Éco-Hôtels à Arles
Séjours durables in the town where Van Gogh painted the stars. Best-price guarantee, 1 tonne de CO₂ éliminée par réservation. EUR 5 free credit + 5% cashback in IMPT tokens.
Pourquoi Séjourner à Arles
Arles is the town where Roman Provence, the light of Van Gogh, and the wild beauty of the Camargue all meet at a single point on the Rhône. It was here, 2,000 years ago, that the Romans built one of their great provincial capitals — and the monument that still defines the town skyline is Les Arènes d'Arles, the oval amphitheatre raised around AD 90. In its prime it seated roughly 20,000 spectators, and unlike almost any other Roman arena in Europe it is still used for what it was built for: spectacles. The two tiers of arches, 60 of them in the outer ring, survived the Middle Ages intact because the people of Arles built their houses inside the walls of the monument — a medieval town within a Roman one. Only in the 19th century was the arena cleared and restored, and today it stands at the centre of the UNESCO-listed ensemble of Roman and Romanesque monuments that earned Arles World Heritage status in 1981.
Arles is equally famous for a much shorter visit: Vincent van Gogh arrived by train in February 1888, captivated by the same Provençal light that had drawn the Romans, and in just 15 months produced more than 300 paintings, drawings, and sketches — among them Café Terrace at Night, The Night Café, Starry Night Over the Rhône, and the Sunflowers series. The town still wears his presence lightly: bronze plaques mark the places he painted, and the Fondation Vincent van Gogh stages contemporary exhibitions that keep the dialogue alive. Walk the lanes of the old town at dusk and you will understand why he wrote that "the night is bluer than day."
Beyond the stone and the canvases, Arles is the gateway to the Camargue — one of Europe's great wetlands, a delta of salt flats, reed beds, and lagoons where white Camargue horses gallop through shallow water, black bulls graze under the mistral, and tens of thousands of pink flamingos turn the Étang du Vaccarès into a shifting carpet of colour. It is also a serious food town: the Saturday market on Boulevard des Lices is one of Provence's finest, and the local table means gardiane de taureau slow-cooked in red wine, salt-marsh lamb, and the distinctive red rice of the Camargue.
And because the historic centre is compact, traffic-calmed, and walkable, Arles is a genuinely sustainable destination — the kind of place where the greenest choice is also the easiest. Stay inside the walls, explore on foot, take the train in, and spend a day on a bicycle in the wetlands. Book through IMPT and every night you stay removes 1 tonne of CO₂ from the atmosphere, at the same price you would pay on Booking.com, with EUR 5 free credit on your first booking and 5% cashback in IMPT tokens.
Arles at a Glance
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Arriving by train. Arles sits on the main Paris–Marseille railway corridor, and the TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches the station in about 3 hours 15 minutes on direct services; many trains run via Avignon TGV, where a regional TER covers the final 20 minutes. The station, a handsome 19th-century building, is a 15-minute walk from the arena along Avenue Victor Hugo — luggage wheels rattle agreeably over old paving stones. The station also connects Arles to Marseille (under an hour) and Nîmes (around 20 minutes), which makes a Roman-monuments triangle — Arles, Nîmes, Avignon — an easy three-day itinerary by rail.
Getting around. The historic centre is small enough to cover entirely on foot: arena, theatre, Saint-Trophime, and the Alyscamps necropolis are all within a 20-minute stroll. For the Camargue, buses leave from the station forecourt for Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, threading through the wetland heart of the delta, and several operators run 4x4 and bicycle safaris from the town. A bike is arguably the best tool of all — the flats around the Rhône and the dikes of the Étang du Vaccarès are ideal cycling country.
Day trips. Avignon, 38 km north, holds the Gothic Palais des Papes and the famous summer festival; Nîmes, 32 km east, rivals Arles for Roman splendour with its own arena and the exquisite Maison Carrée temple. Les Baux-de-Provence, 22 km northeast, is a clifftop medieval village with the Carrières de Lumières multimedia show in its old quarries. And the Mediterranean coast at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer or the beaches of the Petite Camargue are under an hour away — a salt-and-sun finale to any Arles trip.
When to go. April–June and September–October deliver the best balance of warm days, strong light, and manageable crowds. July adds the legendary Les Rencontres de la Photographie festival (running July through September) but also peak prices; the ferias at Easter and in the first week of September are the town's most spectacular moments, with bull-running in the streets and packed arenas. The mistral, Provence's dry north wind, can blow for two or three days at a time in winter and spring — pack a windproof layer and remember it also brings brilliant, crystalline skies.
Où Séjourner — Areas
Handpicked Hotels in Arles
Real, bookable stays across Arles — from a five-star convent to a bistro-classic near the arena. All bookable through IMPT at the same price as Booking.com, with 1 tonne de CO₂ éliminée par réservation.
A legend of Provençal hospitality since 1887, facing the square where Van Gogh painted Café Terrace at Night. Hemingway, Picasso, and Cocteau all drank here; the bar still has the bullfighting heritage to prove it. 26 rooms and suites with antique furniture, Provençal fabrics, and a rooftop terrace over the Forum.
HeritageRooftop TerraceCentralBar
Arles' grandest address, housed in a 17th-century Carmelite convent with a magnificent vaulted chapel lobby. The ivy-covered façade on Boulevard des Lices conceals a heated pool, a spa, and one of the town's best restaurants. A five-minute walk to the arena and the Saturday market.
PoolSpaConvent SettingRestaurant
A charming three-star in a 16th-century townhouse steps from Saint-Trophime, with a quiet inner courtyard garden, 25 individually decorated rooms, and warm contemporary Provençal style. The UNESCO cloister is literally around the corner; the arena is five minutes away. Excellent value in the heart of the old town.
