Historical Arles

Discovering Arles and its numerous Roman monuments and buildings. You can enjoy a short picturesque break along the canal from Arles to Bouc where you can go right up to the famous Van Gogh bridge before returning to the no-less famous bull ring.

Technical sheet

209430
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.53 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 17 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 17 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 25 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 0 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in one of the car parks in the north of the city close to the Rue Jules Ferry, opposite Monoprix.

(S/E) Leaving in a southeastern direction aiming for the Porte de la Cavalerie flanked by its two towers. Go through it and follow the Rue de la Cavalerie opposite until a fork marked by the Fontaine Amédée Pichot (1) adorned with a beautiful fresco.

Turn right on the Rue Amédée Pichot, cross the Rue Léon Blum and join the Rue du 4 Septembre. Keep following this street. A few metres further on, at number 24, you'll find the old bath house. Pass the Rue Saint-Julien on your right and arrive in front of the Église Saint-Julien.

Continue until the following junction and turn right on the Rue de Grille. Turn left on the Rue du Grand Prieuré. At number 12 is the Musée Réattu, then after a few metres on the left is that of the Commanderie de Sainte-Luce (closed).

Ignore the next road on the left and continue straight ahead towards a square (car park) surrounding the Thermes de Constantin (2). Go around the building to the left to get to the entrance.

Continue straight ahead, still on the Rue du Grand Prieuré, ignoring the next two roads on the left to get to the Quai Marx Dormoy. Turn left and you'll arrive at Place Albin Peyron. Then go left towards the Église des Frères Prêcheurs.

Follow the very small Rue des Dominicains opposite the church, ignore the road on the right and join the Rue Tour de Fabre. Turn left on this road, then very quickly left again onto the Rue du Docteur Fanton. At number 34 you'll find the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation.

Retrace your steps and go left again onto the Rue Tour de Fabre to see a small church on the right. Turn around and take a few steps left on the Rue du Séminaire.

At the end of this street, turn right onto the Rue Pasteur which takes you around the Église du Méjean and arrive at the Place Jean-Baptise Massilon. On the right is the magnificent façade of the old Arles Merino sheep farmers' union building

Turn left, cross the Quai Marx Dormoy and climb a few steps to reach the banks of the river Rhône.
Turn left along the river and then take the stairs that climb up to the Pont de Trinquetaille (3).

Turn right and cross the Rhône. At the end of the bridge, take the stairs that descend right onto the Quai Saint-Pierre. Continue along the quay, without going down onto the bank of the Rhône, to appreciate the view over Arles. The quay bends left and arrives in front of a cemetery. Take the steady path around the right hand-side of the cemetery until the vestiges of the Pont au Lions (4) marked by two imposing lions.

Turn around and, in the corner of the cemetery, descend left towards the banks of the Rhône (pay attention because the promenade has no barrier). Follow the lower quay until the bottom of the Pont de Trinquetaille. Climb the stairs to get to the top of the bridge, cross the road and turn left to cross the Rhône.

(3) Keep going opposite, ignoring the Rue Elie Giraud on the right and you'll reach the Place Antonelle with the beautiful Nouvelles Galeries building on the left. Turn right on the Rue des Porcelets until the Place Paul Doumer. Take the Rue de la Roquette opposite. At number 6 you'll find the Hôtel de Divonne, continue until number 35. Turn left to visit the Église Saint-Césaire (5).

Return back along the Rue de la Roquette and turn left. Pass the Rue Senebier on the right and take the next right, the Rue Waldeck Rousseau. At the end of this road, turn right on the Rue de la Croix Rouge, which is very leafy, a rejoin the banks of the Rhône.

Go left along the river and just before the bridge you'll see the Ecorchoir tower on the left-hand side. Go under the N113 bridge and continue on the purpose-built path for about 150m. When you get to a car park, turn left to go around it following the sign to Pont Van Gogh. At the end of the car park, turn right on the Avenue Jean Monnet which leads to the Musée Départemental Arles Antique (6).

