Musée Départemental Arles Antique

Arles


This striking cobalt-blue museum perches on the edge of what used to be the Roman chariot-racing track (hippodrome), southwest of central Arles. The collection of pagan and Christian finds includes stunning mosaics and an entire wing of treasures highlighting Arles' commercial and maritime prominence. Permanent collections reach back to prehistory, through the arrival of the Greeks in 600 BC to the Roman period and beyond. If you love a proper museum, full of artefacts and history, this is for you.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Arles attractions

1. Espace Van Gogh

0.53 MILES

The 16th-century hospital where Van Gogh had his ear stitched on and was later locked up hosts the occasional exhibition (which attracts an entry fee). At…

2. Museon Arlaten

0.56 MILES

Arles' cultural museum, founded all the way back in 1889 with the intent of documenting regional culture, styles and creators, is closed for renovations…

3. Fondation Vincent Van Gogh

0.61 MILES

Housed in a listed 15th-century manor, now twice repurposed (its other incarnation was as a bank), this Van Gogh–themed gallery is a must-see, as much for…

4. Cryptoportiques

0.63 MILES

The origins of these fascinating underground chambers, now sitting below the current city centre, go at least back to the first Roman colony in Arles in…

5. Hôtel de Ville

0.63 MILES

Completed in 1676, and still the seat of Arles' government, the handsome Town Hall is also the entrance to the subterranean Roman Cryptoportiques.

6. Place du Forum

0.64 MILES

Just as social, political and religious life revolved around the forum in Roman Arles, so the busy plane-tree-shaded place du Forum still buzzes with life…

7. Église St-Trophime

0.64 MILES

Named for Arles' semi-mythical first archbishop, this Romanesque-style church, built over a 5th-century basilica, was a cathedral until the bishopric…

8. Thermes de Constantin

0.68 MILES

These partly preserved Roman baths were built for Emperor Constantin's private use in the 4th century. While much of the complex has been built over…

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