Discovering Van Gogh’s Arles

If you have a car, you are advised to park at the Boulevard des Lices car park. Click here to have more information on prices. Coming to this car park on a Wednesday or Saturday morning will be more difficult since Arles’ market takes place these mornings and attracts a large number of locals and tourists. After leaving your car on the Boulevard des Lices car park, head down towards the boulevard and walk to Jean Jaures street. From this street you can admire the “Place de la République” with the city hall and its obelisk.

Cross the town hall square and make a left after the city hall. Now, walk down Palais street. Finally you arrive at the “Place du forum”. This is your first related stop to Van Gogh on this journey. This location gained notoriety after Van Gogh painted  Café Terrace at Night at this very spot.a drink at the exact cafe he portrayed, the one in yellow: _Le Café Van Gogh__._ 

After your drink in the famous cafe, head to arena street (rue des arènes) and enjoy this beautiful traditional Provencal street. At the end of the street you will discover the magnificent arena of Arles. You can circle around the arena to appreciate the beauty of the exterior of this place. You  can even visit  this splendid monument to compare it with Van Gogh’ painting: Les Arènes. 

Click here to check the opening times and prices for Arles’ arena visit. 

After your arena visit, walk down Voltaire street and turn left on Léon Blum street.Then, take a long stroll on Arles’ docks and appreciate the view of the Rhône depicted in Van Gogh’ painting: Starry Night Over the Rhône.

During your walk along the docks, you’ll come to a bridge. Stop at the Trinquetaille bridge and look at its staircase. Now you can compare it to its 1888 version depicted in Van Gogh’ painting: Stairway Trinquetaille Bridge.

After comparing this historic staircase, you now need to see the last stop on this journey: the “Espace Van Gogh”. To get there, you will need to follow these streets: bac street (rue du bac),Elie Giraud street (rue Elie Giraud), Republic street (rue de la République) and finally, President Wilson street (rue du Président Wilson) Now, standing in “Espace Van Gogh” you’ll see the hospital in which Van Gogh stayed in 1889 and the garden he painted: “Le jardin de la maison de santé“. Buy souvenirs from “Espace Van Gogh” to mark the end of this journey on Arles’ streets!

Stay in this one bedroom flat during your stay in Arles. Thanks to its central location in Arles and its center it gives you the opportunity to visit the most important monuments of the city. The flat offers a fly equipped kitchen, a bathroom and a living room. Towels and linens are provided and a private entrance gives you full privacy during your stay.