Pass the museum, cross the bridge over the canal and turn left on the Chemin des Écluses. The path passes social housing and before you turn right. At the start of another bend, leave the tarmac and go left on a small path that joins a road 150m further on.

Turn left and, just before the Pont Langlois, cross to the right via the pedestrian passage. Follow the purpose-built path that runs along the Canal d'Arles à Bouc by while ignoring all the routes to the right. Walk under a small bridge and, just after, you'll get to a crossroads.

(7) Go left on the Rue Jean Charcot. After a bend, the tarmac gives way to a new path. Remain in the left-most path alongside the closest canal for nearly a kilometre. When the path joins the Rue Gaspard Monge, follow it left to find the Pont Van Gogh 200m further on (8).

Retrace your steps along the same path by the canal until you reach the crossroads just before the little bridge.

(7) Cross the Rue Gaspard Monge and take the path up to the bridge. Turn right and follow the purpose-built path on the old railway line. Go over the N113 and then at the end of the path, cross the rails and reach the Boulevard Émile Zola.

Ignore the Rue Germaine Richier on the left and keep going straight on the boulevard. Turn left on the Rue Commandant Maigre then right on the Rue Lucien Guintoli. Ignore a road on each side, reach a crossroads and turn right to get to traffic lights at the junction of the Chemin de Bigot and the Rue Victor Basch.

Continue straight ahead on the Avenue du Général Leclerc following signs to the town centre (centre ville). Ignore the roads on each side until you reach the Boulevard Georges Clemenceau. On the left, at number 21, there's a beautiful building to look at, and cross the boulevard to the right through the pedestrian passage opposite the Théâtre Municipal.

In front of the theatre (9), take a left-right dogleg and enter the Rue Jean Granaud around the building via the left-hand side. Follow this road, cross the Rue Molière and turn right on the Rue Albert Samain.
Cross the Rue Gambetta and continue opposite onto the Rue du Lau. When it takes a left-hand bend, you'll find an old Roman building on your right.

Join the Rue de la République and follow it right until number 40 where you'll see the Chapelle des Trinitaires, and the Museon Arlaten opposite (museum dedicated to Provençal ethnology).

Turn around and after a few steps, turn right on the Rue Frédéric Mistral. Then turn right on the Rue Balze which runs behind the previous museum. On the right is the Chapelle des Jésuites. Continue until you get to the Plan de la Cour. On the right, in front of the town hall, is a "banc à degrés" (stepped seat) where the consuls of the Republic of Arles administered justice.

Keep going for a few metres to get to the Arles town hall (Mairie). Go right to enter the building and find the entrance hall. You can visit the Cryptoportiques (10), vaulted tunnels that ran under the Forum. Cross the entrance hall to exit opposite the Place de la République.

On the square is a large obelisk, the Église Sainte-Anne is on your right. On the left is the Church of St. Trophime (known locally as the Primatiale Saint-Trophime d'Arles) with its tapestries on the walls.

Exiting the basilica, turn left and enter the Cloister of St. Trophime. Return to the square and turn left on Rue du Cloître that ascends slightly. It curves left and at the top you'll reach the Roman Theatre of Arles (11). Reach the entrance at the bottom of the road and turn right on the Rue de la Calade that circumvents the threatre.

Bend round to the right and after the Place Henri de Bornier, go right on via the Rue Porte de Laure. Ignore all the roads on the left to get to the top of the public garden. Turn left (flat) onto the Rue de Vauban and continue straight ahead until you reach the Église Saint-Blaise. Go to the left of the church and then take a few steps right to find the remains of the Église Saint-Jean-de-Moustiers on the left-hand side of the road. Opposite is the Abbaye de Saint-Césaire.

The road leads left, goes under a porch and arrives at a crossroads. Keep going straight ahead on the Rue du Grand Couvent until the Arles Amphiteatre (12) ignoring the roads on either side.

Turn right and join the Place de la Major, turning right. Join the entrance to the Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Major, then go around it to the left to reach an esplanade with an orientation table. Here you can enjoy the view over the Alpilles.

