We loved visiting the enchanting city of Arles, a great place for a day trip or overnight stay. Located in southeastern France on the edge of Provence, there is plenty to see in this lively river port town: ancient Roman ruins, a historic center of quaint cobblestoned streets, along with the beautiful scenery that inspired the art of Vincent Van Gogh.

Arles seems to capture every period of the history of Provence in one compact location. And all the sights are near each other.

But although there are several fairly big sites to see, visiting Arles is mostly about experiencing the ambiance. A city of charming little lanes and pedestrian-friendly streets, Arles still has a certain “rough around the edges” feel to it, but that is part of its appeal.

The Roman Amphitheatre in Arles. All *photos by John O’Boyle / The Empty Nest Explorers*

Table of Contents

Some background on Arles

Located on a hill overlooking the Rhone, Alres was famously a source of great inspiration for Vincent Van Gogh. He created about 300 drawings and paintings while living in Arles for only a year! But its role as Van Gogh’s muse is only part of Arles’ story.

The rich history of Arles spans from the 1st century BC, when it became a major commerce center for the Roman Empire, as an important stop on the route between Italy and Spain. Several ruins from that ancient era still exist today and are popular tourist attractions.

The Rhône River shapes its delta at Arles, dividing the river into two branches, known as the Grand Rhône and the Petit Rhône. This delta constitutes the uniquely picturesque Camargue region, and it is what has made Arles a river port, which it still is today.

Arles also became a turbulent battleground in 1944 during the fight for the liberation of Provence in World War II, with much of the city being destroyed by bombs. Arlesian resistants chased out the German army to regain their freedom and re-establish democracy.

Today, Arles is a thriving city with an eclectic mix of museums, historical sites and tourist-friendly charm.

Can you visit Arles in a day?

We did Arles as a day trip, but I certainly could have appreciated more time there. It’s a town with many pedestrian streets, so you can definitely “hit the highlights” in a day just by walking, but you may want more time to just soak up the ambiance, or to see some of the points of interest that are on the outskirts of the city, like Les Alyscamps.

A bonus to staying a night or two is being there for the Arles Market, which takes place on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Since we were there on a Monday for only a day, we missed out on that. (But don’t feel sorry for us - we visited lots of other markets in Provence!)

Arles can also be a great choice as a base from which to explore other areas of Provence. It is only a short excursion to the Papal city of Avignon, and not far from the Luberon and Alpilles villages, as well as the famous wine region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

For daytrippers, It is definitely possible to visit both Arles and Avignon in one day, if you start early enough, as they are only about 20 minutes apart by train.

View of the square outside the Arles Amphitheatre.

How to Get to Arles

Arles is easily accessible by train. We recommend this as the best way to get there, as it’s pretty easy to do and you don’t have to worry about where to park.

We visited Arles as a day-trip out of Marseille. We took the regional SNCF train from Marseille-Saint Charles station. It was less than an hour trip to Arles, and you can purchase your ticket on your day of travel; no need to book in advance. Since we weren’t sure of our timing, we only booked one way to start out, using a self-serve kiosk at Saint Charles station, and purchased our return tickets using the Trainline app on John’s iphone while walking back to the train station in Arles.

A word on using Trainline - this is always our “go-to” way of booking trains between cities in Europe. It’s just so easy to use. We used one of the SNCF kiosks at Marseille-Saint Charles for the ride out to Arles, and it was a little fussy. Not hard, just fussy. You have to type in a lot of information so you can get the ticket delivered to your phone - which is great - but as we were cutting the timing a little close, it was kind of stressful getting that information typed in correctly on a screen for two separate people. Note to the fellow “apostrophe” people, you will have to go without! You know who you are! ;) You also have to fumble with your credit card at the kiosk, which is just another time-consuming thing.

But your Trainline account has that information stored as well as your payment method of choice, so it’s really just a matter of a few clicks to get yourself booked. Much less stress!

Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.

Driving in Provence isn’t bad as far as the main roads and highways go, but access into these small towns can be a little nerve wracking as streets are generally narrow and busy. You also have to consider where you will park.

Bear in mind, the historic center of Arles is pedestrianized, and access to cars is restricted. On market days, more streets are closed off as well.

Here are some suggestions for Parking in Arles, according to arlestourisme.com:

When visiting the historic center, it is best to park in the Parking des Lices or Parc du Center, a covered car park with 500 spaces, accessible from rue Emile Fassin. It is open 24/7.
Parking lot for the Cirque Romain or Salvador Allende (P2), near the Palais des Congrès. (200 places)
SNCF train station car park (P6) (200 spaces)
Aqueduct car park (P8) (24 spaces)

For more information on renting a car and driving in France, check out our blog post Tips for driving while visiting France.

The Van Gogh Pedestrian Path in Arles

Arles served as a rich source of inspiration to Vincent Van Gogh during his stay here between February 1888 and May 1889, a period in which he created over 300 drawings and paintings. Ironically, none of his actual paintings can be seen in Arles! But no matter! You can see the very streets and landscapes that inspired his masterpieces, which is kind of cool in its own right.

A marker noting the spot Van Gogh painted “A Starry Night over the Rhone” in Arles, France. Today the area is used to dock river cruise ships.

About a dozen locations have been identified as the likely spots where Van Gogh set up his easel for well-known paintings, and signs are set up in these areas showing the works juxtaposed against the real life settings. There are also markers on the sidewalks that point to these locations on what is known as the “Van Gogh Pedestrian Path.”

This is all pretty sweet for any admirer of Vincent, but we were surprised that the trail itself is rather challenging to explore on your own. Considering what an important figure he is here and how heavily his presence is felt, that just seemed a little strange to me. There were many guided tour groups walking around in search of the man, but little help for lone explorers. And honestly, all you really need is a map; but even in the visitor’s center, there are no printed maps for the Van Gogh trail!

However, a very helpful attendant did point me toward a QR code to scan that linked a Wivisites page featuring the various sites to see in Arles, which included the Van Gogh stops. I’m going to save you the trouble of tracking this down and give you that link here.

Since there is quite a lot to say about Van Gogh in Arles and many sites are associated specifically with him, we have a separate post highlighting Van Gogh’s Arles and the Pedestrian Path in his honor. So please take a look at Visiting Vincent Van Gogh sites in Arles, France for lots of details.

Van Gogh postcards for sale in Arles, France.

Roman and Medieval Ruins in Arles

The area containing a collection of several important Roman monuments in the city center make up the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

These are really great, hands-on, and easily explorable attractions and you will definitely want to see them!

Admission to these sites is generally about €7 to €9, but there are also some multi-attraction tickets that you can purchase to visit several of the Roman ruins together.

We aren’t usually the “multi-attraction” ticket types, since we don’t always make full use of them, but in Arles, everything is pretty close together, so seeing multiple sites is pretty doable. We opted for the Advantage Pass, which gave us access to 6 monuments for €19, which is quite a good deal, even if you don’t get to them all.

You don’t need a reservation or advanced ticket to visit the ruins in Arles. Just walk up; if it seems busy, just come back later.

Of course, we would NOT take this approach for visiting the Colosseum in Rome, after which the Arles Amphitheatre was modeled! That is a much busier attraction - one of the busiest in the world - than the one in Arles. For our best advice for visiting the Roman Colosseum in Rome, check out our blog post Visiting the Roman Colosseum: advice and tips for 2024

Arles is one of those ancient cities that adapted well through the ages - from a Roman Empire era port hub into a thriving medieval European civilization, then onto a Renaissance city and so on, unto the modern place it is today. The city was continually rebuilt, with structures re-purposed through a few distinct “golden ages” over several centuries, maintaining its role as one of the most important cities on the Mediterranean.

