Pont d'Arc
A great natural limestone arch spanning the Ardèche river, 5 kilometres from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc at the start of the Ardèche gorges. Canoes pass beneath it in summer, and it has been a protected natural site since 1931.
- Where
- Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 44.3819, 4.4167
Get the Pont d'Arc stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Pont d'Arc. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes volume with your photos and a note.
Near Pont d'Arc
Chauvet Cave 0.7 km
A cave in a limestone cliff above the old bed of the Ardèche, holding some of the best preserved figurative paintings in the world: lions, horses and rhinoceroses from the Upper Paleolithic. The cave itself is closed to protect it, and a full scale replica nearby shows the art.
Roman Theatre of Orange 42 km
A Roman theatre built early in the 1st century AD, one of the few anywhere whose great stage wall still stands. A statue of Augustus looks down from the wall, and each summer the theatre hosts the Chorégies d'Orange opera festival.
Pont du Gard 49 km
A Roman aqueduct bridge built in the 1st century AD to carry water across the Gardon river to the city of Nîmes. Its three tiers of stone arches rise about 50 metres, making it the tallest Roman aqueduct bridge to survive and one of the best preserved.
Pont Saint-Bénézet 57 km
A medieval bridge that once crossed the Rhône at Avignon, of which only four arches survive, stopping in midstream. It is the bridge of the children's song Sur le pont d'Avignon, and a small chapel still sits on one of its piers.
Palais des Papes 57 km
The vast Gothic palace that was the seat of the popes in the 14th century, when Avignon was the centre of Western Christianity. Six conclaves were held within its walls, and its great bare halls and chapels still keep fragments of their frescoes.
Maison Carrée 61 km
One of the best preserved Roman temples anywhere, built in the age of Augustus in the centre of Nîmes for the imperial cult. Its Corinthian columns stand on a high podium, facing the glass Carré d'Art designed by Norman Foster across the square.
Arena of Nîmes 61 km
A Roman amphitheatre built around 100 AD, some twenty years after the Colosseum, and among the best preserved in the world. Its two storeys of sixty arcades once held 24,000 spectators, and today it hosts concerts and bullfights.
Mont Ventoux 73 km
A 1,910 metre mountain north east of Carpentras, the highest in Provence, its bare upper slopes of white limestone looking like snow from afar. Nicknamed the Giant of Provence, it is famous for its punishing climbs in the Tour de France.
More hidden gems in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Questions
Where is Pont d'Arc?
Pont d'Arc is in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Chauvet Cave (0.7 km), Roman Theatre of Orange (42 km), Pont du Gard (49 km).
How do I get the Pont d'Arc stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Pont d'Arc and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Pont d'Arc before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.