Turn round, go back across the square and towards the amphitheatre. Walk around the building in an anti-clockwise direction until you reach the entrance. Descend the large steps and take the road the furthest to the right, Rue Voltaire. Continue straight on, ignoring roads on either side, to reach the Fontaine Amédée Pichot.

(1) Continue straight ahead, pass the Porte de la Cavalerie to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 8 m - Car park opposite Monoprix - Rhône (le)
  2. 1 : km 0.18 - alt. 7 m - Fontaine Amédée Pichot
  3. 2 : km 0.63 - alt. 7 m - Thermes de Constantin
  4. 3 : km 1.19 - alt. 8 m - Trinquetaille Bridge
  5. 4 : km 2 - alt. 12 m - Pont aux Lions
  6. 5 : km 3.24 - alt. 7 m - Eglise Saint-Césaire
  7. 6 : km 3.99 - alt. 8 m - Musée Départemental Arles Antique
  8. 7 : km 5.19 - alt. 4 m - Cross near the bridge. Follow the - Canal de Marseille au Rhône
  9. 8 : km 6.67 - alt. 4 m - Pont Van Gogh
  10. 9 : km 9.27 - alt. 8 m - Théâtre Municipal d'Arles
  11. 10 : km 9.78 - alt. 14 m - Les Cryptoportiques
  12. 11 : km 10.27 - alt. 21 m - Théâtre Antique d'Arles
  13. 12 : km 10.76 - alt. 18 m - Amphithéâtre (arènes) d'Arles
  14. S/E : km 11.53 - alt. 8 m - Car park opposite Monoprix

Practical information

In the nearby area

Porte de la Cavalerie
(1) Amédée Pichot Fountain
Église Saint-Julien
Réattu Museum
Commanderie de Sainte-Luce
(2) Thermes de Constantin
Église des Frères Prêcheurs
Vincent Van Gogh Foundation
Église du Méjean
(4) Pont aux Lions
Hôtel de Divonne
(5) Église Saint-Césaire
The Ecorchoir Tower
(6) Musée Départemental Arles Antique
(8) Pont Van Gogh
(9) Théâtre Municipal d'Arles
Chapelle des Trinitaires
Musée Arlaten
Chapelle des Jésuites
(10) Les Cryptoportiques
(10) Arles Town Hall
Obelisk
Église Sainte-Anne
Church of St. Trophime
Cloister of Saint-Trophime
Ancient theatre
Église Saint-Blaise
Église Saint-Jean-de-Moustiers
Abbaye de Saint-Césaire
Arles Amphitheatre
Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Major

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 26 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
alain83400
alain83400

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

An interesting urban walk that takes in the essentials of Arles.

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Farandole
Farandole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

A pleasant walk between town and country. Luckily, the jasmines were in full bloom in May.

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PierreNwl
PierreNwl

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

Hello,
I went for a walk yesterday with my partner to discover the town of Arles. I agree with all the remarks made in the previous comment, Pierrelattine. Despite the beauty of some of the town's features, the dirt, the smells and even the danger at one point in the walk really bothered me.
A little before point 6, under the bridge, a smell of sulphur forced me to pick up my pace, as Pierrelattine pointed out. Then, in a small park just before the museum, we came across 4/5 rats that had obviously taken up residence there. So we quickly left the park and found ourselves in front of point 6, the Musée Départemental Arles Antique. And it was at this point, after the left-hand bend, that we felt obliged to leave a comment on the app.
After the bridge, you enter a lane that runs alongside the Rhône and a one-storey Delta Habitat residence. Walking along this road, on the Rhône side, it's an open-air rubbish dump, with the accompanying smells... We came across some hens accompanied by a rooster running free. A little further on, cages containing hens lined the road and, to our great surprise, a dog tied to a tree between the cages... And a little further back, two young men were making a FIRE by the side of the road! No need to tell them that we were not welcome... We didn't finish this section and cut across to a less dark and more open section.
All that to say that I think the environment has changed a lot since this hike was published, and it's important to know that beforehand!

