Beaucaire / St-Gilles

A provisional signposted stretch of cycle route has been put in place between Beaucaire and Saint-Gilles while awaiting the creation of a dedicated route alongside the Canal du Rhône à Sète. At present, you follow quiet roads into the start of the Camargue plain, cycling amidst fields divided up by irrigation canals. Saint-Gilles with its medieval centre takes visitors back to major pilgrimage times. Beyond town stand slopes producing Costières de Nîmes wines.

The route

A provisional signposted portion on quiet roads, with only very light traffic.
Take care crossing the D6113 road and on the stretch along the D6572 road as you enter Saint-Gilles. Note also that you need to cycle along a farm track before reaching the D6113.

Links

North of Fourques, you need to choose between continuing along the ViaRhôna cycle route towards Port-Saint-Louis du Rhône or towards Sète. A clearly signposted junction highlights the choice. From this crossroads, the ancient city of Arles lies just 8km away.

To reach Arles (heading north-south): at the junction of the Chemin des Jonquières and Terres Longues, turn left onto Chemin des Jonquières, then immediately right at the transformer, onto the Chemin des Narettes taking you to Fourques. Leaving Fourques, just after crossing the bridge over the Petit Rhône (a branch of the great river), you can pick up the signposting for ViaRhôna again.

Saint-Gilles: note that there is no signposting for cyclists to reach the centre of Saint-Gilles. Leave the ViaRhôna cycle route at the level of the Route des Iscles (or D179 road) to get to the heart of town.

Railway station (SNCF):

• Beaucaire
• Tarascon
• Vauvert

Tourist Information Centres:

• Office de tourisme de Beaucaire Terre d’Argence +334 66 59 26 57
• Office de Tourisme de Saint-Gilles +334 66 87 33 75
• Office de Tourisme de Vauvert Petite Camargue +334 66 88 28 52

Don’t miss:

Saint-Gilles: the historic town centre with its atmospheric old lanes and fine façades; the charming Maison Romane museum; the 12th-century abbey church, on one of the main pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (the route designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site); the river port; Costières de Nîmes wine cellars.