Quick answer
From Collias, 12 minutes from La Valette by our own measure, the run to the Pont du Gard is 8 km and about 2 hours of paddling. The Ardèche gorges are 53 minutes away and are regulated by a prefectural order: lifejacket, swimming ability and a water level below which the descent is allowed. Hirers open from April to October; the 2027 dates are not published.
Good for: a warm day on the water: a family run under the Pont du Gard, or a full day in a reserve.
Not for: non-swimmers, children under 7 on the Ardèche, or a trip planned without checking the water level.
The Gardon run reaches the Roman bridge, so you see the Pont du Gard from the water, and the same river is covered in Gorges du Gardon and Collias. For a swim without a boat see our swimming guide, and for the longer wild descent see the Gorges de l'Ardèche, with the Cèze villages for the Cèze.
| What | What to know | Check before you go |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Collias is about 12 minutes from La Valette by our own measure. Goudargues, for the Cèze, is about 29 km and 33 minutes from Uzès by a route planner (Rome2Rio). Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, for the Ardèche, is about 53 minutes by our own measure. La Valette is five minutes from Uzès. | A live map on the day. |
| The Gardon from Collias | A class 1 river, navigable from the age of 6 according to one hirer. The run from Collias to the Pont du Gard is 8 km, about 2 hours of paddling, and a hirer advises adding one or two hours for a swim and a picnic. Runs of 8 to 30 km are offered depending on the time of year, and a 12 km run from the Pont Saint-Nicolas to Collias in the early season until the end of June. The car park is at the entrance of Collias coming from Uzès or Remoulins, and shuttles bring paddlers back every half hour according to a 2022 page. | One operator lists its 2026 season as 4 April to 19 October; the 2027 season is not published. We found nothing on low water in dry summers: ask the hirer, and look at the prefecture's water-restriction orders. |
| The Cèze | A hirer's guide lists the Cèze as open from April to October, with runs of 5 to 19 km, and a descent starts from Goudargues, the village with the plane-lined canal described in our Cèze guide. | We found no class, age limit or water-level rule for the Cèze: ask the hirer. |
| The Ardèche gorges | Hirers offer an introduction of 8 km under the Pont d'Arc, a run of 7 km in 2h30 to 3h, 13 km from Sampzon to Châmes in 3h30 to 4h, and the full day of 24 km in the nature reserve, 6 to 7 hours, with calm water and class II and III rapids according to one hirer, or two days with a bivouac. Booking is strongly advised in July and August. | Lengths and times differ between hirers. We found no season for the reserve and no flood threshold: both are for you to check. |
| The rules on the Ardèche | According to hirers' guides, a prefectural order allows the descent below a water level of 0.50 metres for the runs of 7, 24 or 31 km and below -0.30 metres for the runs of 5, 12 or 36 km. The lifejacket is compulsory and everyone must be able to swim; children under 7 are not allowed in a self-guided hire. A two-day descent requires a bivouac access title for Gaud or Gournier or proof of a booking at an authorised campsite, under the order of 22 May 2006 on the nature reserve. | These rules come from hirers' blogs and not from the order itself: read the current prefectural order, and ask the hirer on the day. |
In season
April to October, book July and August
For summer 2027 the practical rule is to book the Ardèche in advance for July and August, and to ask the Gardon hirer in spring which runs are open, since the 12 km run only operates early in the season. In a hot dry summer, water levels and the fire-risk rules for the Gard can change the day: stay flexible.
A day
Collias for an easy day
The Collias run is the easy day: 12 minutes from La Valette, 8 km, about 2 hours of paddling, with a swim and a picnic on the way. The Ardèche is the full day, 53 minutes each way, with a booking and the water level to check first.
Combine
Add the bridge from above
After the Gardon run, the Pont du Gard is at the end of the water; Gorges du Gardon and Collias covers the gorge on foot and our swimming guide the places to swim without a boat.
Frequently asked
Paddling near Uzès
The Gardon from Collias to the Pont du Gard (8 km, about 2 hours of paddling), the Cèze (runs of 5 to 19 km, from April to October) and the Ardèche gorges (from 7 km to a full day of 24 km). Collias is about 12 minutes from La Valette and the Ardèche about 53.
On the Ardèche, yes: hirers' guides say a prefectural order requires everyone to be able to swim and to wear a lifejacket, and children under 7 are not allowed in a self-guided hire. For the Gardon, a hirer says from the age of 6; ask the hirer about swimming.
One Gardon operator lists its 2026 season from 4 April to 19 October, and a hirer's guide gives the Cèze as open from April to October. The 2027 season is not yet published, so ask the hirers in spring.
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