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Pierrelattine
Pierrelattine

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

An itinerary that takes us on a tour of the city with its remains, its beautiful gardens and... behind the scenes. Thank you very much.
I was surprised to discover such a dirty and unkempt town. The streets next to the bullring are littered with all kinds of rubbish (plenty of cat food attracting flies, bags of household waste, weeds at the foot of house facades, etc.).
Under the bridge over the N113, a stench (sulphur?) forced us to pick up the pace.
The area along the banks of the Rhône before the Roman-inspired garden could do with a bit of clearing up.
After the Musée Départemental Arles Antique to the Canal de l'Ecluse, it is now an open dump (between points 6 and 7).
We appreciated the grandeur and beauty of these ancient monuments, and some of the very well-maintained houses in the historic centre: what a treasure trove!
What we discovered was the lack of maintenance in the tourist town centre and the lack of respect for nature: how sad!

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tholo
tholo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

a good way to discover Arles off the beaten track
To do+++

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Netra
Netra ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

We didn't follow the whole route, but mainly the urban part, which gave us a good guide to this beautiful city and the banks of the Rhône.

Lots of great things to see! Our favourites: the Théâtre Antique, the Cloister of Saint-Trophime and the Musée Arles Antique. We took a day and a half to take the time to visit the various museums and monuments calmly and make a few additions. N.B. The city of Arles offers online passes allowing you to visit several monuments for a very reasonable price.

This tour is easily accessible by public transport. The train station and bus station, opposite each other, are just a five-minute walk from the starting point. When you leave the train station, turn left into Avenue Paulin Talabot as far as Place Lamartine, where you'll find the car park.

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dompie11
dompie11

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Walk to be recommended.
Very pleasant visit to this charming town centre.
Walk to be recommended.

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rando13mart
rando13mart

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

a wonderful discovery of the city of Arles

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josianeV
josianeV

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We did this walk on 1 April 2021.
It was very pleasant. The directions were perfect, no mistakes.
Interesting visit to Arles, for those who don't know the area and even for others, because guided in this way, you can find points of interest that have been overlooked. Like an overhaul.
Nevertheless, coming by car, we preferred to go to the Langlois bridge and the Pont aux Lions by this means and thus avoided 3km which was a bit long...
We added a visit to the Fondation Luma, which is not listed in the guide but whose modern steel building is not to be missed. Although it is closed due to covid, the architecture of the building is well worth a look.
We can only recommend this walk through Arles.
thank you to the "inventors"!

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froggy
froggy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The tour of the centre is very good. The visit between 6 and 7 should be avoided at all costs: it's not a tourist area, and the local people don't like it when you go through there.

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pascal.amieux
pascal.amieux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This walk is a wonderful way to discover the city for those of us who are new to it.
It's true that the section that takes us to Van Gogh's bridge outside the town somewhat breaks the charm of this Roman city of incredible historical wealth. I think there are other historic sites that would have merited a diversion... when will we see a new itinerary from a well-informed Arlesian ?
As far as the itinerary is concerned, there's just one small problem in the second part of point 7: it says cross the railway line but not on which side (right or left?). You should turn left.
In any case, thank you to the author for this wonderful discovery.

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kikigc
kikigc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Thank you for this superb hike.

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FrancisG034
FrancisG034

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk. Pleasant on the banks of the Rhône and along the canal. Magnificent Roman garden just before point 6, which is well worth entering. However, I avoided the lock path because it's not very busy. Otherwise, it's an easy walk, because both the map and the description are perfect.

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kikigc
kikigc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great walk. We were able to visit Arles in a different way, a great time. Thank you

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sisi1969
sisi1969

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Pleasant walk, good introduction to the city, a bit too many round trips for the churches for our liking.
Contrary to other comments, we enjoyed the stretch along the canal that leads to the Van Gogh Bridge. The walk is peaceful and the bridge, far from the noise of the city, is the "restful" part of the walk.
The only downside is that the passage through the allée de l'écluse spoils the image of the town a little.

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