13 FANTASTIC Things To Do in Arles France: The Town of Van Gogh & Roman UNESCO sites!

There are so many fantastic things to do in Arles France. In fact, it quickly turned into one of my favorite cities in France.

With the Roman and Romanesque monuments being UNESCO sites and a great amount of Vincent Van Gogh sites and galleries to discover, there’s no shortage of what to do in Arles.

But it’s also a lovely city to stroll around and take in the beautiful architecture, cute cobbled streets, and not to mention the fabulous foodie scene.

Read on to start planning your Arles itinerary with these epic things to do and see.

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Things to do in Arles France

Take a Van Gogh self-guided walking tour

One of the best things to do in Arles is to take a Vincent Van Gogh self-guided walking tour to see the top Van Gogh attractions in the city.

I loved this tour as you learn so much about the artist’s time in Arles and his art, but also because you have lifetime access to it so you can listen to it both before and after your trip.

Van Gogh painted some of his best work in Arles, especially when he was admitted to the psychiatric hospital.

In all honesty, I knew nothing about Van Gogh before I visited Arles and didn’t really expect to enjoy learning about the artist, but he has a really intriguing history in the city and I got obsessed with learning more and highly recommend it.

Gaze at the Roman Amphitheater

Arles Arena, also known as the Roman Amphitheater of Arles, is one of the best-preserved in the world. In the 8th century, it was used as a fortress and was fortified with 4 watch towers. Today, 3 of them still stand which makes this amphitheater pretty unique.

The arena is used for different cultural events, including bullfights, which is why I wouldn’t recommend going inside to support unethical animal tourism.

However, it’s cool to see from the outside and there are information signs around the structure so you can read to learn more about it.

Stroll around the gardens of Hotel Dieu

Hotel Dieu was the main hospital in Arles from it was built in the 16th century until the 20th century. This is where Vincent Van Gogh was admitted after cutting off his left ear and giving it to a prostitute.

After the incident, he spent months at the time in the hospital with mental illness and painted some of his most famous paintings there.

Going for a stroll in the garden is really nice and there’s a replica of a Van Gogh painting of the garden that he painted when he stayed at the hospital. It’s cool to see how similar it looks today, over 200 years later.

I did feel like it was a bit of a tourist trap with plenty of tourist shops under the porticos surrounding the garden, but I still enjoyed it and didn’t pay much attention to them.

Get mesmerized in the La Roquette neighborhood

If you ask me, La Roquette neighborhood is one of the top things to see in Arles. France is full of cute places and this is one of those places that gets stuck with you – at least for me!

It’s full of cute streets with traditional, wooden window covers painted in different colors and pot plants everywhere.

If you’re a photographer, you’ll want to spend hours there and if you like to draw or paint, it’s a fabulous place to get inspiration.

Explore the Van Gogh Foundation

The Van Gogh Foundation is the best place in Arles to learn how the artist’s paintings have inspired the art world.

While there aren’t any Van Gogh paintings on permanent display, we were super impressed to see the “Starry Night Over The Rhone” in the summer of 2024, which was borrowed from Musée d’Orsay.

Stroll along the Rhône River

While in Arles, make sure you go for a stroll along the Rhône River. It’s a refreshing activity to break up walking around the city all day.

Along the river, you’ll also see the site where Van Gogh got his inspiration to paint his masterpiece “Starry Night Over The Rhone.” The site is not too far from the Yellow House location where Vincent used to live.

Visit the Alyscamps

The Alyscamps is one of the biggest attractions in Arles – an ancient Roman burial site. The necropolis is located right outside the old town. It is one of the Roman sites in Arles that are protected by UNESCO.

In Medieval times, it became a popular burial site for the first bishops in Arles and it is famously the burial site of Saint Genest.

The pathway you can walk today was built by monks in the 18th century. This site is also the beginning of one of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes.

