Rent a campsite in Goudargues

Tourism around Goudargues

In the heart of the Cèze Valley, discover an oasis of peace and quiet. The canal known as "La Fontaine" will offer you the shade of the age-old plane trees in the centre of the village. It is a pleasant place to relax, take a walk or even stop at one of the many café terraces. The charm of the canals of the Cèze river running through the area has earned Goudargues the nickname of "Little Venice of the Gard".

The water of "La Fontaine" comes from a Vaucluse resurgence whose flow and temperature are constant all year round. The canal used to produce hydraulic energy for the oil mill and electricity for some of the houses in the village. In Roman times an oppidum dominated the valley above the present village where an important villa was established. It has disappeared, but its name "Gordanicus" probably gave the village its name. 

 The village church is of surprising grandeur, it is an abbey church, a well-preserved witness of an important abbey built in the 12th century. It has lived through the vicissitudes of history: the wars of religion in the 16th century, the Camisards revolt in the 18th century and the Revolution. It was restored in the 19th century after a fire consumed part of the roof. The beautiful chapter house, where the monks used to meet to eat, now hosts exhibitions of local painters and sculptors.

On August 15th, during the "Fête Votive", the young people of the village organise a very joyful and watery day in every sense of the word, with their feet in the water. The festive and good-natured event has a great reputation.

The river Cèze offers very pleasant swimming spots and leisure activities linked to the river; the surrounding mountains are favourable for walking or cycling. But the proximity of the river can also be a risk for the village: although rare, the great floods of the Cèze do not spare Goudargues, the last flood dates back to 2002, it caused significant damage in the village.

Also to be discovered