Arles

Advertisement

Introducing Arles

If Arles’ winding streets, stone squares and colourful houses baking in the sun seem familiar, it’s probably because they feature in Vincent Van Gogh’s prolific outpouring of art.

Advertisement

Long before Van Gogh captured on canvas this spot on the Grand Rhône River, just south of where the Petit Rhône diverges, the Romans had already been turned on to its charms. (Even before that, Arles was a Celtic settlement in the Bronze Age, before becoming a Greek colony known to the Romans as Arelate.)

In 49 BC, Arles’ prosperity and political standing rose meteorically when it backed a winner in Julius Caesar (who would never meet defeat in his entire career). After Caesar seized and plundered Marseille, which had supported his rival Pompey the Great, Arles eclipsed Marseille as the region’s major port. Within a century and a half, it boasted a 12, 000-seat theatre and a 20, 000-seat amphitheatre to entertain its citizens with gruesome gladiatorial spectacles and chariot races. Still impressively intact, the two structures now stage events including corrida (bullfighting), which sends the town into fever-pitched excitement when the season starts with fanfare each spring.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009

Tips & articles

  1. A dream trip for art lovers

    1 December 2011

    So you want to do the Louvre, the Metropolitan, the Hermitage. Okay. You could trot the globe touring the world’s...

    Read more

  2. Ultimate art lover's pilgrimages

    16 March 2010

    Art doesn’t just live in museums. In this extract from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences, we show you where you...

    Read more

See all tips & articles for Arles

Thorn Tree forum discussion

Recent posts

  1. sushi75 avatar
    RE: What countries/cities to visit next in Western Europe?

    by sushi75 28 August 2011

    +where have you been in Western Europe that you would recommend people to go+ (Not in hierarchical order): Vienna, Dürnstein, Krems an…
  2. neckervd avatar
    RE: Nice to Narbonne or Perignan

    by neckervd 24 August 2011

    You may check (google!) the following places: Antibes, Grasse, St. Paul de Vence, St. Raphael, Hyeres, La Ciotat, Cassis, Bandol, Marseille…
  3. arizona avatar
    RE: Trip report - Montpellier and surroundings

    by arizona 18 August 2011

    Hi Peejee, +Amazing you hear only French and there are nearly no foreign tourists+ Yes, I'm amazed too. Even 'worse', there were some…

See all Thorn Tree forum discussions for Arles

In our shop

See all shop products

Hotels & Hostels in Arles

See all hotels and hostels in Arles

Travel Insurance

Going to France? Make sure you're covered.

Get a quote

See all travel services

Advertisement