Pont du Gard hosts Veni Vici on 7 November
Published on 11/07/2026 at 16:16 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRace day access and Roman engineering
- Veni Vici reaches the Pont du Gard on 7 November 2026, with the monument as the event's central site.
- The Pont du Gard site remains open, while guided tours are suspended and left-bank parking is reserved for race participants.
- UNESCO describes the monument as a three-level aqueduct bridge built in the middle of the first century.
Pont du Gard and Veni Vici meet on 7 November 2026 in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, where the Roman aqueduct forms the central site of the sixth edition of the cross-country event. The monument remains open, but visitor arrangements change around the race and its routes.
Veni Vici reaches Pont du Gard on 7 November
The organiser describes Veni Vici as a route linking Uzès, Pont du Gard and Nîmes. Six formats are planned: 87 km and 52 km runs, a 33 km run, a timed 33 km Nordic walking event, an 18 km run and a 16 km hike.
The monument is more than a passage on the course. It is the central site for bib collection, family activities and shuttle departures and returns. The organiser's Veni Vici event page places the meeting point on the route between the medieval town of Uzès and Roman Nîmes.
Roman aqueduct gives the race its historic route
UNESCO places the Pont du Gard in Occitanie and describes it as the major surviving element of the Nîmes aqueduct. The waterway was built in the middle of the first century to carry water from the Fontaine d'Eure near Uzès towards Nîmes.
The bridge has three levels and rises nearly 48.77 metres above the Gardon. Its longest upper level measured 360 metres, according to the UNESCO World Heritage description. That combination of water engineering, river crossing and surviving Roman masonry explains why the race route uses the monument as a defining point rather than treating it as background scenery.
The aqueduct stopped functioning around the beginning of the sixth century. UNESCO says the monument later underwent restoration campaigns, while the surrounding site is managed by the public Pont du Gard establishment.
Race arrangements affect both banks on 7 November
The site operator says the main site stays open on 7 November 2026. The right-bank car park remains available to visitors and tourist coaches, while the left-bank car park is reserved for race participants.
Guided tours are suspended for the day, and runners use paths around the monument. The change means that independent visitors can still reach the site, but the normal guided-tour offer is not available during the event.
Visiting Pont du Gard: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Veni Vici takes place on 7 November 2026, with Pont du Gard serving as the central venue between Uzès and Nîmes.
- The site remains open, but guided tours are suspended; right-bank parking is for visitors and tourist coaches, while left-bank parking is reserved for race participants.
- The event offers six formats, ranging from a 16 km hike to an 87 km run, so paths around the monument are also used by participants.
- Pont du Gard stands in Occitanie beside the Gardon, near Vers-Pont-du-Gard and on the route linking Uzès with Nîmes.
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Frequently asked questions about Pont du Gard
When does Veni Vici take place at Pont du Gard?
Veni Vici takes place on 7 November 2026, with six running, Nordic walking and hiking formats using the monument and its surrounding routes.
What is Pont du Gard?
Pont du Gard is a three-level Roman aqueduct bridge built in the middle of the first century to carry water towards Nîmes.
Where is Pont du Gard and how do you get there?
The monument is in Occitanie beside the Gardon, near Vers-Pont-du-Gard, on the route between Uzès and Nîmes.