Arles Amphitheatre (Arènes d'Arles)

Inspired by Rome’s Colosseum, the Arles Amphitheatre is the most prominent historical site in the city and probably the most visited tourist attraction.

This is truly one of the coolest things to visit in Arles. It’s the first thing you come across when you enter the city, so you can’t miss it. Unlike visiting the Roman Colosseum, you really can just take your time and wander around here. Much of the time we felt pretty alone!

Since it was the first thing we did in Arles, it was very enchanting to look out on the sweeping landscape of red roofs and warm yellow houses from the higher levels of the arena. I really felt like I’d arrived in Provence!

The two-tiered structure thrived in Ancient Rome as a place of entertainment. Chariot races and bloody hand-to-hand combat battles were held there in front of 20,000 spectators. The liveliness of the Amphitheatre crowd was captured in a well-known painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Interestingly, it is still used for bullfighting today, and you can see that the arena floor is well maintained. Modern bullfighting, like in parts of Spain, is considered somewhat controversial, even though the animals are not killed anymore.

It also hosts plays, concerts, and similar events in summer. It’s rather fun and disconcerting to see modern section numbers painted on the old stone tiers - and just goes to show you how Arles continues to adapt! Modern steel bleachers are also erected right over the ancient stones for modern-day eventgoers.

The towers jutting out from the top were added on later when the structure actually became a medieval city of 100 homes. You can climb up into several of the tower structures for great views of Arles. It’s worth the climb! It was so quiet up top, all one could hear was pigeons cooing and wind.

Prices: €9 full price, reduced €7.

Included in the Advantage Pass.

The rear of the stage area inside the Arles Roman Antique Theatre.

The Roman Antique Theatre

Not far from the Roman Amphitheatre is another Roman site of interest. The Roman Antique Theatre served as a stadium for entertainment and sporting events in the old empire, seating up to 8000 people. It was designed so you can stand on stage and speak and be heard anywhere in the theater. Great engineering from the days long before sound systems!

Later, in medieval times, the theater was used as a quarry, its stones excavated to build the city wall and other buildings. These excavations have unearthed amazing art objects, including the “Venus of Arles,” now housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Because it was ransacked in this way, today only the stage area, orchestra section, seating rows, and two columns survive, but you can walk around in these remaining areas. I was surprised to see a modern stage set up so they must still hold some events here.

Maybe it was just because it was a rainy day when we visited, but I found the Roman Theatre in Arles to be a moody place, smaller and less grand than I was expecting, and quintessentially ancient. It’s rather a different feel than the relatively well-preserved Arènes d'Arles. These two sites are very close together, so it's very easy to hit one after the other.

Tickets cost around €7 per person.

Included in the Advantage Pass.

Arles Roman theatre seating area

Arles Roman theatre

The Cryptoportiques of Arles

Buried far below ground level, these hidden galleries, dating from the 1st century BC, formed the foundation of the Roman forum (now replaced by Chapel of the Jesuit College and the city hall). The impressive engineering of these subterranean vaults boast three double, parallel tunnels arranged in the form of a U are supported by fifty rectangular piers. This used to be the center of town in Roman days, and may have at some point housed slaves.

Enter through the Town Hall lobby entrance.

Included in the Advantage Pass.

Thermal Baths of Constantine

On the banks of the Rhône,the Thermes of Constantine are a great example of Roman thermal baths, dating back to the 4th century when Emperor Constantine resided in “Arelate,” as the city was then known, and paying special attention to the city.

Romans are somewhat famous for their public baths as places not only for hygiene but as meeting places. Although some of this attraction has been rebuilt so it may not be entirely authentic, exploring these ruins provides a fascinating glimpse into the ancient Roman bathing culture.

Located by the river bank and not at the town center, the baths are a little further away from some of the other Roman sites, but still at a walkable distance.

Included in the Advantage Pass.

