Provence
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Provence - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Arènes
Rivaled only by the even better-preserved version in Nîmes, the arena dominating old Arles was built in the 1st century AD to seat 21,000 people, with large tunnels through which wild beasts were forced to run into the center. Before being plundered in the Middle Ages, the structure had three stories of 60 arcades each; the four medieval towers are testimony to a transformation from classical sports arena to feudal fortification. Complete restoration of the arena began in 1825. Today it's primarily a venue for the traditional spectacle of the corridas, which take place annually during the féria pascale, or Easter festival. The less bloodthirsty local variant course carmarguaise (in which the bull is not killed) also takes place here. Festival season starts with the Fête des Gardians on May 1, when the Queen of Arles is crowned, and culminates in early July with the award of the Cocarde d'Or (Golden Rosette) to the most successful raseteur. It's best to book event tickets in advance.
24 bis, Rond Point des Arènes, Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13200, France04–90–18–41–20-for arena infoSight Details
Rate Includes: €9, includes admission to Théâtre Antique -
2. Arènes
The best-preserved Roman amphitheater in the world is a miniature of the Colosseum in Rome (note the small carvings of Romulus and Remus, the wrestling gladiators, on the exterior, and the intricate bulls' heads etched into the stone over the entrance on the north side). More than 435 feet long and 330 feet wide, it had a seating capacity of 24,000 in its day. Bloody gladiator battles, criminals being thrown to animals, and theatrical wild-boar chases drew crowds to its bleachers. Nowadays it hosts bullfights, which transform the arena (and all of Nîmes) into a sangria-flushed homage to Spain, and summer concerts. Self-guided audio tours are available.
Bd. des Arènes, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 -
3. Les Sites Antiques de Vaison-la-Romaine
Like a miniature Roman Forum, the ancient Quartier de Puymin, part of the largest archaeological site in France, spreads over a field and hillside in the heart of Vaison, visible in passing from the town's streets. Access to a garden, an archaeological museum, and the skeletal ruins of Roman villas below Vaison's ancient theater is via an entry booth across from the tourist office. Although it requires considerable imagination to visualize the structures as they once were, there are some poignant details, such as thresholds that still show the hinge holds for and scrape marks left by swinging doors. Closest to the entrance, the foundations of the Maison des Messii (Messii House) indicate that it had a sumptuous design complete with a vast gentleman's library; reception rooms; an atrium with a rain-fed pool; a large kitchen (note the enormous stone vats); and baths with hot, cold, and warm water. To see the accoutrements of everyday Roman life, wander beneath the cypress trees and amid the flowering shrubs of a formal garden to the Musée Archéologique Théo-Desplans. Here, items are displayed by theme: pottery, weapons, gods and goddesses, jewelry, and, of course, sculpture—including a complete figure of the emperor Claudius (1st century) and a strikingly noble nude Hadrian (2nd century). Cross the park behind the museum to climb into the bleachers of the 1st-century Théâtre Romain, smaller than the one in Orange but also used today for concerts and plays. Across the parking lot is the Quartier de la Villasse, where remnants of a lively market town indicate main-street shops, public gardens, and grand private homes complete with floor mosaics. The most evocative image of all is in the thermes (baths): a neat row of marble-seat toilets lined up over a raked trough that instantly rinsed waste away. The best way to understand the sites is with a self-guided audio tour (€2, available at the museum). Guided tours led by certified docents are also a possibility, though availability, duration, prices, and themes vary. Check ahead with the museum or the tourist board.
Rue Burrus, Vaison-la-Romaine, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84110, France04–90–46–51–14-archaeology museumSight Details
€9 (all sites; valid for 24 hrs) Rate Includes: Closed Jan.–Feb. 5 -
4. Pont du Gard
The ancient Roman aqueduct is shockingly noble in its symmetry, and its strong arches are a testimony to engineering concepts that were relatively new in the 1st century AD, when the structure was built under Emperor Claudius. Today, the surrounding nature is unsullied, with the Gardon River flowing through a rocky gorge unperturbed by the work of master engineering that straddles it. In fact, one of the preferred ways of viewing the bridge is via canoe or kayak, which are for rent upstream. You can approach the aqueduct from either side of the Gardon River. If you choose the south side (Rive Droite), the walk to the pont (bridge) is shorter and the views arguably better. Although the spectacular walkway along the top of the aqueduct is now off-limits, the sight of the bridge is still breathtaking. The nearby Espaces Culturels details the rich history of the bridge—and Roman France at the time—and includes an interactive area for kids.
View Tours and Activities400 rte. du Pont du Gard, Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Occitania, 84230, France04–66–37–50–99Sight Details
Rate Includes: Guided tour €15 -
5. Arc de Triomphe
North of the city center is the Arc de Triomphe, which once straddled the Via Agrippa between Lyon and Arles. Three arches support a heavy double attic (horizontal top) floridly decorated with battle scenes and marine symbols, references to Augustus's victories at Actium. The arch, which dates from about 20 BC, is superbly preserved—particularly its north side—but to view it on foot, you'll have to cross a roundabout seething with traffic.
Av. de l'Arc de Triomphe, Orange, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84100, France -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Château des Baux
A 17-acre cliff-top sprawl of ruins is contained beneath the Château des Baux. At the entrance, the Tour du Brau has a small collection of relics and models, as well as a music-and-slideshow called Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne au Pays de l'Olivier, which features artwork depicting olive orchards in their infinite variety. From April through September there are fascinating medieval events: people dressed up in authentic costumes and displays of medieval crafts. The exit gives access to the wide and varied grounds, where the tiny Chapelle St-Blaise and towers mingle with skeletal ruins.
