Arles: A Provençal Day of History, Art, and Charm

Arles: A Provençal Day of History, Art, and Charm

For those looking for an authentic expression of the true beauty of Provence, Arles is the perfect place to start. Its historic old town is compact and easily walkable with gorgeous sights like the Roman arena, bubbling fountains and little moments of Provençal life highlighted by the incredible sunshine. There's a reason why famous artists like Vincent Van Gogh painted here, there's beauty everywhere you look.

What to See and Do in Arles

Now that I've given you a little insight into the amazing things you'll see and do in Arles, let's get down to practicalities. We had our home base in Avignon which is about 30 minutes by train to Arles, so a very easy day trip even with two small kids in tow. We also planned it out to be here for the Saturday market which is an unforgettable experience and I would highly recommend you enjoy while you're visiting as well. Markets like these give you such a great insight into what life is truly like in Provence and lets you live like a local even just for an hour or two while you stroll up and down purchasing little treats to savor.

The Market

Our first stop for our day trip to Arles was the market. Markets here usually start early in the morning and end around noon-1pm, so definitely make this one of your first stops if you want time to enjoy it and have some of the best picks for produce. The market in Arles is right across from the Jardin d'Ete, which conveniently has a great little playground if you're traveling with children.

The first half of the market is dedicated to artisanal products like handmade cutting boards, soaps, bags, hats and the like. It is a pretty crowded place so if you have a stroller like we did, it will take you some extra time to navigate the crowds. I'd recommend, if you have a baby or young toddler that you can wear on yourself to do that instead and have older toddlers and kids walk or have a small umbrella stroller. It's tight walking through the narrow lane between stalls of vendors even just on foot as an adult.

If you cross the street and go through the next row of stalls you'll be in the heart of the action, full of colorful produce, olives, cheeses, and breads. We purchased some fruits and vegetables from different local suppliers. They usually have little plastic baskets or bins where you can take one and fill it with the fruits and veggies you'd like to be purchased at the end and weighed if needed. A good tip is to always, of course, say bonjour when you're ready to check out. Most vendors do take credit cards but you're probably better off with cash just in case.

We also purchased an entire rotisserie chicken with potatoes for 11 euros for lunch and added in some bread and olives to complete our picnic. I highly recommend this but definitely don't forget to pack or purchase on your way into Arles some plates and utensils as they do not have them available there. Then just find a perfect little spot to enjoy your picnic. The Rhône river is only a few streets away if you'd like a water view, but for us we took everything back to the playground so our kids could eat a few bites and then run around and enjoy themselves.

Vincent Van Gogh

One of the easiest ways to organize your walk through Arles is to find each of the paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. The paintings are setup throughout town on small easels in the actual place they were painted. Two of the easels are before you even enter the city walls, the Yellow House Easel and the Starry Night Easel. I used Rick Steve's city walk as my guide. And before we came, I recorded myself reading all the helpful history and directions so we weren't staring at a guidebook the entire time. It was really helpful and felt like we had our own personal audioguide to enhance our walk through Arles.

If you're looking for more Vincent Van Gogh inspiration for your trip to Arles, I recommend watching the movie "Loving Vincent". It's an amazingly gorgeous movie with each scene hand painted by hundreds of different artists highlighting Vincent's life. Definitely worth watching and gives you an appreciation for his work.

Roman Ruins and Fantastic Fountains

One of the first things you'll see as you walk into the city of Arles, which is a quick 10 minute walk from the train station, is the Roman Arena. It's the crown jewel of Arles and is absolutely breathtaking. You can choose to pay the entrance fee to get a more in depth view of the arena or, like us, just walk around the outside of it and appreciate its beauty.

Arles also has some great fountains like on Rue Voltaire with its mosaic design or in the Jardin d'Ete with the colorful koi fish. Everywhere you look there's something simply amazing to behold. And people are friendly and calmer here. We spent the first few days of our trip in Paris and then came down south and I can tell you, the difference between cultures is huge.

Here in Provence, there's a slowness and a tranquility that can't be found in Paris. The sun shines softly on limestone walls and French blue shutters, the food is seasonal, fresh, and delicious, and people smile here and are friendly, especially towards young children. This is a place where you'll feel at home even if you aren't fluent in French or have never been to France before. Being in Provence is like being enveloped in warm, blissful sunshine.