Eglise St.Trophime and Saint Trophime Cloister

The Church of St.Trophime was constructed during one of the “golden ages” of Arles, the 11th & 12th centuries, on the site of a fifth-century basilica dedicated to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It houses some of the world’s finest examples of Romanesque sculpture.

Look for the elaborate entrance and carvings adorning the church, especially on top of the doorway. It is one of the few examples of remaining Romanesque art, as much of it was destroyed after the First French Republic took over.

Look for the small entrance to the Saint Trophime Cloister through the building next to the church. The entrance is well marked.

Inside the cloister you’ll find very peaceful surroundings and both Romanesque and Gothic period art. The cool, shaded, stone courtyard is a good place for a little bit of a break in your day. It’s quiet and cool and out of the sun, offering a contemplative, restful atmosphere. And there are plenty of places to sit.

The Saint Trophime Cloister is included in the Advantage Pass.

Interesting fact: The Church of St. Trophime is an important pilgrimage site and the starting point of the Via Tolosana - or the Arles Way - to Santiago de Compostela, the capital city of Galicia, which has been the destination of a major Catholic pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages. The pilgrimage is known as the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James.

The route from St.Trophime is one of four such traditional routes crossing France, and is considered a particularly enjoyable one, due to the climate, beautiful landscapes, charming towns and excellent cuisine along the way.

Debbie walks through Saint Trophime Cloister.

Les Alyscamps

The Alyscamps is a large Roman necropolis, or burial ground, a short distance outside the walls of the old town. Roman cities traditionally forbade burials within city limits, so it was common for the roads immediately outside a city to be lined with tombs and mausoleums.

Visiting Alyscamps offers a quiet, shady walk alongside the tombs of the city's Roman era inhabitants. It was the main burial site for Arles for 1500 years! In modern times, the grounds were frequently visited and painted by Vincent Van Gogh, the city’s most famous resident, and signs showing these works are displayed as part of the Van Gogh Pedestrian Path.

A lovely place to visit for its peaceful surroundings and escape from the more touristy areas of Arles, but it’s a little off the beaten path. If you are planning on driving there on the way into or out of town, there is a small car park available, but it may fill up quickly especially on Saturdays and Wednesdays when the markets are open.

You can also walk there, which takes about 15 minutes from the center of town, or alternatively you can take a local bus for about €2.

Included in the Advantage Pass.

Place de La République

The Place de la République is the central town square of Arles, marked as the city center by a 4th century Roman Obelisk that sits on top of a fountain. It’s a pleasant spot just to sit and enjoy the ambiance and some people watching.

We opted to get lunch here - although we were wary of being “touristed”. But we actually had a very pleasant experience. We ate savory buckwheat galettes under a shady umbrella and enjoyed the people watching in the square. It seemed to be a hangout of tourists and locals alike.

From its origins as a Roman Forum to the construction of the town hall in the 17th century, the square has evolved over the centuries, but still remains a gathering place for the community.

There are several sites around the periphery of the square: the City Hall, the Church St.Trophime, the St.Trophime Cloister and the Church Sainte Anne.

As a little point of interest, you will notice a public bathroom located near the city hall. That is because, as a republic, “the people are in charge”. Hence, wherever there is a town hall there will be a small public bathroom.

Arles Market

There are lots of pedestrian zones in Arles with no car traffic which makes it very inviting for just walking and exploring the charming town. A main pedestrian event in Arles is its famous Open Air Market that takes place Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

It’s a lively and enormous market, covering almost 1.5 miles across two main streets filled with a wide variety of quality offerings. There is quite an international feeling to it, as Arles has always been a crossroads of culture. You can try lots of “take & eat” foods at different stalls, so wear comfortable walking shoes and sample away as you peruse the market.

