Arles

Arles was the most important city in Roman Gaul after the decline of Lyon, and its Roman amphitheatre — built in 90 AD to seat 20,000 spectators — still dominates the old town, hosting bullfights and concerts to this day. Constantine the Great made the city his western capital in 314 AD, and the Alyscamps, a Roman-era necropolis lined with sarcophagi along an avenue of poplars, was among the most prestigious burial grounds in the Western world for over a millennium.

Yet Arles is perhaps most famous as the city that intoxicated Vincent van Gogh. The Dutch painter arrived in February 1888 and produced over three hundred paintings and drawings during his fifteen-month stay, including The Starry Night Over the Rhône, the Café Terrace at Night, and his bedroom series. Though none of his original works remain in the city, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles presents rotating exhibitions that explore his influence, and brass markers in the pavement guide visitors to the exact spots where he set up his easel.

Provençal cuisine in Arles celebrates the terroir of the Camargue and the Rhône delta. Taureau de Camargue — beef from the semi-wild black bulls of the Camargue marshes — appears in daubes and as grilled steaks. Tellines (tiny wedge clams) sautéed in garlic and parsley are a delicacy unique to this stretch of coast. The Saturday morning market along Boulevard des Lices is one of Provence's finest, overflowing with olives, goat cheese, lavender honey, and bundles of herbs de Provence. Aïoli — a garlicky mayonnaise served with salt cod and vegetables — is the quintessential communal dish.

The Camargue, a vast wetland delta stretching south to the Mediterranean, begins just minutes from Arles and shelters colonies of pink flamingos, herds of white horses, and black Camargue bulls tended by mounted gardians (cowboys). The fortified medieval town of Aigues-Mortes, from which Louis IX launched his Crusades, is forty-five minutes south. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where Van Gogh was hospitalised and painted The Starry Night, is twenty-five minutes north.

Arles is a featured stop on Rhône river cruise itineraries, visited by A-ROSA, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, CroisiEurope, Emerald Cruises, Riviera Travel, Scenic River Cruises, Tauck, Uniworld River Cruises, and Viking. It typically appears on voyages between Lyon and the Mediterranean. Spring and early autumn are ideal, with the Arles photography festival (Les Rencontres d'Arles) in July drawing art lovers from around the world, and the mild winter months offering crowd-free access to the Roman monuments.