Collias

Collias is a village located on the left bank of the Gardon, at equal distance from the Pont-du-Gard and Uzès. For the inhabitants of the region, Collias is synonymous with river-related leisure activities: swimming and kayaking or canoeing in the Gorges du Gardon.

The Nîmes road passes over a spectacular bridge built in 1922 that crosses the river. Upstream from Collias, the Gorges du Gardon are wild, the river cuts through the limestone plateau and forms remarkable gorges. The scenery is spectacular, it is possible to take a canoe trip on the river or walk along the gorges along a path and stop in a quiet corner to enjoy a swim and sunbath.

Collias is also a climbing centre, the steep cliffs of the gorges are a popular meeting place for climbers. A via Ferrata has been built. Downstream, the Gardon widens and flows towards the Pont du Gard, 8 kilometres away, it is an easy and very pleasant canoe trip for the whole family.

Man has left many traces of his presence in these places since prehistoric times. The Bayol Cave, discovered by Abbot Bayol in 1927 in the rock face overlooking the Gardon, contains prehistoric Palaeolithic drawings. They date from the Aurignacian and are related to the cave paintings of the Chauvet cave in the Ardèche. Bayol Cave is one of the five ornate caves discovered in the Gard department, it is closed to the public.

Other caves near the village have provided archaeologists with remains of human presence since the Neolithic period. The village of Collias was founded around the year 1000, when a rural community was built around a feudal tower and surrounded by ramparts, which have now disappeared. The old village of Collias has preserved the appearance of the old southern village with its limestone houses, apparently unchanged despite tourist and demographic pressure. The church of Saint-Vincent and its bell tower overlooks the village dates back to the 19th century.

Outside the village, going up the Gorges du Gardon, the classified site of the Ermitage and the Notre Dame-de-Laval chapel is the occasion for a very nice hike in the Gorges du Gardon. Difficult to access, the chapel dates from the 12th century and is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. It was the centre of a popular pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.

Accommodation in Collias and nearby

Selection of bed and breakfast near Collias and Pont du Gard on the portal of Provence's B&B

Website of Collias village: www.mairie-collias.fr

Things to see and do in Collias:

• Hiking trails in the Gorges du Gardon. The GR 63 passes through the Pont du Gard, Collias and the Gorges du Gardon
• Water activities in the river: swimming, canoeing, kayaking.
• Via Ferrata, climbing
• Weekly market on Wednesday mornings
• Votive festival on the 3rd Sunday in July.

Coming to Collias

GPS coordinates N 44°57’17’’ - E 4°28’40’’

Collias location : altitude 100 metres, 1000 inhabitants, 3 km from Vers-Pont-du-Gard, 8 km from Pont-du-Gard, 10 km from Castillon-du-Gard, 11km from Uzes , 15 km from Saint-Quentin-la -Poterie, 23 km from Nîmes, 32 km from Avignon