Arles Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Bouches du Rhône (13200) Population: 52,000 Altitude: 10 m Also for Arles: [ main page | Museums and Sites ] Nearby: [ Aix/Pvc 76 km | Avignon 36 | Baux-de-Provence 20 | Cavaillon 42 | Marseilles 89 | Stes.Maries-de-la-Mer 38 | St. Rémy 30 | Alpilles | Camargue | Glanum 23 ] Photos: A stroll down the Boulevard des Lices (35 k) A playground near the Roman theater (33 k) The cloisters in the garden of the Maison de Santé (22 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Favorite Sons | Parks/Playgrounds | Photography | Walking Tours | Hiking ] Arles sits on a low hill where the Rhône river branches in two parts to the sea. The commune is the largest in France, with an area of 75,893 ha (about 170,000 acres). The town dates back to the 7th century BC, and was a major Gallo-Roman city. The major Roman sites, such as the Arena and the Theater, are unique in that they are integrated into the houses and buildings of the town, rather than sitting apart as they do in places such as Orange. The streets of this city are truly medieval in character: narrow and winding between ancient buildings. Automobile traffic is permitted on many of them, but walking is much easier than driving. Name First record, 7th-c BC: Theline; 4th-c BC: Arelate History Ancient: Arles is the site of the Phoenician town of Theline from the 7th century BC. Large amounts of 6th-c-BC Greek pottery found here indicate that this was a staging post for river traffic between Marseille (Massalia) and northern Gaul. In the 4th-century BC, this was the Celtic-Ligurian town of Arelate, meaning 'the town by the marshes'. Gallo-Roman: Arles was one of the richest urban centers in France during the Gallo-Roman period. In 102 BC, Marius started construction of the Fossae Marianae, a shipping canal paralleling the Grand Rhône from Arelate to the sea. In 46 BC, Roman legion veterans were settled here, in a large territory taken from the Salyen tribe and from Massalia. At this time, Arelate became Colonia sextanorum, and later Arles. Caesar used local shipyards for building warships to fight against Massalia in 49 BC. The port brought prosperity to Arles during the reign of Augustus, and by the time of Constantine (306-337) it was the second capital of the Empire. Ausonius called it "the little Rome of Gaul". Medieval: Barbarian invasions from the 5th to 9th centuries were devastating, and Arles didn't recover until Charlemagne's empire, when it became the capital of and independent state, the Kingdom of Arles. In 1521, Arles was permanently attached to the Comté de Provence. Dates, Numbers Market day: Saturday and Wednesday, along the main Bvd. des Lices. Office de Tourisme, Esplanade des Lices - Tel: (33) 490 18 41 20; Fax: (33) 490 93 17 17 Mairie, Tel: (33) 490 49 36 36; Fax: (33) 490 49 36 79 Favorite Sons Van Gogh came here from Paris on 20 Feb 1888. He stayed 14 months, until 8 May 1889, having one of his most prolific times, producing 200 paintings. From 23 Oct to 26 Dec he was with Paul Gaugin. Parks and Playgrounds A lovely calm park, with benches and curved walkways is located along the Bvd. des Lices, by the end of the Roman "Theatre Antique" - very handy for resting your weary feet on a market day. Large trees, including a truly gigantic cedar, provide a welcome shade on the hottest days. A playground with lots of colorful rides is also beside the Bvd des Lices, just above the park. [Photo, 33 k] Photography The International Photography Encounter is an annual summer event in Arles. You can get more information from the Office de Tourisme, or directly from the Event organizers (Tel: (33) 490 96 76 06). Walking Tours Three different self-guided walking tours are available for discovering Arles. Colored icons and arrows on the sidewalks direct you through the town: yellow for Van Gogh; green for Medieval; blue for Antique Arles. Golfing Camping Hiking Maps: IGN "verte" (1:100,000) #66 "Avignon, Montpellier" IGN (1:50,000) Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue Arles is surrounded by river, marshlands and the Camargue, and offers none of the typical Beyond hiking trails. Visiting the sites in and around Arles, including the many fine Roman locations, will give you hours of exercise. The "Camargue" map includes the area around Arles.   The GR 653 (Grande Randonnée) trail runs west from St Gilles, 16 km west of Arles. The Alpilles mountains, with the GR 6 trail is only 20 km northeast, and the Luberon mountains are about 50 km east-northeast of Arles. Lodging Listing available