Arles and Carmargue
The historial city of Arles has been listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1981. Many roman and romanesque buildings and ruins in the preserved historic center are listed as “Historic Monuments”. It is a city of art, indeed once a stomping ground to Van Gogh, it hosts the National School for Photography and a famous Photography festival in summer and entices contemporary art, most evident at the amazing Luma Foundation.
The town is beautifully located, sitting on the lush banks of the river Rhône, on the edge of the Rhone River Delta, where the adjacent regional park the Camargue lies. It is the most spread out territory in all of France, covering 720 square kilometers (three times the area of Marseille and seven times the area of Paris).
Recommended “what to do and see” in Arles:
- In the Roman footsteps.
- In the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh and the Foundation fondation-vincentvangogh-arles.org/en/
- Luma Arles luma-arles.org/en/
- The huge Saturday morning market.
The Camargue, a designated Regional Natural Park, is a territory of 1500 km² at the crossroads of Languedoc and Provence, stretching from the Mediterranean and the Rhône Delta to the south of Arles, featuring a diverse landscape of ponds and lagoons, where wild horses and bulls roam freely amongst pink flamingos and hundreds of other animal and bird species.
Discover the Camargue ranching culture, its traditions and its towns with their rich past, shaped by a landscape nestled between the sea, wetlands and the glades where rice is grown and ponds provide havens for diverse flora and fauna.
Recommended itinerary in the Camargue include:
- Les Saintes Maries de la Mer , capital of the Camargue, home of the church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer.
- The ornithological park at Pont de Gau parcornithologique.com/en/
- Aigues-Mortes the fortified citadel.
- The Salt Marsh in Aigues-Mortes visitesalinsdecamargue.com/en/
- Saint-Gilles, wine route and local produce.
Of course Yourchauffeur will recommend an appropriate place for lunch, whether for a gourmet treat or a lighter meal, discovering many local culinary specialties, either in a town, surrounded by luxuriant nature or facing the Sea, please rely on our expertise and our knowledge of the region.
