The journey from Nimes airport to our house should take about two hours.
Reminder to drivers: at road junctions the default rule in France is to give way to traffic on your right, however minor that road may be!
- Exit from the hire car compound. The road turns left, in front of the airport building.
- At the small roundabout within the airport grounds, go straight ahead to the Sortie (exit)
- At the bigger roundabout outside the airport grounds, take the first turning to the right, onto the motorway, direction Nimes (on the way back you will be taking direction Arles).
- Exit at Nimes Ouest (ie Nimes West. I think this is the second exit from the motorway.
- Once you have paid your motorway charges, you come immediately onto a big, scary roundabout. Take the road straight ahead (I think this is the second exit from the roundabout and it may be sign-posted Alès (or possibly Sommières)/
- Continue for a kilometre or two , through various lights and mini roundabouts. As the road slopes uphill, there will be a signpost to le Vigan. Take this sliproad and immediately position yourself to turn left at the junction (I think the signpost says centre ville to the right and le Vigan to the left). This is not a nice turn, as you have to cross the oncoming traffic coming from the left and then find a space in the oncoming traffic from the right.
From then on its plain sailing, with signs to le Vigan the whole way, passing through Quissac, Sauve, St Hippolyte du Fort and Ganges. (There is a speed camera between Nimes and Quissac – I have been caught twice.)
At Ganges cross a bridge and then turn left onto the perimeter road and skirt round the town. From now on le Vigan will be indicated.
On the way back
- Follow the signs to Nimes
- At the entrance to Nimes there is a small roundabout, go straight over this to Nimes.
- About a kilometre further on there is a major branch to the right, which probably is signposted to Arles,Avignon, motorway etc. Take this rather than continuing on to the town centre.
- Drive down the hill, through lights and roundabouts etc until you come to the giant roundabout with the blue motorway signs straight ahead
- Once you have collected your motorway ticket, be ready to take the turn immediately to Arles (or Avignon) rather than Montpellier
- Exit at the airport (aeroport Garons)
- Go right round the roundabout after paying. The entrance to the airport is the last exit before you get back to the motorway exit.
- At the small roundabout in the airport grounds, turn right, skirting alongside the car park areas, and then left, following the signs back to the car hire compound