Le Bois des Écureuils

The excellently-preserved medieval city of Avignon about 20 minutes' drive to the east is a must see if you're anywhere in Gard or the Languedoc-Roussillon region (or indeed the whole south of France). The city still has its original fortified city walls, part of a vast range of Avignon historical sights including the 11th-century cathedral, the Pont d'Avignon, built in the 12th century, and the famed papal palace or Palais des Papes in the Place de l'Horloge nearby, once the seat of western Christianity in the 14th century. Spectacular architecture, old churches, an extensive pedestrianised shopping area, and cafés and bars of all sorts also await in Avignon, along with the boutiques, shops and art galleries of the Rue de la Republique. A fine selection of museums is around too: go to check out the Musee du Petit Palais, the Musee Louis-Vouland and the Calvet Museum of Fine Arts, set in an 18th-century townhouse. Just under 15 minutes to the west is the magnif 50-kilometre length of the Pont du Gard, a famed tourist attraction in France for centuries, and one of the best-preserved aqueducts of the entire Roman empire.