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Cloître St-Trophime
Across the courtyard from the Église St-Trophime, the Cloître St-Trophime is flanked by highly detailed stone and marble columns. Its two Romanesque galleries date from the 1100s, while the two Gothic galleries were added in the 14th century.
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Cryptoporticus du Forum
Under your feet as you stand on the place du Forum are the underground storerooms Cryptoporticus du Forum , carved out in the 1st century BC. They were closed at the time of research for repairs. Check with the tourist office for reopening dates.
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Église St-Trophime
Arles was an archbishopric from the 4th century until 1790, and the Romanesque-style Église St-Trophime was once a cathedral. Built in the late 11th and 12th centuries on the site of several earlier churches, it's named after St-Trophime, a late-2nd- or early-3rd-century bishop of Arles.
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Espace Van Gogh
Temporary art exhibitions regularly take place at Espace Van Gogh, housed in the former hospital where Van Gogh had his ear stitched and was later locked up.
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Fondation Vincent Van Gogh
Although Van Gogh painted around 200 canvases in Arles, not one remains here today (the only Van Gogh in Provence is in Avignon's Musée Angladon). After his altercation with housemate Paul Gauguin in Place Victor Hugo, when he threatened Gauguin with a cut-throat razor before using it to slice off part of his own left ear, a petition was raised by fearful neighbours, and on the mayor's orders Van Gogh was committed to hospital for one month.
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La Chambre de Vincent
Van Gogh's little 'yellow house' on place Lamartine, which he painted in 1888, was wiped out during WWII. But to get a sense of stepping into his bedroom - which he sketched and painted several times (or least the sense of stepping into its brightly coloured canvas likeness, skewed perspective and all), La Chambre de Vincent re-creates a life-size approximation. Opening hours can be erratic.
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Le Petit Train d'Arles
Le Petit Train d'Arles is an easy way of glimpsing the main sights without wear and tear on your feet. Tours with English commentary take 35 minutes and depart from Les Arènes and blvd des Lices.
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Les Alyscamps
Van Gogh and Gauguin both painted the large Les Alyscamps necropolis. Founded by the Romans and taken over by Christians in the 4th century, it became a coveted resting place because of the apparent presence of miracle-working Christian martyrs among its dead.
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Les Arènes
Arles' remarkable Roman amphitheatre, Les Arènes, was built around the late first or early second century AD. With a slightly smaller capacity but marginally larger dimensions than its counterpart in Nîmes, it was the venue of choice for chariot races and gladiatorial displays where slaves and criminals met their demise before jubilant crowds.
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Musée Camarguais
Inside an 1812-built sheep shed, the Musée Camarguais is a fantastic introduction to this unique area, covering its history, ecosystems, flora and fauna, with a glimpse into traditional life in the region. From here, a 3.5km nature trail leads to an observation tower, with bird's-eye views. The museum is 10km southwest of Arles on the D570 to Stes-Maries de la Mer.
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Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence Antiques
The fabulous story of Roman Arles takes centre stage at the state-of-the-art showpiece Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence Antiques. Within the triangular structure, which is fronted by a striking cobalt-blue façade, you can trace the area's evolution from 2500 BC through to the end of antiquity in the 6th century AD, or hone in on thematic aspects of trade, the economy and day-to-day life.
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Musée Réattu
Musée Réattu is housed in a former 15th-century priory. This splendid museum has two Picasso paintings, 57 of his sketches from the early 1970s, as well as works by 18th- and 19th-century Provençal artists; but it's best known for its cutting-edge photographic displays. Temporary exhibitions incur an additional admission fee depending on the exhibits.
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Museon Arlaten
Museon Arlaten was founded by Nobel Prize-winning poet and dedicated Provençal preservationist Frédéric Mistral. Occupying a 16th-century townhouse, it has displays of traditional Provençal furniture, crafts, costumes, ceramics, wigs, and a model of the mythical people-eating amphibious monster, the Tarasque. Last entry is one hour prior to closing.
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Self-guided walking tours
In addition to the Van Gogh trail, several self-guided walking tours are marked along Arles' footpaths in conjunction with an explanatory brochure. Enquire at tourist office.
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Théâtre Antique
Now a summer outdoor cinema and concert venue, the Théâtre Antique dates from the end of the 1st century BC. For centuries it was used as a convenient source of construction materials, chipping away at the 102m diameter structure (the remaining column on the right-hand side near the entrance indicates the height of the original arcade). Enter via the Jardin d'Été on blvd des Lices.
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Thematic City Tours
From mid-June to mid-September the tourist office runs thematic city tours for two hours, usually with a couple of tours a week in English.
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Thermes de Constantin
Admission to the amphitheatre is also good for the Thermes de Constantin, partly preserved Roman baths near the river built for Emperor Constantin's private use in the 4th century.
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Van Gogh trail
Accompanied with a brochure (in English) handed out by the tourist office, the evocative Van Gogh trail, a walking circuit of the city marked by footpath-embedded plaques, takes in spots where Van Gogh set up his easel to paint canvases such as Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888). At each stop there's a lectern-style signboard with a reproduction of the painting and interpretative information (also in English).
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Showing 1-18 of 18 results
