700 Uzès. Tel: 04 56 22 98 59

An extra escape in Uzès

The Pont du Gard

Built in the Iᵉʳ century by the Romans to span the Gardon, this aqueduct, a Unesco World Heritage site, emerges like a mirage in a landscape of garrigues and high cliffs. A vestige that captivates by its beauty and the incredible challenge of its structure - 275m long and 48m high, with three rows of superimposed arches - exceptional for its time. A must-see at dusk, when the sun envelops the stones in a golden light. Also not to be missed is the nearby museum and its remarkable multimedia exhibition, which provides an educational overview of the building's construction.
►Location and info on pontdugard.fr

© Amy

Ideal for an upcoming weekend away, Uzès has just been ranked 7ᵉ of the world's most welcoming cities, in the Traveller Review Awards 2024 from the Booking platform .