Why this ride
175 km from Montpellier to Montpellier, about 2 h 29 of riding. The stops in between: The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, Arles, back through Arles and back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Montpellier day out · Arles
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 175 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 29
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Camargue Scenic Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 38 km this is Camargue Scenic Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Camargue Scenic Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Montpellier
Montpellier is a young city in an old shell. More than a quarter of its population is made up of students, and its university, whose medical faculty dates back to the thirteenth century, is among the oldest in Europe. The centre is the Place de la Comédie, a huge oval square paved in stone, with the opera house at one end and the fountain of the Three Graces in the middle, and from there the old town of tight, shaded lanes spreads out, with elegant stone houses and hidden courtyards.
Read the complete Montpellier write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Montpellier is where the day begins. Next is The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
2. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Most Roman temples survive as a jumble of columns and a lot of imagination. The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is the exception: a complete temple, standing on its podium with its roof and columns intact, two thousand years after it was built for the grandsons of Augustus. It owes its survival to being constantly reused, as a meeting hall, a stable, a church and a museum. Thomas Jefferson admired it so much that he based the Virginia State Capitol on it, and in 2023 UNESCO finally listed it in its own right.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes comes up 25 km in.
3. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
50 km in you reach The Maison Carrée of Nîmes. Next is Arles.
4. Arles
Arles is where the Rhône splits in two and the Camargue begins, and for more than two thousand years it has been a city of power, art and sun. The Romans made it one of the great cities of Gaul, building an amphitheatre that still hosts events, a theatre, baths and an underground gallery, the cryptoportiques, and the Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romanesque church of Saint-Trophime, with its carved portal and cloister, is one of the finest in Provence.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arles, about halfway. Next is Arles.
5. Arles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arles sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through Arles.
6. back through Arles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Arles comes up 126 km in. Next is back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
7. back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
151 km in you reach back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
8. back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, late in the day. Next is Montpellier.
9. Montpellier
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Montpellier write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 175 km.
Leg by leg
Montpellier to The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Montpellier → The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to Arles
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → Arles is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Arles to back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
back through Arles → back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to Montpellier
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → Montpellier is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Arles and Pont du Gard · 277 km
- Arles and The Maison Carrée of Nîmes · 208 km
- Montpellier afternoon · The Maison Carrée of Nîmes · 106 km