Day 1: Nice to Arles
We saw more dramatic Mediterranean coastline on the way to Marseille, where we had an easy transfer to Arles.
There was lots of security at station, where our tickets were checked for the second or third time. Likely because of the Feria de Pàques (Easter Fair). We landed in the middle of a carnival. Kind of unique towing our luggage through that. Our host was friendly and informative, with lots of tips for what to see, what was going on, and places to eat. Arles is a great place to wander.
On our way back from dinner we stumbled on good blues/rock cover band. There were lots of old folks jammin.’ We joined them until it started raining.
Day 2: Wandering around Arles
We started the day by going to tourist information for info on bus routes and times. They were very helpful. The street the tourist information office is on was blocked off for a bull run. So that is some literal bullshit right there.
Yes, bull run. The Feria de Pàques, or East Fair, kicks off bullfighting season in France. We didn’t even know France had bullfighting. We didn’t go to any events, but we got to experiece fair rides, crowds, drunks, and loud music just walking around. .
Arles has a fairly intact Roman arena. They held bullfights there during the festival. We didn’t go inside — we went to the Colosseum in Rome so we felt we could skip this one — but from the outside we could see the modern seating installed.
After we tired of the crowds in town — some streets were wall to wall people — we walked over by the river. There were several river cruise boats in port. We’re thinking about a river boat cruise at some point so it was nice to see some in person.
Day 3: Avignon
Since Arles was packed for the festival we took the train to Avignon. The highlight there was the Palace of the Popes. (Its garden is shown below.) Avignon was our other candidate for a base in Provence. It sounded like Avignon had better transport connections and more tour options, but Arles had more the kind of atmosphere we like. We think we chose well.
Our neighborhood is on the edge of the old city near the train station and the supermarket.
Day 4: Self-Guided Walk in Arles
Since the crowds have thinned out, we did the Rick Steves’ walk in Arles. Vincent Van Gogh lived and worked here for years and there are signs around town showing some of this work inspired by Arles near the actual places. The walk includes these signs. In some cases, like the yellow house, the building is no longer there. We got to see the actual Starry Night painting in Paris.
We saw examples of modern street art around town too. After our walk had beer and snacks at a cafe in the square near our Airbnb. We were hoping for a meal but settled for calamari and mozzarella sticks. We supplemented that with some taramasalata from the supermarket for dinner.
Day 5: LUMA Arles and Arlaten Museum
We felt like we’d seen a lot of town by this time so we walked over to LUMA Arles to check out the gardens and tower. We caught the tail end of the market too, though we were late getting started.
We got one last look at some of the Roman ruins on our way through town. We’re envious of Europeans who get random ruins to rest on. And just old things in general to enjoy.
I was hoping we might run across some Provençal fabric here but we didn’t really see that much. These twisted pillars were unique.
Our last stop was the Arlaten Museum, which is full of local clothing and objects.
Rain is forecasted for this evening so we played it safe and hit the supermarket for dinner. Good thing we did. It poured.
These are the town walls by the recycling drop off. Even turning in the recycling is scenic.
Essentials
Lodging
There are lots of hotels to consider in Arles. We ended up booking an Airbnb because we couldn’t find the features I was looking for in an available hotel. Plus the Airbnb looked charming and it was. Room to eat, sleep, and lounge, and located near the train station and the supermarket while still in the atmospheric old town. Lovely host too, with all kinds of tips for us.
Dining
Arles has lots of restaurants that sounded good. The festival (and Easter) made dining out a little challenging. We only ate out twice, both of which I booked in advance. Both our meals were really good. At L O à la bouche we had tuna tartar, bull rillettes, Provençal bull stew, and paella. (They had a special feria dinner menu.) At Le Plaza la Paillotte we had salmon terrine, bull stew and Iberico pork plume, with an apricot cake and chocolate/mango pannicotta.
Transportation
We took the train in and out of Arles and walked everywhere with Arles. Avignon is only a 15-20 minute train ride away . We didn’t see many tours that originated in Arles but several leaving from Avignon.