Courtyard GardenUNESCO Next DoorQuietGreat Value
A discreet 16th-century hôtel particulier — a noble's town mansion — hiding one of Arles' most beautiful walled gardens behind its ochre façade. Fifteen individually designed rooms blend antiques with bold contemporary art; the garden restaurant is a summer highlight. Pure understated luxury, two minutes from the arena.
Walled GardenBoutiqueArtGarden Dining
A friendly three-star tucked between the arena and the theatre, with a small spa, a garden courtyard, and 33 rooms in calm Provençal tones. Honest prices, a genuinely helpful team, and the best monuments of Roman Arles on your doorstep. The pick for value-conscious travellers who want to be in the middle of it all.
SpaNear ArenaGardenValue
Part of the celebrated Actes Sud cultural complex on the edge of the old town, minutes from the Fondation Vincent van Gogh. Twenty-one quietly luxurious rooms and suites with a bookshop, cinema, and art spaces downstairs. A thoughtful, cultured base — and the Rhône quays are a two-minute walk away.
Bookshop & CinemaCulturalNear Van Gogh FoundationQuiet
Que Faire à Arles
Les Arènes d'Arles (UNESCO)
The great Roman amphitheatre, built around AD 90 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Its ellipse measures 136 by 107 metres and its two surviving tiers of arches once let 20,000 spectators watch gladiatorial games. Today the arena hosts corridas, Provençal bull games, and summer concerts. Adult ticket around EUR 9; a combined pass with the ancient theatre costs about EUR 15.
Théâtre Antique
Built in the 1st century BC, this theatre seated roughly 10,000 and still has two of its original columns standing — one of them known since the Middle Ages as "la tour de l'horloge". The stage wall and the vast semicircular cavea make it a breathtaking venue for the summer concert season. Around EUR 9, or included in the monuments pass.
Saint-Trophime Church & Cloister (UNESCO)
The Romanesque jewel of Arles, begun in the 12th century. Its west portal — a Last Judgement carved in stone — is one of the masterpieces of Provençal Romanesque sculpture, and the cloister's four galleries are a serene procession of carved capitals. The church is free to visit; the cloister carries a small ticket (around EUR 5) or is covered by the monuments pass.
Fondation Vincent van Gogh
Housed in the 15th-century Hôtel Léautaud de Donines on Place du Docteur Félix Rey, the foundation opened in 2014 and pairs contemporary artists with the legacy of Van Gogh, who painted here in 1888–89. Expect boundary-pushing shows and the odd original Van Gogh in dialogue with living artists. Around EUR 9.
Musée Réattu
An art museum in a 16th-century Grand Priory of the Order of Malta on the Rhône quay. Its rooms hold a fine collection of drawings — including the extraordinary gift of 57 Picasso drawings made in 1971 — plus works by Cocteau and contemporary photography. Around EUR 8.
Camargue Régional Nature Park
A 30-minute drive south of Arles, the delta of the Rhône is one of Europe's great wild places: 100,000 hectares of marshes and salt flats roamed by white Camargue horses, black bulls, and colonies of pink flamingos. Explore by 4x4 safari, on horseback, by bike, or on foot from the dike paths. Free to enter; guided safaris from about EUR 40–60.
Alyscamps Roman Necropolis (UNESCO)
One of the most famous cemeteries of the ancient world, where Romans lined the Via Aurelia with sarcophagi for centuries. The tree-lined avenue of tombs, painted by both Van Gogh and Gauguin in 1888, is part of the UNESCO site and free to wander.
Pont Van Gogh & the Trinquetaille Views
Cross to Trinquetaille and look back at the skyline Van Gogh immortalised in Starry Night Over the Rhône. The bridge he painted was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt, but the viewpoint remains one of the great free experiences in Arles — especially at dusk, when the town lights begin to shimmer on the water.
Les Baux-de-Provence (22 km)
One of France's most dramatic hilltop villages, 22 km northeast of Arles, with the ruins of a medieval castle and the Carrières de Lumières — a vast former quarry turned immersive multimedia art space, projecting giant digital artworks onto the stone walls. A perfect half-day trip.
Musée de l'Arles Antique
Beside the Rhône on the edge of town, this modern museum (opened 1995) tells the story of Roman Arles through spectacular finds — including the Arles-Rhône 3, a 30-metre Roman river barge raised from the riverbed in 2011, complete with its cargo. Around EUR 9.
Walking Routes in Arles
Ramparts Loop — 2 km, 45 min, easy
Follow the remains of the medieval ramparts and the line of the Roman walls around the old town. Start at the arena, walk out along the Boulevard des Lices, and return through the streets inside the walls via Place du Forum and the Saint-Trophime quarter. Paved throughout, flat, and dotted with viewpoints over the arena's upper arches. Perfect for a first orientation.
The Van Gogh Trail — 3 km, 1h30, easy
Around ten locations where Van Gogh set up his easel in 1888–89 are marked with plaques and reproduction panels across the town: the arena, the Trinquetaille bridge, the Langlois bridge (now Pont Van Gogh), the Alyscamps, the old hospital (Espace Van Gogh), and the Café du Forum. A self-guided loop of about 3 km on flat ground — follow the bronze markers or pick up the free map at the tourist office.
Camargue Dike Walk at Méjanes — 5 km, 1h30, easy flat
At the Méjanes estate on the northern shore of the Étang du Vaccarès, a hard-packed dike trail runs along the lagoon — 5 km out and back on perfectly flat terrain. Expect flamingos wading in the shallows, white horses on the salt meadows, and the occasional black bull behind the fencing. Reach Méjanes by the Camargue bus from Arles or a short bike ride; carry water and sun protection.
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