La Tour Magne

La Tour Magne

 

Located in the city of Nîmes, at the top of the boulevard Jean Jaurès, in the Garden “Le Jardin de la Fontaine”, the Tour Magne are something you must see. To access this monument you will need to get along a pleasant walk to the top of the hill of le Jardin de la Fontaine. There you will reach this stunning Roman watchtower named la Tour Magne. Please notice that along the way you can see several panels that show you the direction of the Tour Magne, so if you are kind of lost no need to panic, you just have to simply follow them until you reach the tower. You can buy a ticket to get on top of this 92ft high monuments to get a breathtaking view over the city and until the Mediterranean see when the sky is clear.

 

Location

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Tour Magne, Jardin de la Fontaine, Nîmes

Dated from 15 BC The Tour Magne was a part of the former fortified ramparts that were literally surrounding the city of Nîmes. In the begging, when Nîmes “the Colonia Nemausensis” (in Latin, Colonia means “colony” and Nemausensis means “From Nemausus”, please remember that the city was named after Nemausus the god of the local springs… was just created, the Tour Magne was much smaller than now and it was constructed on this hill, as a part of the ramparts, because it is the highest point of the city. Later on the city of Nîmes became so developed and prosperous that the Emperor Augustus to show is power and for obvious military reasons decided to upgrade the Tour Magne with much thicker and octagonal shape walls as well as taller top.

Therefore this 92ft high watchtower have a breath taking view over Nîmes. So after purchasing a ticket, you can climb up the stairs from the inside unto the top. The tickets can be purchased directly at the Tour Magne. Inside, at the ground floor you can see an interesting museum explaining most of the things you need to know about the tower. The museum also display a fun and interactive tactile screen featuring a map of the city throughout the time. After having a look at this museum, you can climb up all the stairs to the top. It looks quite impressive and exhausting at first but it is worth the effort! Once you reach the top the panoramic view is just stunning and when the sky is clear you can even see the Mediterranean sea.

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View from the Tour Magne, Jardin de la Fontaine, Nîmes

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Once you finish the visit of the Tour Magne you can walk down to the West gate and enjoy a refreshing drink at the Pavillon de La Fontaine. If you go to the East gate you can see a small kiosk with refreshing drinks and a place where people play the local game Petanque. From the East gate you can also reach the main canal and walk along the Quai de la Fontaine to reach the Square Antonin, where you can see the statue of the Emperor Antonin.

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Square Antonin, Nîmes

Accommodation

If you are planning to go to Nîmes, you can easily book your hotel on Tripadvisor by clicking to the link bellow
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It is easy to use, you can compare the different accommodations and you will get the best deals.

 

Ben – The South of France

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