Villas in Gard-Lozère

Uzès and the Pont du Gard suit sightseers, Saint-Jean-du-Gard suits walkers, and Goudargues suits river swimming; summers are hot. All our villas here are in the Gard, from the vineyards around Nîmes to the Cévennes foothills, with none in Lozère itself. The beaches of the Camargue are about 45 minutes from Nîmes, and you will need a car.

Where

Villas: 63
From, per week: £249
Cheapest month: December
Nearest airports: Nîmes airport is closest to most of our villas but has very few routes. Montpellier is 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter away, with flights from London taking around two hours, and Marseille is about an hour and a half from Uzès. By train, Nîmes and Avignon TGV stations connect via Paris or Lille.

Where to stay in Gard-Lozère

Uzès and the Pont du Gard (Saint-Siffret, Garrigues-Sainte-Eulalie, Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan, Vers-Pont-du-Gard)

Uzès is a small town of pale stone around a ducal castle, and on Saturdays the market spreads out from the arcaded Place aux Herbes. Saint-Siffret and Garrigues-Sainte-Eulalie are villages in the scrubland just outside. Vers-Pont-du-Gard and Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan are a few minutes from the Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge, where people swim in the Gardon below the arches. Nîmes airport is around 40 minutes away.

Best for: Couples who want an old town, a big market and Roman sights

Not for you if: You want the sea nearby: the nearest beaches are well over an hour away.

Gagnières and the hills north of Alès (Portes, Les Salles-du-Gardon, Servas, Mons, Euzet)

Gagnières, where we have the most villas, is a village in green hills on the Ardèche border, around 40 minutes from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and the canoe runs of the Ardèche gorges. Alès, the main town, has a mining museum in old tunnels, and the Château de Portes stands on a ridge to the north-west. Servas, Mons and Euzet are drier villages east and south of Alès, closer to Uzès. Nîmes airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Families who want hills, river swimming and the Ardèche gorges within reach

Not for you if: You want polished villages: this is old coal-mining country, and some towns are still a bit rough round the edges.

Bagnols-sur-Cèze and the Cèze valley (Cavillargues, Sabran, Goudargues, Verfeuil, Laudun-l'Ardoise)

Goudargues has a canal lined with plane trees running through the village, and the Cèze has shallow pebble beaches nearby. Downstream, La Roque-sur-Cèze sits on a hill above the Cascades du Sautadet, where swimming is banned because of dangerous currents; there is a safe beach a little further down. Sabran and Cavillargues are hill villages among vines, and Laudun-l'Ardoise is close to the Rhône. Avignon is around 40 minutes from Bagnols.

Best for: Families who want river beaches and day trips to Avignon

Not for you if: You want an old-town base on the doorstep: Bagnols has a small centre ringed by modern suburbs.

Nîmes and the villages around it (Bernis, Langlade, Aigues-Vives, Rodilhan, Jonquières-Saint-Vincent)

Nîmes has a Roman arena still used for concerts and bullfights, the Maison Carrée temple and the Jardins de la Fontaine. Bernis, Aigues-Vives and Langlade are wine villages west and south-west of the city, with the beaches at Le Grau du Roi around 45 minutes away. Rodilhan and Jonquières-Saint-Vincent lie east, towards Beaucaire and the Rhône. Nîmes airport is 15 to 30 minutes from all of them.

Best for: Families who want a short transfer, city sights and a beach within the hour

Not for you if: You want hills and shade: the plain south of Nîmes is flat, hot and crossed by main roads.

Carnas, Sauve and Fressac (south-west Gard)

Carnas, with our second-largest group of Gard villas, is a quiet village in the garrigue near Quissac and the river Vidourle. Sauve, a few minutes north, is a medieval village on the river, with the Mer des Rochers, a jumble of eroded boulders, on the hill above. Fressac is in the first Cévennes hills beyond. The Pic Saint-Loup, a limestone peak with a steep summit path, is around 30 minutes south. Montpellier airport is 45 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Walkers and couples who want a quiet base between Montpellier and the Cévennes

Not for you if: You want restaurants within walking distance: Carnas is a small village with few services.

Saint-Jean-du-Gard (the Cévennes)

Saint-Jean-du-Gard is a small town on the Gardon where the Robert Louis Stevenson trail ends. A steam train runs in season from here to Anduze, stopping at the Bambouseraie, a large bamboo garden. The Corniche des Cévennes road climbs from the town into Lozère towards Florac, Mont Lozère and the Tarn gorges. The rivers have good swimming holes, but levels can rise fast after storms. Nîmes airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walkers and families who want mountains, rivers and cooler nights

Not for you if: You dislike winding roads: almost every drive from here is a slow run of bends.

When to go to Gard-Lozère

June and September are the best months: warm enough for river swimming, without the peak crowds. July and August are very hot on the plain around Nîmes, and the Pont du Gard and Ardèche gorges are busy. The Cévennes are a little cooler at night. From September to November, sudden heavy storms known as épisodes cévenols can cause flash floods in the river valleys. Nîmes holds ferias with bullfights at Pentecost and in September. In winter many restaurants close and the villages go quiet.