Arles

Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Arles, spiritual capital of Provence, is located where the mighty Rhône meets the Camargue and was founded by the veterans of Julius Caesar's crack Sixth legion. And while it has world class Roman buildings (that are still in active use today), it's probably more famous for being the place where Vincent Van Gogh came in search of light - the art world hasn't been the same since.

Its proximity to the Camargue National Park makes it a great base for exploring the precious biosphere with its flocks of flamingos and semi-wild white horses.

Highlights

Visit the Roman sites, including the Arena , Theatre and Alyscamps (necropolis)
Follow in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh - see many of the locations he painted, the hospital he stayed in and the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh which is dedicated to his work, as well as showcasing artists of our time.
See flamingos, coypu and white wild horses in nearby Carmargue - hiring a bike in Arles is a great way to explore and here's a map of routes you can take.

Station stroll ideas

If you have an hour or two to spare waiting for a train, why not go for a wander?

The tourist information office have provided a set of walking routes which you might find useful here .

I've also put together a downloadable PDF of a series of walks which takes in most of the van-Gogh related sights starting at the station and a google map which you can use on your phone.

Guided Tours

There are details of guided tours here .

Luggage

If you'd like to go for a wander without lugging along all your, then you could use Bounce , which offers low-cost storage

Map

Tourist infomation

Here's a link to tourist information: Tourist info website

Plan your own trip

Why not plan your own trip one hop at a time with Trip-Hop:

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great hops from here

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