Arles, located on the banks of the Grand Rhône 94 km (58 miles) northwest of Marseille, 745 km (463 miles) south of Paris (map), is a small, delightful, manageable Provençal city with impressive Roman ruins and a lively market.

City of Artists

Located just north of La Camargue, the Rhône delta, and west of the minor mountain range of Les Alpilles, Arles is famous also for Vincent Van Gogh who, though he lived here for barely a year (1888-89), captured Arles and vicinity in more than 300 of his best paintings.

Moreover the Musée Réattu holds works by its namesake, painter Jacques Réattu (1760-1833), as well as by Dutch, Italian and Provençal painters including Dufy and Vlaminck, and also important works of Picasso.

Roman Arles

If you arrive in Arles on market day and wander through the market just off the boulevard des Lices, you may not even guess that there is a great Roman theater and a nearly-intact amphitheater (colosseum) just over the hill on the other side of the Jardin d'Été park...but so there are. More...

Not far away are the largest Roman baths extant in Provence, the Thermes de Constantin. You soon realize that Arles was an important Roman city, with the great institutions to prove it. More...

Oddly enough, the vast necropolis (Roman cemetery) of Les Alyscamps is a prime Arles attraction. More...

Where to Stay

Plenty of hotels, inns, and apartments/flats in the center of Arles, allowing you to walk to most of the city's sights. More...

Transportation

Fast TGV trains connect Arles with Paris in as little as 3-1/2 hours and regional TER trains connect it to Avignon, Marseille, Narbonne and other nearby cities.

Aéroport Marseille-Provence (MRS) is only an hour away by train or bus. More...

---

Arles Transportation Hotels & Flats in Arles What to See & Do La Camargue Les Alpilles Avignon Orange Marseille About Provence Where to Go in France