Aigues Mortes Travel Guide

Introduction

750km (466 miles) SW of Paris; 63km (39 miles) NE of Sète; 40km (25 miles) E of Nîmes; 48km (30 miles) SW of Arles

South of Nîmes, you can explore much of the Camargue by car, mainly on the roads of the Parc Regional de Carmargue. The most rewarding target is Aigues-Mortes, the city of the "dead waters." It is France's most perfectly preserved walled town. In the middle of dismal swamps and melancholy lagoons, Aigues-Mortes stands on four navigable canals. Although it is now 6km (4 miles) from the sea, it was once a thriving port. Louis IX and his crusaders set forth from here on the Ninth Crusade.