La Valette Boutique
Sanilhac-Sagriès, 30700 Gard, France
Many people visit the Pont du Gard as a day trip from Nîmes or Avignon. We think that is the wrong approach, or at least a different one from what this place actually offers. This is a guide to staying close.
The Pont du Gard sits in the Gard between Uzès and Remoulins, and the quietest bases nearby are the villages around Uzès rather than the monument itself. La Valette Boutique is in Sanilhac-Sagriès, about fifteen minutes by car from the bridge and five minutes from Uzès. Staying nearby allows an early morning visit, before the day-trip crowds, when the aqueduct and the Gardon below are at their calmest.
La Valette Boutique is a self-catering boutique stay in Sanilhac-Sagriès, five minutes south of Uzès in the Gard and fifteen minutes from the Pont du Gard. You can book La Petite Valette (sleeps 2), La Grande Valette (sleeps 4) or La Maison, the whole house (sleeps 6).
| Location | Sanilhac-Sagriès, between Uzès and the Pont du Gard |
|---|---|
| Pont du Gard | 15 minutes by car |
| Uzès | 5 minutes by car |
| Nîmes | 30 minutes by car |
| Avignon | 45 minutes by car |
| Apartments | La Petite Valette (sleeps 2) and La Grande Valette (sleeps 4), or both together as La Maison (sleeps 6) |
| Booking | Direct with the hosts, no platform fees |
The morning argument
More than a million people visit the Pont du Gard every year, and summer days are the busiest. The site is open daily from 8:00 until midnight, so anyone staying close can arrive soon after it opens, usually with fewer people around and softer light on the limestone. That is hard to manage as a day trip from a city an hour away. Staying 15 minutes from the entrance makes it easy.
The river
The Gardon river runs beneath the aqueduct. In summer you can swim from the river beaches beside the site, at your own risk: there is no lifeguard, diving and jumping are prohibited, and swimming within 30 metres of the bridge is banned. For a quieter alternative, the village of Collias, 12 minutes from La Valette Boutique, has river access too. Our swimming guide has the details and the safety rules.
Four real options compete for anyone searching for somewhere to stay near the Pont du Gard, and each is a genuine trade rather than a sales pitch. Here is how we see them, including where staying right at the monument beats us.
| Base | Distance to the bridge | What you get | The honest tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vers-Pont-du-Gard | At the monument itself | Hotels and rentals right by the site; a hotel such as La Bégude Saint-Pierre is roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk from the aqueduct | Nothing beats this for proximity, but you are close to the day-trip traffic around the site rather than in a village of your own |
| Remoulins | A few minutes by car | The nearest proper town: shops, a pharmacy, a choice of places to eat, and a free, unsupervised river bathing spot near the centre | Practical and central, but it is a workaday town on a main road, chosen for convenience rather than character |
| Collias | About 12 minutes by car, or an 8 km paddle downstream by kayak (roughly two to three hours) | A village on the Gardon itself, with canoe hire and the best river access in the Gorges du Gardon | The right base if the river and the gorges are the main draw; quieter than Vers-Pont-du-Gard but busy with canoeists in summer |
| Villages near Uzès (our own category) | About 15 minutes by car | Genuine quiet, self-catering apartments in restored stone houses, and Uzès itself five minutes away for markets and restaurants | You trade a short drive for a real evening: no coach parks, no queues outside the door, and a kitchen of your own |
We will say plainly where we lose this comparison: nothing beats a room at Vers-Pont-du-Gard, right by the monument, for sheer proximity to the bridge. A hotel there, such as La Bégude Saint-Pierre, puts the aqueduct roughly fifteen to twenty minutes away on foot. Fifteen minutes away in a village, with a kitchen of your own and Uzès five minutes off, is the better trade for most travellers, though not for everyone, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
The triangle
La Valette Boutique is 5 minutes from Uzès and 15 from the Pont du Gard. Nîmes is 30 minutes. Avignon is 45. The property sits at the centre of a triangle of Roman heritage and Provençal landscape, a position that makes a base here more useful than staying in any one of those cities.
What the position alone does not tell you is how a stay here is set up. Both apartments are self-catering, so you can cook what you buy at the Uzès market rather than eating out for every meal. La Petite Valette suits a couple; La Grande Valette suits a family of four; or the two combine as La Maison for up to six guests across three bedrooms and two kitchens. Booking is direct with us, with no platform fees added to the price. And in the evening Sanilhac-Sagriès is a small village rather than a tourist site, a different kind of near from a hotel beside the monument.
