# Uzès, the First Duchy — The South of France
> A golden stone town of arcaded squares and a unique round tower, the first duchy of France, a few miles from the Pont du Gard. Uzès, in the Gard.

*Source : https://the-south-of-france.com/en/languedoc/uzes/*

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By **The Editors** — _Uzès, Gard_

Spring 20268 min read Share LinkMail

Uzès stands on a low hill in the garrigue west of the Rhône, a town of warm golden stone that was the **premier duché de France** — the first duchy of the realm, whose duke still ranked ahead of all others at the king’s side. It kept its grandeur and lost its crowds, and is today one of the loveliest small towns in the South.

## I. The Place aux Herbes

The heart of Uzès is the **Place aux Herbes**, a square wrapped entirely in stone arcades, with a fountain at the centre and plane trees overhead. On Saturday and Wednesday mornings it fills with one of the best **markets** in the Gard; the rest of the week the cafés spread under the arches and the town keeps its slow southern pace.

“The first duchy of France, grandeur and all — but the crowds went elsewhere.”

From the notebook

![Stone arcades around a southern market square](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1593899025469-8ea731985ccb?fm=jpg&q=74&w=1400&auto=format&fit=crop)

The Place aux Herbes — arcades, a fountain, and the Saturday market.

## II. The Duché and the round tower

The **Duché**, the castle of the dukes of Uzès, still rises over the town, its keep the **Tour Bermonde**; the family has held it for a thousand years. Beside the cathedral stands the **Tour Fenestrelle**, a round Romanesque bell tower of six tiers of arched windows — the only one of its kind in France, and the emblem of the town.

![A round tiered Romanesque tower above rooftops](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1526822162485-79f02ba82a9d?fm=jpg&q=76&w=2400&auto=format&fit=crop)

The Tour Fenestrelle — a round bell tower unique in France.

## III. The garrigue and the Pont du Gard

Uzès makes the perfect base for the western Gard — the **Pont du Gard** is twenty minutes south, the Roman aqueduct that once carried water this way to Nîmes. Around the town the **garrigue** of thyme and scrub oak runs to the Cèze and the Uzège vineyards; and the candy that half the world grew up on, **Haribo**, has its factory and museum here.

The Practical Carnet · Carnet pratique

### Plan the _visit_

Getting there

About 25 min from Nîmes or Avignon by car; the **Pont du Gard** is on the way.

When to go

Saturday for the great market; spring and autumn for the town at its quietest.

Where to stay

**La Maison d’Uzès**, a restored townhouse in the heart of the old streets.

Read next

[The Pont du Gard and Roman Nîmes](https://the-south-of-france.com/en/languedoc/pont-du-gard-nimes/)

E

About the Author · L’auteur

#### Élise Marchand

Travel Editor — based in Marseille

Élise has been driving the back roads of the Midi for the journal since its first issue. She pays for her own rooms and her own lunches — and only writes about the places she would return to.

[More by Élise Marchand — voir ses articles](https://the-south-of-france.com/en/journal/)

Continue reading · À lire ensuite

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