Quick answer
Beaucaire is about 34 km from Uzès, 33 minutes by car according to a route planner, and Tarascon about 36 km and 35 minutes. By public transport a bus and a train take about 1h55 to Beaucaire and about 1h45 to Tarascon. The château of Tarascon has guided visits and, in the 2023 winter grid we could read, is closed on Monday.
Good for: a short drive, a castle morning in the cooler months, and the last weekend of June for the Tarasque festival.
Not for: a Monday in winter at Tarascon, or a day built around the Beaucaire château hours, which we could not pin down.
Beaucaire stands in the Gard and Tarascon in the Bouches-du-Rhône, on either bank of the river. The pair is a short half-day or a morning before Arles or Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue; Saint-Gilles and Les Baux-de-Provence have their own guides on the same side of the region.
| What | What to know | Check before you go |
|---|---|---|
| Drive from Uzès | Beaucaire about 34 km and 33 minutes, Tarascon about 36 km and 35 minutes (a route planner, Rome2Rio). By public transport the line 152 bus and a train take about 1h55 to Beaucaire and about 1h45 to Tarascon; the cheapest route to Beaucaire is two buses, about 2h19. La Valette is five minutes from Uzès. | A live map on the day; the timetables on the day. |
| The château of Tarascon | A castle on the Rhône completed in 1449, which lost its strategic role after the death of King René in 1480. The château's own page (2023) gives October to March Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00, closed on Monday, with guided visits at 10:30 and 15:00 from January to June and September to December. A July 2026 programme gives daily 9:30 to 12:30 and 13:45 to 18:30 in summer. | We could not find the 2026-27 winter grid, only the 2023 one. The list of closed days differs between guides (1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, 25 December on one, fewer on another). Check before you go. |
| The Tarasque festival | Held every year on the last weekend of June over four days, with the race of the Tarasque and the parade of the guilds, the arrival of Tartarin and bull-running in the arena. The festival has been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2005, and the 2026 programme made the castle free to enter over the weekend. | The 2026 agendas disagree on the days (27 to 29 June on most, 25 to 28 June on one): ask the town for the dates of the next edition. |
| The château of Beaucaire | The château belongs to the town and is open to the public. A site lists a birds-of-prey show at the castle in the late-October holidays, and another says the show is no longer offered. | We found no reliable hours and nothing on the interior or the history of the castle: ask the town hall or the tourist office, and do not plan around the show. |
In winter
A castle in the cold months
Tarascon is a good short winter outing because the château is open from Tuesday to Sunday on the 2023 grid and the guided visits run in the cold months too. Always confirm the current grid first; for other plans, see Uzès in winter.
A day
Tarascon, then Beaucaire
Book the guided visit of the château at Tarascon first (10:30 in the 2023 listing), then cross the river for Beaucaire in the afternoon. The two towns are only a short drive apart; we give no figure for it because we did not find one.
Combine
Add Arles or Les Baux
Arles and Les Baux-de-Provence have their own guides and each is a full day; for a lighter one, Saint-Gilles and Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue sit on the way to the coast.
Frequently asked
A day at Tarascon and Beaucaire
Beaucaire is about 34 km and 33 minutes by car, Tarascon about 36 km and 35 minutes, according to a route planner (Rome2Rio). By public transport a bus and a train take about 1h55 to Beaucaire and about 1h45 to Tarascon.
The château's own page (2023) gives October to March Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00, closed on Monday. We could not find the grid for 2026-27 and the list of closed days differs between guides, so confirm it before you drive.
Every year on the last weekend of June, over four days. The 2026 agendas differ on the exact days, so ask the town for the dates of the next edition.
The château belongs to the town and is open to the public, but we found no reliable opening hours. Ask the town hall or the tourist office, and do not plan around the birds-of-prey show: one source lists it, another says it is no longer offered.
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