In Roman Gaul, every important town had an amphitheatre, where gladiators and wild animals met their (usually grisly) ends. Few examples have survived,…
Must see attractions in Arles
- LTop ChoiceLes Arènes
- FTop ChoiceFondation Vincent Van Gogh
Housed in a listed 15th-century manor, now twice repurposed (its other incarnation was as a bank), this Van Gogh–themed gallery is a must-see, as much for…
- MTop ChoiceMusée Réattu
This superb 150-year-old museum, housed in an exquisitely renovated 15th-century Hospitaller priory by the Rhône, might be assumed old-fashioned, yet its…
- MMusée Départemental Arles Antique
This striking cobalt-blue museum perches on the edge of what used to be the Roman chariot-racing track (hippodrome), southwest of central Arles. The…
- FFondation Luma
Arles' already-bulging cultural landscape avidly awaits this new cutting-edge gallery and arts centre, rising inexorably at a defunct railway depot in the…
- TThéâtre Antique
It's easy to admire the grace and engineering of this theatre – built at the behest of the unofficial first Roman Emperor, Augustus, in the 1st century BC…
- CCryptoportiques
The origins of these fascinating underground chambers, now sitting below the current city centre, go at least back to the first Roman colony in Arles in…
- ÉÉglise St-Trophime
Named for Arles' semi-mythical first archbishop, this Romanesque-style church, built over a 5th-century basilica, was a cathedral until the bishopric…
- LLes Alyscamps
Testament to the significance of Roman Arles, this grand processional avenue of tombs and sarcophagi holds more than 1500 years of corpses (which Roman…
- PPlace du Forum
Just as social, political and religious life revolved around the forum in Roman Arles, so the busy plane-tree-shaded place du Forum still buzzes with life…
- ÉÉglise Notre Dame de la Major
Complicated restoration projects mean this 12th-century church, dominating Arles from the highest point in the city, can only be admired from outside…
- TThermes de Constantin
These partly preserved Roman baths were built for Emperor Constantin's private use in the 4th century. While much of the complex has been built over…
- EEspace Van Gogh
The 16th-century hospital where Van Gogh had his ear stitched on and was later locked up hosts the occasional exhibition (which attracts an entry fee). At…
- VViewpoint Where Van Gogh Painted 'Starry Night Over the Rhône'
This is the spot where Van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888) now hanging in Paris' Musée d'Orsay. When conditions are right, you can see at…
- HHôtel de Ville
Completed in 1676, and still the seat of Arles' government, the handsome Town Hall is also the entrance to the subterranean Roman Cryptoportiques.
- MMuseon Arlaten
Arles' cultural museum, founded all the way back in 1889 with the intent of documenting regional culture, styles and creators, is closed for renovations…