I was completely enchanted by all of Nîmes, but the Jardins de la Fontaine truly took my breath…read moreaway. Even just the approach to the garden is magical--a beautiful allée with a water channel that reflects the trees, and people leisurely chatting and strolling. It was a refreshing change from the car-dominated Bay Area where I'm from! The garden itself was also a delight. We saw an adorable (but feisty) swan who chased off a few people who got a bit too close, which had everyone around laughing as they scrambled away. It's a perfect place for people-watching *or* finding a peaceful spot to relax. I visited in the sweltering summer, and we actually ran out of water, so make sure you bring plenty! Though, a heads-up--the bathroom in the garden is less than ideal. This garden is a must-see if you want to experience Nîmes' Roman influence beyond the famous arena. Imagine yourself back in time, grab a good book, and just soak it all in. On the day we visited, they were setting up for an outdoor movie screening with a massive projector and seats for the community to enjoy. I'm so curious how Nîmes feels in the fall and winter--hopefully, I'll get to find out one day!

A gem of a park within the diminutive city of Nimes. Not to be missed if you want to get a good…read morerendition of Roman architecture during their occupation. The park represents the wealth of the city with its resplendent sculptures and fountains. If you wish to hike up the hill, you will get to the Roman lookout point which is ticketed admission. However, there multiple free views overlooking the city along the way.

Twas a magnificent dive into Roman era Nîmes. The audio guide is a bit screwy though altogether a…read morefascinating revisit into what was and what is

This arena is 20 largest in the world. It is one of the complete ancient arena I have seen. The…read morewall connected to arena was constructed with 80 towers, 10 gates, 7 feet wall thickness and 6 kilometer long to surround the city of Nimes. It is the largest in Roman Gaul. The arena now is using for special event, bull fighting, and more. The arena has museum sections that display the gladiator weapons and outfits. It also show the bull fighter outfit and famous bull fighters. The visit to arena take 1.5 hours. Parking garage below ground is near by.

We came in the morning around 10am, very quiet. We pretty much had the garden to ourselves. A very…read morenice stop to see and feel how Van Gogh painted.

We stumbled on the Espace Van Gogh while walking around Arles our first afternoon. You can see the…read moregarden and fountain Van Gogh immortalized in 'The Courtyard'. The walls are still yellow, the fountain bubbles. It's amazing to look at the unchanged inspiration for Van Gogh. There is no charge to enter the courtyard.

This is a nice little park. There are several benches and people have lunch in the park. On one…read moreside, you can walk to one side to see the old Roman theater through the metal fencing. The park is kind of on a slope, I guess it's mainly used as a passageway for people to walk through. There isn't a lot of grassy space for kids to run around in on the side near the Roman theater. There is a little playground on the other side of the main walkway up to the old city. The main walkway also has a small pool of water. It looks cool from a distance, but look closer and it looks very polluted. There is ice cream and restaurants a little further down the street. This is kind of the only greenery in the area though, so I guess people get their lunch to go and eat in the park. Don't miss one of the Van Gogh easels in the lower part of the park next to the locked gate.

Great smallish park for working out or a family stroll. Lots of people jogging during all daylight…read morehours on both paved and natural trails. There are a set of pneumatic exercise machines and an adult size jungle gym for your upper body enjoyment. Fenced playground area for smaller children and a big, softly sloping sunny hillside for basking. Has a gentle, clear stream running through as well. Very beautiful and fun, even in winter.

It's all about the view. There are a few staircases which will take you to the top. There is a…read morecafe with a little pond. A short strolling path on top.

If you're in Avignon and spending time visiting the Papal Palace, we suggest that you just skip…read moregoing inside the Palace and visit the gardens behind the Palace instead! Why? Because it's FREE and there are nice views of the bridges & Fort St. Andres! We spent at least 30 min wandering around the gardens, riding a see-saw in the children's area, and climbed up a water fountain / rock area, to see some beautiful views of Avignon. :) It's less crowded than other tourist areas, so that's great!

One of our goal of the France trip is to get in touch with nature. This park is one of the major…read morestop of the France flamingo - Camargue. It also call Greater Flamingo. Commonly found in southern Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia. There are total six species of flamingo. The American flamingo is the Caribbean Flamingo. Ornithologique park is the birth place of the Camargue. You will notice they love the shallow swamp area. This area must have a lot of flamingo food. They use their leg dig out the muddy water and eat the food. The wing span close to 6 feet when the takeoff to the sky. This flamingo is not totally pink, but the inner wing is pink. We like this park due to the resting place of the flamingo. There are plenty flamingo in the park. Some of them get close to you. Sometime we see they play with each other.

Good place to stop and see the European flamingo, egrets, herons and other birds. There are tons of…read moreeverything and it's lovely to see them in their natural habitat. Come early to see them and skip the crowds.

An incredibly beautiful place! I'm so very glad that we took a private tour from our cruise ship,…read morewhich was docked in Marseilles, France. We rode to Cassis and enjoyed the town, a wonderful lunch, and then the amazingly beautiful Calanques National Park. It is nestled between Marseille and Cassis on the western edge of the French Riviera. Calanques National Park is a stunning maritime refuge. We took a two hour boat ride of the area. It has breathtaking cliffside trails, water sports, postcard-perfect blue water, and is close to cities on the Riviera. The park is unique for its "calanques", which are steep limestone cliffs and coves that meander for miles along the coast of the Mediterranean. Amazingly beautiful blue "sea creeks" flow around and through the park's 26 calanques. Many people were sunbathing, diving, and swimming by the limestone cliffs, in many different places. It has many tranquil beaches and river-like areas ideal for water sports. The park is also a wildlife refuge with many species. The water was so clear that you could see many fish from the boat. This is such a gorgeous area, I highly recommend a tour to this park and be sure to take a long boat ride into the Calanques!