A Guide to Arles, France — Travel Tomatoes
Arles is a beautiful place located along the Rhone river. This point is where the Petite Rhone breaks off to the west while being on its way to the sea. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and dates all the way back to the 7th century BC. This was the period when it was the Phoenician town of The line. Its heritage of Gallo-Roman is seen in the ruins that are deep incorporated into the many buildings and small houses of the city.
What marked the beginning of Arles and Provence as an artist’s retreat was the arrival of the very famous painter Vincent Van Gogh at the railroad station in Arles. This happened on the 21st of February in 1888.
Upon arrival, Van Gogh painted many places and things here which can still be seen. He even painted some things in the surrounding areas of St. Rémy de Provence.
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Getting There
- On the Avenue Paulin Talabot, you will find the Arles train station. It is at a distance of about a ten-minute walk from the center of town. There are trains that connect Arles with Marseille (50 minutes), Avignon (20 minutes), and Nîmes (20 minutes). From Paris, the TGV connects to Avignon.
- You can also hire a small tourist bureau or book a rental.
- Located on Boulevard de Lices in the center of Arles is the main bus station. You will also find a bus station based opposite to the train station. Upon inquiry, you can also find the availability of senior discounts on bus tickets.
Office Address Of Tourism Arles
Places To Stay At
You’d definitely want to settle in for a while in a vacation rental, due to the fact that Arles is set in an incredible setting and has a train station which gets you around Provence. Two of my most favorite options for staying here are:
- Arles Vacation Rentals can be picked from HomeAway. It has hotels both inside Arles and in the countryside.
- Hotel Spa Le Calendal has a nice garden and is just steps away from the Amphitheatre.
What To See In Arles — Top Tourism Sites
- The Arles Amphitheatre or the Arènes d’Arles is perhaps the top attraction in Arles. It was built in the first century and is known to seat around 25,000 people. It is mostly famous for being the venue for bullfights.
- On the Rue de la Calade, only two columns are there that remains of the original Roman theater. For festivals such as the Photography Festival (Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie), the theater serves as a concert stage.
- The Romanesque portal named Eglise St-Trophime is the high point here. Here you can see a lot of medieval carvings in the cloister. Although the church is free, the cloister visit will charge you a small fee.
- There’s a history museum named Museon Arlaten which is a must-visit attraction here. Here, you can find out about how life was in Provence at the turn of the century.
- See the art and history museum called Musee de l’Arles et de la Provence antique. Here, you will find the ancient origins of Provence, which start at 2500 BC and ends in the 6th century at the “end of Antiquity”.
- The construction of the Baths of Constantine was conducted in the fourth century near the Rhone. You can check out the hot air ventilation that circulates through the hypocausts (underfloor stacks of bricks) and the tubuli (hollow tiles), upon weaving through the pools and hot rooms.
- On Saturday mornings, Arles sees the biggest market being held in the entire Provence region.
Originally published at https://traveltomatoes.com on June 28, 2019.