How long to stay
Whether you are here for two nights or basing yourselves for a week, the Pont du Gard sits fifteen minutes away regardless, which is what makes the length of stay a separate question from where to stay. We set out how different lengths of stay actually play out in How Many Days in Uzès?, but the short version here: two nights is enough to see the bridge properly and swim in the Gardon without rushing, and four nights or more is where a self-catering base, rather than a hotel room, starts to earn its cost.
Practical notes
Tickets, parking and the museum are covered in full in our Pont du Gard guide. What matters for a stay-nearby visit is timing: arriving before the queue forms, not after.
It depends on what you want from the stay. For pure proximity, nothing beats a hotel at Vers-Pont-du-Gard, right by the monument. For most travellers, though, we think a village fifteen minutes away is the better overall base: La Valette Boutique, in Sanilhac-Sagriès, is 15 minutes from the Pont du Gard and 5 from Uzès, with two self-catering apartments in a restored 18th-century stone house, a quiet village setting, and direct booking with no platform fees. Check availability and book with the booking widget on the homepage, or email bonjour@lavaletteboutique.com with questions.
Yes, at your own risk. In summer the river beaches beside the site are used for swimming, but there is no lifeguard, diving and jumping are prohibited, and swimming within 30 metres of the bridge is banned (suction around the piers). For a quieter option, the village of Collias, 12 minutes from La Valette Boutique, has river access too.
For many visitors, yes. Staying nearby means you can be at the site soon after it opens at 8:00, ahead of day-trippers with a longer drive, and see the aqueduct in softer morning light. That is much harder as a day trip from a city an hour away.
From Uzès the Pont du Gard is roughly 20 km by road, about half an hour by car depending on the route. From La Valette Boutique in Sanilhac-Sagriès it is 15 minutes.
In July and August, early morning or evening is the more comfortable choice: the site is open daily from 8:00 until midnight, and the middle of the day is the hottest. In spring, autumn and winter, timing matters less. From 2 November 2026 the museum, cinema and exhibition spaces close, while the monument and riverbanks stay free to walk.
Two nights is comfortable for both: a full day in Uzès and a half-day at the Pont du Gard, unrushed, with time for a swim in the Gardon. Longer stays work well as a regional base rather than more time at either single site. We cover this in full in How Many Days in Uzès?
Honestly, both have a case. Uzès gives you an old town with a market, restaurants and an evening of its own, five minutes from La Valette Boutique. Staying right at the Pont du Gard gives you the shortest possible walk to the bridge, at the cost of an evening spent among day visitors. We lean toward Uzès and the villages around it, because the evenings are quieter and the stay feels less like camping next to a tourist site, but if the bridge itself is the whole point of the trip, staying at Vers-Pont-du-Gard is a defensible choice.
The villages around Uzès, rather than Uzès itself or the monument. Sanilhac-Sagriès, where La Valette Boutique is based, is a small village rather than a tourist site. It is five minutes from Uzès and fifteen from the Pont du Gard, close enough for both without staying in the thick of either.
Yes. La Valette Boutique offers two private, self-catering apartments in a restored 18th-century stone house: La Petite Valette, one bedroom for two with its own entrance, and La Grande Valette, two bedrooms for up to four. Both have a fully equipped kitchen and private bathroom, and can also be booked together as La Maison, the whole house, for up to six guests across three bedrooms with two kitchens.
If proximity to the bridge is your only priority, a hotel at Vers-Pont-du-Gard, such as La Bégude Saint-Pierre, puts you closer than anywhere else, about a twenty-minute walk from the aqueduct. If you would rather have a quiet evening, a kitchen, and more space for the price, a village fifteen minutes away, ours included, is the better trade for most people. There is no single right answer, only a different one depending on what you are optimising for.
La Petite Valette sleeps two in one bedroom with a private entrance. La Grande Valette sleeps four across two bedrooms. Both have a fully equipped kitchen and private bathroom. Together they form La Maison, the whole house, for up to six guests across three bedrooms with two kitchens and two entrances. All bookings are direct with the hosts, with no platform fees.
Two self-catering apartments in a restored 18th-century stone house in Sanilhac-Sagriès, 15 minutes from the Pont du Gard and 5 from Uzès. Book directly on the homepage, no platform fees.
Payment and cancellationAccording to our terms, 50% is due at booking and the balance 14 days before arrival. If you cancel before arrival, 25% of the prepayment is refunded; there is no refund after arrival.
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