Ten Days in Arles – Road Trip Continued…

Arles is an ancient city located on the Rhône River in Provence that dates back to the 6th century BC, and was once the capital of ancient Rome. Wandering through this town with its quintessential provencal blue shutters, rough ragged, sunbaked buildings, Roman ruins scattered about, and bright blue skies is enchantingly inviting. Some may call it dirty or gritty, however, the phrase “it has the patina of a bygone era” describes it perfectly. Provence in autumn is an unbelievable place to be.

It is said that Van Gogh made this town famous when he rented this yellow house where he was joined by his friend and fellow artist, Paul Gaugin in 1888.

Sadly, their relationship soured and Gaugin quickly and suddenly left the yellow house for Paris without saying goodbye. It was just after Gaugin’s departure that Van Gogh cut off his ear and arrived at the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Remy-de-Provence (more on that in future posts).

We stayed in Arles for ten days and saw so many interesting places while we were there. Of course, the famous Arles Amphitheater was on our list. It was built around 90 AD during the reign of Augustus, and is still in use today. This two-tiered arena could accommodate 20,000 spectators just after it was completed. At one point in history, there were actually homes built inside the arena to keep the residents safe from invading armies. The houses were long ago destroyed allowing the arena to be used again for its original purpose. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

Foundation Vincent Van Gogh Although this gallery is dedicated to Van Gogh’s time in Arles, we saw only a few of the 300 paintings he produced during his year here. The gallery mostly includes an interesting collection of contemporary works. The building was constructed in 2014, but blends in quite well with the architecture of Arles. Photos of the collections are not allowed, so all I have to share is this photo.

Cloître Saint-Trophime was built between the 12th and 14th centuries and it’s said that this church is an excellent example of Provençal Romanesque Art. The structure contains cloisters in both Gothic and Romanesque styles. It has suffered much erosion over the years, but work is underway to determine how best to preserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site (1981).

The 4th century ruins of the Baths of Constantine are yet another UNESCO Site to explore. It was a common practice during that time to wash before dinner and Romans from all classes were allowed into the baths to do just that. Of course, the wealthy had much more desirable locations within the baths than the majority of the locals, but all were welcome. There were hot and cold rooms, segregated by gender, and even a space to leave your clothes. Think of your local gym, and you’ve got a rough idea.

Les Alyscamps, another UNESCO Site, is a burial site just outside the city walls dating back to the 4th century AD. The moment we stepped in and saw the long rows of empty sarcophagi, I immediately felt the need to whisper, to be respectful of the mourners who had been here hundreds of years before, bidding farewell and releasing their loved ones from their earthly constraints.

The chapel in the park, Saint-Accurse, was built in 1520 in honor of Accurse de la Tour who was killed in a dual.

During their stay in Arles, Van Gogh and Gaugin came here together to paint what they called the Champs Elysées de Arles.

We had the park mostly to ourselves, and enjoyed the quiet solitude.

The Cryptoportiques du Forum dates back to the 1st century BC. This is simply the basement of the Forum that was once used as a marketplace for the locals. This horseshoe shaped space with three galleries, provided support for the forum above. It is dark, damp and a little creepy actually, but a visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site (1981) is quite interesting.

An Advantage Pass can be purchased at any of these locations or at the tourist office for 15€ that allows entry to six locations and is valid for one month.

Every Saturday there is a huge street market in Arles that covers two kilometers along several boulevards. If you can’t find it here, it probably doesn’t exist.

Parc Ornithologique in the Camargue is yet another amazing place to visit if you’re into bird watching. Located about 30 minutes from Arles, this 150 acre (60 hectares) park has hundreds of birds enjoying life in their natural habitat. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the pink flamingoes and other species as they went about their daily routines. Admission is 6€ per person and well worth the price.

And then of course, there are the restaurants. We had many delicious meals while in Arles. At Gaudina we shared some roasted eggplant which was amazing. I had a Caesar salad and theTravelersketcher had octopus.

Du Bar à l’Huitre is a delicious seafood restaurant with a nice variety of oysters, and other seafood options.

During our stay in Arles, we took a drive to Marseilles to have lunch with my cousin and his partner. I haven’t seen him for many years, so it was really nice to get caught up over a delicious lunch at Bistronomie Yasmine in the heart of the city.

However, getting there was a nightmare! The drivers are the craziest we have encountered in our travels. Numerous times, we had cars and motorcycles coming straight at us in our lane, then at the last minute, they would swerve around us!

We took a few wrong turns (damn GPS) and once we finally made it to the street leading to the parking lot entrance, it was blocked by a delivery van! Around we went again, arriving 15 minutes later, the same van was still blocking the road. Who parks in the middle of the road?!?! At this point theTravelersketcher took a page from their playbook, swerved into the oncoming lane, narrowly missing a curb and oncoming vehicles, but managed to get past the van; whew!

We’ve been on the road for over three weeks now, and I have more to share about our road trip through southern France. Here are the links to the previous posts if you would like to read more:

On the Road Again – From Carcassonne to Arles

More Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and One That Should Be

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia