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5 Place Voltaire, Arles, 13200, France
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Gallo-Roman Local Floor Moslocs
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Main Facade of Hotel de Ville
My husband and I are traveling from Marsaille to Arles. We fly into Marsaille at 11:30 a.m. and wil go directly to the train (TGV?) to Arles. In Arles, we have reservations at Hôtel Porte de Camargue on rue Noguier. The hotel tells us it is a 15 minute walk from the train station and that taxis are not always available. Several questions:
1. Is it the TGV that goes to Arles, and do we take a taxi from the Marsaille airport to the station, or is there a direct bus?
2. Will it be a difficult walk to the hotel from the Arles station? (My we are older travelers, although a 15-minute walk shouldn't be too difficult.
3. Are you familiar with our hotel and is it a reasonable place to stay? It was very inexpensive and 2 stars, but there were many extremely enthusiastic reviews on the internet.
Thanks for your help!
Judy McElroy
Hi Judy:
Hope I'm not too late.
my 2-cents worth
1) No, when I took the train to Arles from Marseille it was NOT the fast TGV, just a normal-speed train but it was a short trip (~ 1 hour) if I remember correctly; I personally would much prefer it to a bus from Marseille to Arles;
2) Yes. I mapped your hotel and if I am correct, it is MUCH more than a short walk. Your hotel (Hôtel Porte de Camargue on rue Noguier) appears to be actually on the other (west) side of the Rhone from the actual city of Arles (check the hotel map to make sure I am correct). If you choose to stay there, you must take a cab all the way across the river from the station to get to your hotel, and then walk all the way back across the river to the old center of Arles where all my favorite places are.
3) Though not familiar with your hotel, I looked at the website briefly. It appears to be a nice hotel for the money, but (my opinion, please check carefully to make sure I am correct) it is across the river from Arles Centrum where the Roman Arena, Theater Antique, etc. and all the other sites in the center of Arles.
May I please suggest if you wish to stay within walking distance of all the good sites in the center of Arles that you check out some of the hotels closer to the center/ Arena, etc?
My favorite hotel right in the center that in my opinion is affordable is Hotel Calendal. It is about 30-40 (check the rates) Euros more / night, but it is much closer to most of the sites and city Center.
http://www.lecalendal.com/ (their link)
http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels/Europe/France/Provence_Alpes_Cote_dAzur/Arles-138357/Hotels_and_Accommodations-Arles-Hotel_Le_Calendal-BR-1.html (my link)
It is affordable, has a beautiful garden (my fave room is little room 44 overlooking the garden), and is in the middle of the best part of Arles, closer to the train station (I still recommend you take the short taxi ride from the station even to central Arles & / or to Calendal, I have walked it with a backpack and it is a good 15 - 20 minute hike).
Whatever your choice, I hope this information is still accurate ( I was last in Arles in 2003), and that you and your husband have a wonderful time in one of my favorite cities in Provence.
Best regards & bonne chance
daveq
An acquired taste for sure, but try a Versinthe
Hotel Calendal will serve you one with absinthe spoon, glass, sugar, etc. in the garden as an overture to your late night Arles promenade.
Recommended!
You can learn much about one of my favorite Arles beverages here:
Liquoristerie de Provence Versinthe
The one view that I fell in love with was the one before me and all around me once I made it to the top level of the Arles Roman Amphitheatre.
I had never before seen such a collection of orange-colored roofs before me!
The surrounding countryside quite enchanted me...so much so that I had to force myself to come down.
But I'll be back for another look!
I think I'll have to plant myself there for a few days to do some sketches...
One of my favourite writers, Jerome K. Jerome, wrote in his best known book ‘Three Men in a Boat’ that it is an irresistible passion for many people to go to the cemetery and admire tombs as soon as these people arrive into any village, town, or city. I do not usually do so, though even I am not immune to the desire to see some of the most known ancient cemeteries.
And Alyscamps is one of the most famous necropolises of the western world. Its fame began when Genesius, a Roman civil servant, refused to write down an edict calling for persecution of Christians. For this, he was beheaded in 250; later he was (quite predictably, too) made a saint when it was said that miracles began to happen on this site. You can imagine what consequences it brought to the image of Alyscamps. In time the fame of Les Alyscamps spread throughout the Christian world; more and more of the faithful wanted to be buried here, and coffins were shipped down the Rhone for burial. By the 10th century the legend spread that the heroes of Roncevaux--Roland and Olivier--were also entombed here, which brought the place even more fame. Dante even mentioned it in his Inferno, and both Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin painted pictures of it.
In the Middle Ages there were 19 churches and chapels on the site. After the Renaissance, the graveyard was desecrated: tombs were removed and stones taken to construct other buildings. Some sarcophagi have been sold to many museums throughout France and other European countries, other have been pretty horribly neglected. Though, as I think of it, I come to the idea that in their neglected state they are much more picturesque.
For an evocative experience, walk down L'Allée des Sarcophages, where 80 generations have been buried over 2,000 years. The lane is lined with sarcophagi under tall poplar trees. This is the focal point of the experience. Daily, from 9 in the morning till 7 in the evening. 2.5 Euro for adults and 1.5 Euro for children are approximate entrance fees.
The Roman Theatre of Arles was built at the end of 1st century B.C., on top of the hill of Hauture, not against the hillside as man other Roman theatres. The stage was a wooden platform with curtain machinery underneath. Behind the stage stood a wall of a hundred pillars, decorated on 3 levels. Many statues stood there. The Venus of Arles, now in the Louvre in Paris, was from this theatre. The photo shows the remaining pillars and some of the bases remaining.
Today, much of the semi-circle stone seating rises up from the ground. A platform stage is used for performances. I took this photo of the stage. The chorus once sang in front of the stage, back in ancient times. Today the theatre is called The Theatre Antique.
For a small ticket you may walk around here and take photos, of course. Stand on the stage and sing,imagining you were once a Roman, in a past life! Or find the latest schedule of events and go to one as an audience member. I would prefer to do the later!
We had an enjoyable French lunch in Arles. I remember the delicous goat cheese on toast with olives. That's all I need~~I'm a cheese freak! It was nice to sit curbside and people-watch, too. I could be mistaken, but there really isn't much traffic in Arles.
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A: "Hi, here's the site : http://montmajour.monuments-nationaux.fr/fr/ There is no public transport to go there. It's only 6 kms from Arles center, so it won't cost..."
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