The audio-guided and illustred tour

A new course of visit

The visitor passes through the terraces to the interior galleries via the arena (the sand-covered central area), and consequently has an overall view of the architecture and the history of the Nîmes Arena. The tour follows in the footsteps of the original spectators, and visitors therefore have the chance to take a seat in the terraces, and imagine the shudders of the huge crowd engrossed in the gladiator combats. 

The audioguide: the entertainment continues to live on!

The audioguide is an essential medium for discovering the Arena, as it provides details of the history of the buildings, and brings the ancient stones back to life… the visitor, in fact, hears all the lively sounds of the era, such as trumpets and conversations etc. Thanks to the audioguide, the entertainment continues to live on.

An interactive and multilingual guide

The audioguide is interactive and can be controlled at different levels, making it possible to visit the site in complete independence at one’s own pace, whatever the visitor’s time of arrival, nationality or focus of interest.
The system is available in eight languages (French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese), and is very flexible, light, easy to handle and takes up very little space. It is currently the best system available for personalising the tour. All visitors are consequently provided with the services of a personal guide, proposing a fascinating commentary on the architecture of the Arena and the captivating history of the entertainment through from ancient Rome to the current day.

Enthralling illustrations

Large format illustrations have recently been added to the tour. The “Gladiators’ Gallery” on the principal walkway illustrates the different types of gladiators, each specialising in a specific form of combat, and each carrying specific weapons, such as the Samnite, Secutor, Hoplomachus, Thrace, Mirmillo, Retiarius etc…