ARLES – CAPITAL OF THE CAMARGUE

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With a bit more than 50.000 inhabitants, Arles is just big enough to be more than a sleepy little town. Known for the 300+ paintings by Vincent van Gogh that he painted while staying in the city, one quickly begins to comprehend where the famous artist got his inspiration from when walking through the streets of Arles. After your visit, you won’t be surprised to hear that Arles and its Romanesque monuments and Roman ruins have been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since 1981. The city seems to have many different hubs of cafes and restaurants, centred around little squares and neighbourhoods. Hence, it’s hard to give recommendations as to where you should start looking for a place to eat or grab a coffee. My advice would be to simply stroll the narrow alleyways, admire the cuteness of each individual house and be charmed by all the detail and sheer abundance of flowers and plants in front of almost every wooden doorway (it almost seems as if the people of Arles have made a pact to all contribute to the cuteness of the city by competing as to who has the prettiest doorstep).

Once you’ve made it to Place de la République, you can already scratch off a bunch of the sightseeing attractions from your list, such as the Obélisque, Cathédrale Saint-Trophime with its impressive carvings around the entrance, Église Sainte-Anne d’Arles, and the city hall. You also shouldn’t miss the Amphitheatre which makes a formidable appearance in the centre of the city and may strike you as the little brother of the Colosseum in Rome. The Roman theatre of Arles marks another historic and well preserved site and can be found just around the corner from the arena. Should you feel tired after all this sightseeing, you might want to sit down at Le Café Van Gogh. As we didn’t try it ourselves, I cannot make any judgements as to the service or prices, but after all, this is the cafe that Van Gogh drew in his famous painting ‘Café Terrace at Night’, so it might be worth a stop, if only for artistic reasons.

PLAGE DE BEAUDUC

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The secluded beach of Beauduc is most definitely worth the 1-hour bumpy dirt road trip you’ll have to endure in order to get there. Just off Route D36C, a tiny sign at a road junction points you in the direction of the adventurous path towards the beach. The first couple of hundred meters are still paved but do not get your hopes up too quickly. Soon you will find yourself on a less than comfortable dirt road which – depending on your vehicle of choice for this trip – you’ll only be able to conquer at walking pace. While the drive (which will take you something between 45 minutes to an hour) might not be the most pleasant, the nature and views around you will be even more so. Bulls grazing on lush pastures, flamingos wading through shallow marshlands, and the sun shining on infinite stretches of the swampy landscape.
What we didn’t expect was the surfer-hippie vibe that greeted us once we arrived at the parking area of the beach. Some of the groups of vans had even set up what looked like little camps with hammocks and cooking areas. People hanging out in front of their tents or rolling back their surfing gear from the beach. For those surfers among you, this must be the place to be! But even without a surfboard it’s nice to find a quiet spot in the dunes, have a little picnic and just watch the waves come and go. Forgetting all about time is the easiest thing to do at Plage de Beauduc.

PLAGE DE L’ESPIGUETTE

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If you’re short on time or don’t want to put your car through the troubles of the 1-hour dirt road that leads to Plage de Beauduc, Plage de l’Espiguette might be a compelling alternative. Since we went during off-season, we had the beach almost to ourselves but with its vast dunes stretching for several hundred meters, it seems like even during peak times, the larger numbers of people that must come here would still disperse quite well. So even though the hippie and adventure vibe from Plage de Beauduc were missing, this beach still convinced us with its calmness and beauty and I would recommend anyone stopping by for a relaxing read or nap in the sand.

MY TIPS & RECOMMENDATIONS

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• The Ibis Budget Arles Palais des Congrès offers triple rooms for €52 + a €1 tax per person to be paid upon arrival.
• If you’re looking for good food in Arles and even better company by the waiters, Cuit Cuit is the right address for you. We must’ve asked for the bill a thousand times, and after two rounds of shots and having tried the chef’s homemade tapenade on the house, we were finally allowed to pay. If we ever come back, we’ll make sure to spend another evening turning into a night at this lovely restaurant.
• Bazar Cafe is a delicious breakfast spot in Arles that offers a great brunch deal for €20, including gluten-free pancakes, Açaí bowl, poached eggs and many other delicious treats.
• On your way to Plage de l’Espiguette you might want to make a stop in the little town of Aigues-Mortes. While the main square is a bit touristy with its souvenir shops and commercial restaurants, there’s a bunch of little side streets to discover that have a small-town vibe to them that makes it nice to just wander around for a bit. Hungry for lunch or little snack? Lady Glagla has amazing bowls, bagels, shakes and more to offer.