Step inside Arles Cathedral

Arles Cathedral is another site included in the UNESCO Monuments of Arles. It is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture, especially the sculptures outside the entrance.

The basilica was mainly built between the 11th and the 12th, though some features have been added later. Originally, there was an old church from the 5th century on the same site.

Check out the Arles Market

Arles Saturday Market is truly worth checking out. You find everything there from clothes and crafts to food and flowers.

It stretches for around 2 kilometers on Boulevard des Lices and Boulevard Georges-Clemenceau and there are 450 stalls. I love strolling around there and it’s a great place to grab some local snacks like cheese or olives.

There is also a Wednesday Market at Boulevard Emile Combes which is slightly smaller.

The markets are only open in the morning and close around midday so it’s a great way to start the day.

Grab a bite to eat at one of the hidden restaurants

Arles is a foodie’s paradise and besides the markets, there are so many excellent restaurants and cafés where you can enjoy a truly amazing meal.

While there are plenty of restaurants that are easy to spot, I highly recommend looking in the hidden corners to truly spot the great places.

In the touristy area, as it is anywhere really, it’s easy to get caught up in the tourist traps and lower-quality food.

We really enjoyed Le VG D’Arles – La Cantine Végétale for brunch which is a surprisingly great food experience and organic, zero waste café in the garden of Hotel Dieu, and Au Bonheur d’Emilie which had some incredible slow-cooked and organic food (it closes at 18:00, so make sure you go for early dinner or lunch.)

See the Baths of Constantine

The Roman Baths of Constantine is another fabulous UNESCO-listed Roman site dating back to the early 4th century during Emperor Constantine’s rule.

The baths had hot and cold pools and were a place where men and women went to hang out and meet people during the Roman empire, but they were possibly in use a while after too.

Note that the Baths of Constantine are located a bit away from the old town on the banks of the Rhône River, but it’s well worth the walk to get there.

Walk through the Place de la République

Place de la République is the main square in Arles and home to the cathedral among other splendid buildings like the Town Hall.

In the middle, there is a large obelisk on top of a fountain with sculptures of 4 lions dating back to the 4th century. The obelisk was originally at the Roman Circus and moved to the square in 1676.

It’s a nice place to people watch and take pictures. It’s also a center for demonstrations and political marches, so you might come across passionate groups of people on your visit.

Visit the Roman Circus and the Archaeological Museum

The Roman Circus in Arles dates back to the 2nd century and was built outside the city, though still at easy walking distance from the historic center.

It was a large area of 450×100 meters that could accommodate up to 20,000 spectators. Unfortunately, there isn’t much left of it today other than a vast overgrown land as most of the stone was used to strengthen the city walls in the 6th century.

If you want to see some of the remains from the circus, make sure you visit the Archaeological Museum. A visit to the museum is one of the top things to do in Arles to understand the Roman history of the city.

You can see how it would have looked in ancient Roman times and you’ll explore a whole lot of archaeological remains.

Take a day trip

Arles is a great base for day trips to nearby cities, but you can even take the train to Paris in just 3.5 hours if you want to visit Paris in a day or two.

However, I do recommend exploring closer destinations, like Montpellier, Avignon, and Nîmes. With one day in Nîmes, you can truly encompass the city’s Roman wealth and take in the energetic vibe before returning to Arles.

Avignon is also a fantastic historical city with the massive Pope’s Palace and the pretty Jardin des Doms.

Aix-en-Provence is also a lovely university city that is worth a day trip, especially if you’re a foodie be aware that the city is the birthplace of iconic Provençal cuisine like Ratatouille.

Reflections on what to do in Arles France

Summing up what to see and do in Arles France, it’s without a doubt a fantastic city with a whole lot of history and culture.

While there are plenty of Van Gogh attractions and Roman remains to explore, the city itself is embracing and a wonderful place to spend a few days.

I totally fell in love with Arles and know it’s a place I’ll return to time after time. It’s inspiring and charming with a lovely vibe.

Happy travels!