Hundreds of vendors offer local foods such as cheeses, olives, honey, sausage, jams, baked goods, and wine, plus lots of beautiful produce grown in the area. There are flowers and of course plenty of lavender, for which the region is famous. (I found it interesting that, in France, they often refer to these types of outdoor markets as “flower markets”, though they sell a whole range of items, not just flowers.)

For sale are a variety of housewares, like soaps, baskets, artisan crafts and table linens. Provincial printed fabrics are a good souvenir of the region and also make thoughtful gifts.

Another traditional product of Provence are santons - or “little saints”. A santon is a small hand-painted figurine cast in terracotta or other clay that were originally used for nativity scenes, but these days they represent all sorts of aspects of life in Provence. They are particularly a Christmas tradition, but you can find them everywhere and they make a nice souvenir as well.

One of the first things I noticed in a shop window when we arrived in Arles was a santon of Vincent Van Gogh. :)

Allocate an hour or more at the market in order to fully appreciate it.

Be sure to wander the side streets in Arles.

Museums in Arles

As we were only there for a day, we didn’t have time to really get too involved with museums in Arles, though there are quite a number of them in the area. Here are some popular ones.

Espace Van Gogh

This is an easy hit and I would call the garden and courtyard a “must see”.

In Van Gogh’s time, this was l'Hôtel de Dieu, a hospital where he was taken after suffering a nervous breakdown that led to him famously cutting off part of his own ear. While he was recovering, he often sat in the interior gardens, and he created a famous painting of the courtyard, Le Jardin de l'Hôtel de Dieu, from a balcony overlooking the garden.

Today the former health center houses the town library, exhibition spaces, souvenir shops and a cafe.

We would highly recommend taking a break to have a coffee, tea or snack at the cafe here. We very much appreciated sitting in this pretty outdoor space (the gardens today are painstakingly arranged to mirror Van Gogh’s painting) and taking in the scenery and the moment. Several Van Gogh themed walking tours came through as we were having our coffee break, but they were small, quiet groups, most likely from some of the river cruise ships docked nearby, and they didn't stay long. The atmosphere was very serene. Plus, the drinks were tasty and the people running the cafe were very nice and didn’t mind my limited French. :)

Espace Van Gogh was the hospital where Van Gogh was a patient.

Musee Departemental Arles Antique

If you haven’t yet had your fill of Roman history, the Musee Departemental Arles Antique has an impressive collection of artifacts and exhibits from the time of the Roman Empire.

In lieu of the Advantage Pass, you can choose the Liberty Pass instead, a multi-attraction pass that includes four monuments of your choice plus one museum. If the Roman Empire is your thing, this might be what you’d prefer.

Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles

The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles honors the work of Van Gogh through exhibits of contemporary artists who are inspired by him, exploring his impact on art today.

While the Foundation was closed when we visited, it is scheduled to reopen on June 1, 2024, with a brand new exhibit called Van Gogh and the Stars, centered around Van Gogh’s actual painting Starry Night over the Rhône, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay. This is actually pretty exciting because none of Van Gogh’s own paintings are on display in Arles. So kind of a big deal!

Check out their website for more information on Van Gogh and the Stars.

Musee Reattu

A smaller museum but in a very interesting building, formerly a Grand Priory of the Order of Malta. With stone staircases, medieval walls, pretty courtyards and views of the Rhone, the space itself is an attraction, as well as a beautiful setting for the works of artist Jacques Reattu as well as works by Picasso, Vlaminck, Dufy and others

World War II in Arles

Arles has two things that are near and dear to my heart - art and WWII history. A lot of the city was unfortunately destroyed by Allied bombs when it was occupied by the German army. Just another layer of history at Arles!

Sadly, many of the scenes that Van Gogh painted at Arles were bombed during the war. Check out our post Visiting Vincent Van Gogh sites in Arles, France to read about some of these places.

Even if all you have is one day to spend in Arles, it is definitely worth the visit. It’s one history-packed little city in Provence that you shouldn’t miss!

This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here.

Some well-reviewed Arles tours:

Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.