Rue du Trencat, Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13520, France04–90–49–20–02Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €8 -
7. Cryptoportiques
Entering through the elegant 17th-century City Hall, you can gain access to these ancient underground passages dating from 30–20 BC. The horseshoe of vaults and pillars buttressed the ancient forum from belowground. Used as a bomb shelter in World War II, the galleries still have a rather ominous atmosphere. Yet openings let in natural daylight and artworks of considerable merit have been unearthed here, adding to the mystery of the site's original function.
Pl. de la République, Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13200, France04–90–18–41–20Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5 -
8. Fort de Buoux
This site contains the ruins of an ancient village and a fortification that defended the valley in both Ligurian and Roman times. Several houses and an entire staircase were chiseled directly into the stone; it's uncertain whether they're prehistoric or medieval. Louis XIV dismantled the ancient fortifications in the 17th century, leaving Turneresque ruins to become overgrown with wild box and ivy. It is a hike up, and it's not kid-friendly due to the drop-offs above the ravines.
D113, Buoux, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84480, France04–90–74–25–75Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 -
9. Glanum
A slick visitor center prepares you for entry into the ancient village of Glanum, with scale models of the site in its various heydays. A good map and an English brochure guide you stone by stone through the maze of foundations, walls, towers, and columns that spread across a broad field; helpfully, Greek sites are denoted by numbers, Roman ones by letters. Note that Glanum is across the street from Les Antiques and set back from the D5, and the only parking is in a dusty roadside lot on the D5 south of town (in the direction of Les Baux). In addition, hours vary, so check ahead.
Rte. des Baux de Provence, St-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13210, France04–90–92–23–79Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8, Closed Mon. Oct.–Mar. -
10. Les Antiques
Two of the most miraculously preserved classical monuments in France are simply called Les Antiques. Dating from 30 BC, the Mausolée (Mausoleum), a wedding-cake stack of arches and columns, lacks nothing but a finial on top and is dedicated to a Julian, probably Caesar Augustus. A few yards away stands the Arc Triomphal, dating from AD 20. A lovely spot for a stroll and within easy walking distance from the city center, the site is open during the day and at night—when it's handsomely illuminated.
Av. Vincent Van Gogh, St-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13210, FranceSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
11. Maison Carrée
Lovely and forlorn in the middle of a busy downtown square, this exquisitely preserved temple strikes a timeless balance between symmetry and whimsy, purity of line and richness of decoration. Modeled on the Temple to Apollo in Rome, adorned with magnificent limestone columns and elegant pediments, the Maison Carrée remains one of the most noble surviving structures of ancient Roman civilization anywhere. Built around 5 BC and dedicated to Caius Caesar and his brother, Lucius, the temple has survived subsequent use as a medieval meeting hall, an Augustinian church, a storehouse for Revolutionary archives, and a horse shed. In addition to hosting temporary art and photo exhibitions, it contains a permanent display of photos and drawings of ongoing archaeological work. Don't miss the splendid Roman fresco of Cassandra (being dragged by her hair by a hunter) that was discovered in 1992 and carefully restored. There's also a fun 3-D projection of the heroes of Nîmes.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. de la Maison Carrée, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €6 -
12. Temple de Diane
This shattered Roman ruin dates from the end of the 1st century BC. The temple's function is unknown, though it's thought to have been part of a larger complex that is still unexcavated. In the Middle Ages, Benedictine nuns occupied the building before it was converted into a church. Destruction came during the Wars of Religion.
Jardins de la Fontaine, Nîmes, Occitania, 30020, France -
13. Théâtre Antique
Directly up Rue de la Calade from Place de la République, are these ruins of a theater built by the Romans under Augustus in the 1st century BC. It's here that the noted Venus of Arles statue, now in the Louvre, was dug up and identified. The theater was once an entertainment venue that held 10,000 people, and is now a pleasant, parklike retreat that's used as a site for the Festival d'Arles, in July and August, and for Les Recontres d'Arles (Photography Festival) from early July to mid-September. Only two columns of the amphitheater's stage walls, one row of arches, and vestiges of the original stone benches remain, as much of the theater's fine local stone was repurposed in early Christian churches.
Rue de la Calade, Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 13200, FranceSight Details
Rate Includes: €10, includes admission to Arènes -
14. Théâtre Antique
Orange's spectacular Théâtre Antique, a colossal Roman theater, was built in the time of Caesar Augustus. The vast stone stage wall, bouncing sound off the facing hillside, climbs four stories high—a massive sandstone screen that Louis XIV once referred to as the "finest wall in my kingdom." The niche at center stage contains the original statue of Augustus, just as it reigned over centuries of productions of classical plays. Today the theater provides a backdrop for world-class theater and opera.
Pl. des Frères-Mounet, Orange, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84100, France04–90–51–17–60Sight Details
Rate Includes: €11.50 combined ticket with the Musée d\'Orange -
15. Tour Magne
At the far end of the Jardins de la Fontaine are the remains of a tower the emperor Augustus had built on Gallic foundations; it was probably used as a lookout post. Despite losing 30 feet in height over the course of time, the tower still provides fine views of Nîmes for anyone energetic enough to climb the 140 steps.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. Guillaume-Apollinaire, Nîmes, Occitania, 30189, France04–66–21–82–56Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €3.50 -
16. Village des Bories
Although the fascinating, hivelike structures called bories (shepherds' shelters built with tight-fitting, mortarless stone) are found throughout this region of Provence, this ancient community has about 20 of them. Their origins are provocatively vague—perhaps dating from the eras of the Celts or the Ligurians or even from the Iron Age—and they were inhabited or used for sheep through the 18th century. A photo exhibition shows structures similar to bories in countries around the world. Look for signs to the village just outside Gordes, on a lane heading north from D2.
Gordes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84420, France04–90–72–03–48Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6
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