There are certain places where you feel as though you’ve stepped into a storybook — cobbled lanes, sun-warmed stone, whispering history — and Arles is one of them. Nestled along the southern curve of the Rhone River, this Provençal gem invites you into its embrace: ancient and alive, gentle and grand, quiet and full of texture. I will tell y'all right now that I have about a thousand pictures from Arles alone, but don't worry- I am not going to share all of them! Haha! On a serious note though- Arles was one of my favorite places we spent time in on this cruise (and yes, you will hear me say that often over these posts because I fell in love with these charming cities along this route).
Arles was our first full day (we embarked in Avignon (read a post HERE or watch an IG reel HERE) and then traveled to Arles) - and it was a highlight of the trip. Our tour lasted for approximately 3 hours and it was a lovely morning exploring and learning more about this charming French city. This was truly an amazing way to start off our excursions on our River Cruise… I was so enamored with this beautiful place that I went back in the afternoon to explore more. It is hard to pick a favorite place on this trip, but this was the absolute perfect way to start our tours! Arles to me was a place where you wanted to linger in corners that felt part museum, part film-set, part Beauty and the Beast dream.
After breakfast aboard the ship, we disembarked and walked into Old Town Arles. If you have been on other Viking trips- this was a bit different because typically you get onto a tour bus, but for Arles and many of the stops along the Rhone river you walked right into the town from the ship.
The air held that golden Provençal light; the stones beneath our feet seemed to hum with stories.
Our Viking guide led us through the Roman Theatre, the city walls, and the remnants of Roman Gaul’s urban might and artistry. Arles had been a hub — commerce, culture, empire — and you sense those layers everywhere, beneath shutters and behind arches.
We did spend a brief amount of time at The Arles Amphitheatre (Les Arènes d’Arles).
Built in 90 AD, it once held more than 20,000 spectators, alive with the thunder of chariot wheels and the roar of the crowd. Walking into its heart, I felt the weight and wonder of centuries.
The arena still hosts concerts and the distinctive Camargue bull games; the past is not locked away but still breathing. I have an entire post about this place coming, so for now I just am sharing a few brief pictures.
Mom and I had to smile at this point in our walking tour. Do you see the man above? He was singing and playing in the square and it was beautiful. It also made us smile because it reminded us of our time in Heidelberg, Germany on our Viking Rhine River Cruise- with a man singing in the square. Both were lovely experiences! You can read more about our time in Heidelberg (and our Rhine River cruise) HERE!
After our tour ended, mom and I headed back to the ship on our own and marved at our beatuiful morning as we meandered through the winding and beautiful cobblestone lanes.
After lunch, I decided to return solo to Arles. As many of you are aware mom had injured her knee severely the day before we embarked onto our cruise and we decided that it would be wise for her to rest it so that she could join in the future activities.
As the afternoon sun draped the city in amber light, Arles revealed a different side — gentler, quieter, introspective.
There was a wonder in stepping off the main path and into the side alleys, where vines climbed ancient walls and café chairs waited beneath pastel shutters.
I meandered through the Place du Forum, paused at the café that once captured the gaze of Vincent van Gogh in 1888, where he painted the light of the south and left more than 300 works behind.
In those moments I felt as if I had stepped into a Beauty & the Beast town (which I shared on Instagram- click HERE) — elegant yet wild, charming yet a bit uncanny in its preserved grandeur. The amphitheater by day, the silent courtyard by dusk — both real, both dramatic. I could almost hear the echoes of scenes past.
Travel often teaches us that the most luminous moments are the unhurried ones — when we let the place breathe us in, rather than rushing from one sight to another.
In Arles, I discovered that the old and the present don’t just coexist — they converse. Stone whispers to paint, shadows to sunlight, memory to moment.
When I returned to the ship that evening, the Rhone glinted like melted gold, and the city behind me seemed to glow with all I’d seen and felt. Arles had worked its quiet alchemy.
Thank you for stopping by and reading today! I hope that you enjoyed this brief overview of our walking tour and my time in historic Arles! I can't wait to share more about our adventures on this cruise! If you are interested in reading more about our Rhone River Cruise with Viking, you can click on the links below:
Viking River Cruise (2025):
Viking Cruise Specific Posts: // Embarkation Day on the Viking Delling //
// Viking Rhone River Cruise: Answers to Your Most FAQ's // 9 Must Have Experiences on the Viking Delling //
Viking Rhone River Specific IG Reels: // The Incredible Crew of the Viking Delling (IG Reel) //
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