Last Updated on October 2, 2026

Van Gogh, Pink Flamingos and Bullfights

 
Our second article exploring Provence looks at Arles, the city of Van Gogh, and the neighbouring Camargue region home to the famous white horses, pink flamingos, black bulls and cowboys.

Arles

Situated on the banks of the mighty River Rhône, Arles is one of many towns and cities in Provence defined by their Roman past. Arles has eight World Heritage Sites and only Rome has a larger selection of well-preserved Roman artefacts. Originally known by its Roman name of Arelate, Arles combines a respect for its history with a thriving contemporary cultural scene. For art lovers the city has strong associations with artists Vincent van Gogh who painted more that 300 works whilst in situ including Yellow Room, Starry Night Over the Rhone, and L’Arlésienne. 

You can trace the artist’s footsteps with the Van Gogh Walking Circuit whilst the Van Gogh Foundation looks at the artist’s influence rather than having a wide selection of his paintings. There is also a world-famous International Photo Festival which takes over the city in the summer. 

More Spanish than French in character, Arles is characterised by elegant mansions and winding narrow streets lined with houses that feature charming pastel-coloured shutters.

 The best place to begin your visit to Arles is the Place de la Republique with its central feature, a Roman obelisk that used to sit in the ancient Roman Circus. You’ll see the Hotel de Ville (town hall) and the L’eglise Saint-Trophime dedicated to the patron saint of Arles. The square features forty-nine lions head statues and plaques that celebrate the insignia of the city, taken from the 6th Roman Legion that was based there.

 The church is Provençal Romanesque in style and is worth a visit to see ten Aubusson tapestries showing scenes from the life of Mary

There are also stunning cloisters that date from the 12th-14th Century. 

Roman Arles

Situated under what were the porticos of the Roman Forum and dating back to the reign of Augustus (25-10 BC), Les Cryptoportiques are underground galleries that offer not only respite from the heat of the summer, but also a fascinating insight into the commercial life of the ancient city.

 Another worthwhile journey into the past is a visit to the Baths of Constantine which sit next to the banks of the Rhône. Dating from the 4th century they demonstrate advanced Roman ‘hypocaust’ heating and hot water technologies as well as the importance of the social aspect of communal bathing.

 The two major Roman attractions in Arles are the Roman Theatre and the Arles Amphitheatre. Dating back to the reign of Augustus in the 1st century, the theatre was built to take eight thousand spectators and there are still two Roman columns from the original stage wall. This ancient theatre is still a living space with many theatre and music productions taking place through the summer.

Next door to the Roman Theatre is the 136m long Arles Amphitheatre which dates from the same period. The building was restored in the 1850s when the village that had grown inside it was razed and now it is used for bullfighting and cultural festivals rather than by battling gladiators. It’s an imposing space where you can indulge your Russell Crowe fantasies.

Museums and Galleries

 Arles has plenty to keep museum and art buffs engaged.

 
 The Musée Reattu is housed in the townhouse of neo -classical painter Jacques Réattu (1760-1833). It’s a charming space that alongside Reattu’s fine canvases houses a large photo collection, some Picasso drawings and parallel exhibitions by contemporary artists. When I was there fashion designer Christian Lacroix, another son of the city, was featured
 
The Musée Départemental de l’Arles is a major collection of classical artefacts and artworks housed in a bespoke contemporary building next to the site of the Roman “Circus” used for chariot racing.

Arles was a key Roman city in Roman Gaul and the museum houses the only known portrait of Julius Caesar and an incredibly well-preserved, 31-metre Roman barge retrieved from the Rhône River in 2010. It’s definitely worth a visit.

 Fans of contemporary art should get to architect Frank Gehry’s Luma Arles tower in the old Parc des Arteliers. It’s an exciting space to see some top-class exhibitions.

It’s worth buying an Arles Pass for easy and discounted access to the attractions in the city.

The Camargue

Sitting next to Arles, the Camargue has a legendary reputation for embodying a sense of untamed isolation. It has a unique landscape; cycle-friendly flatlands with saltwater marshes and swamps, rice fields, fruit fields and orchards, and scrubland, deserted lagoons populated only with flamingos, fields of bulls being prepared for the corrida with the local cowboys known as gardians bearing trident like cattle prods astride the famous white horses that characterise the region.

 Some of the Camargue villages are well-manicured with smart bungalows and expensive cars in the driveway. The white horses are no longer in the wild being kept on farms in manades (herds that are free to roam). I wanted to get off road into the deserted areas, to the places where you need a special permit to gain access. We were offered a four hour trip with Camargue Alpilles Safaris to do just that.
 
We met up with our driver at their office in central Arles and clambered into the 4×4. The Camargue merges into the outskirts of Arles but the feel of the area is very different to the urbane elegance of the city.

 We started off travelling through several villages with our informed and amusing guide giving us a wealth of fascinating information. Everywhere you go you see the Camargue cross, the proud symbol that articulates the region’s independence and pride.

 We saw a traditional Camargue house, built north to south to protect against the Mistral, the strong northwesterly wind that chills the region.

We learnt about the history and practice of rice cultivation.

 How the salt flats are used to create table salt.

 How climate change has meant that most flamingos stay in the region all year round with other bird life including ibis, herons and egrets. 

 
 How the white horses are brown when born only turning white when aged two.  

 We stopped off at a ranch to watch the bulls and the gardians. The black Camargue bulls, which can run at fifty km per hour and weigh around 400 kilos, are raised for the Camargues games. They take place in one of the hundred arenas dedicated to the sport with over seven hundred and fifty games per year. The 1m 80cm heigh white horses can dominate the bulls who are very territorial.  In the Camargues games the bulls are the stars which is different to the Spanish tradition which focuses on the bullfighters.

In the Camargue the all-white-dressed fighters known as Les Raseteurs don’t kill the bulls, but instead aim to snatch tokens known as “attributs” (rosettes and strings) from the upturned horns of the bull. Two of these brave young men and women died last year so there is a high level of danger associated with the sport. Indulging my inner Ernest Hemingway, there was a visceral thrill in watching these powerful beasts charging around, with a large number of gardians needed to manage the herd.

 The final stop on our tour was a visit to the Romany town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the capital of the Camargue where the locals traditionally worship Saint Sarah the Black Virgin, the patron saint of the Romany people. It’s a charmingly unpretentious seaside town with plenty of retail opportunities to buy local produce such as rice, flavoured salts and bull sausages. There are two religious feast days each year celebrating the three Marys, including Mary Magdalene, who were the first people to see Jesus’ tomb and who subsequently came to the town.

The Camargue is a very special place to visit with a strong indigenous culture and the Camargue Alpilles Safaris is a great way to explore and understand the region if you don’t want to drive.

If you have enjoyed this article why not read our guide to the Luberon, the spiritual home of Provence.
 
Our third article exploring Provence will look at “Roman” Provence; Aix-en Provence, Avignon, Orange, Nîmes, Uzès and the Pont du Gard, so keep an eye out for that.