Alpilles & Camargue : best guide for your vacations in Provence

The Alpilles and the Camargue are full of customs, traditions, historical monuments and popular events. When we go on vacation we like to discover new customs, cultures & monuments that are an integral part of the place where we are. This is what Time in Provence proposes in this guide. Indeed, we propose you to discover some events or activities that make Provence a unique and appreciated place!

All our properties are located in the heart of these ancestral traditions, these historical monuments, and these unmissable events. All you have to do is organize your agenda and your vacation in Provence will be even more beautiful!

We are proud of our region and wish through this guide to share our experience with you.

Archaeological sites

For those who are fond of antiquity and history, there are many archaeological sites and historical monuments in Provence where you can immerse yourself in the history of our Provencal cities. Here are some of them:

• Glanum – Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
• Ernaginum – Tarascon
• Tower of Castillon – Paradou
• Villa of Saint-Pierre-de-Vence – Eyguières
• Aqueduct of Barbegal – Fontvieille
• Castle of Baux de Provence and the rock of Trémaïé – Baux de Provence
• Caves of Calès – Lamanon 
• Amphitheater, Ancient Theater, Cryptoporticus, Cloister of Saint-Trophime, The Alyscamps – Arles 
• Provencal Colorado – Rustrel 

Archeological site Glanum – Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

The meetings of photography in Arles

An event not to be missed in Arles and known throughout the world, set up in 1970 to share and transmit the heritage of world photography. This event was created by the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, the historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, the writer Michel Tournier, the photographer Jean-Pierre Sudre. Les rencontres de la photographie is a festival where many exhibitions are presented in different historical places of the city of Arles. All these exhibitions highlight talents already known but also promising young talents. Thanks to this festival, many photographers have been born!

Arles, often nicknamed “capital of photography” is a must-see during your trip to the south of France.

Little more: The 54th edition of the Rencontres d’Arles will take place from July 3rd to September 24th 2023. The opening week will take place from July 3 to 9. The program will be announced in the spring on the Rencontres d’Arles website.

The costume of Arles

Do you know the costume of Arles? A rich and fascinating costume to look at! This costume has been worn by Arles women for centuries even if it has undergone some transformations over the years with the influence of the kings, the great personalities of the time and the Parisian fashion. The Arlesians are proud of their costume and take advantage of many occasions to dress it with elegance. The Arlesian woman even inspired many painters and poets.

A Queen of Arles is elected every 3 years and her role is to promote the Provençal culture around her and to represent it in all events. This tradition was invented in 1930 for the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famous Provencal poet Frederic Mistral. Since then, 24 queens of Arles have succeeded each other. Note in your diaries: the next election will take place on May 1, 2024! All programs of festivities are published on the site of Festiv’arles.

The festivals of Arles, which usually take place on the first weekend of July, are a concentration of these traditions. You will find the Pegoulado which opens the festivities on Friday evening with its traditional night parade, the festival of the costume, on Sunday, where you can admire a large parade bringing together the Arlesians and the Arlesians dressed in their most beautiful finery and which will close with the famous speech of the Queen. Finally, on Monday, the “Cocarde d’Or”, the most famous Camargue race, takes place! A weekend not to be missed!

Election of the XXIV Queen of Arles, Camille Hoteman

The horse and the bull of Camargue

These two animals are a symbol in the Camargue; who has ever come to the Camargue without seeing a Camargue horse or bull? Nobody, it is impossible!

The Camargue bull, often called “the lord of the Camargue” is raised in semi-freedom on the marshy lands of the Camargue. The Camargue bull is used for several disciplines but especially for a very popular sport in Provence: the Course Camarguaise!

The Camargue horse, often renowned for its robustness and strength, has been an integral part of the life of the gardians for thousands of years. It is one of the only horses that is able to live in places as rustic as the Camargue without the need for human intervention. It is very versatile and can be used for many equestrian disciplines such as bull sorting, abrivado, show jumping, dressage, driving and even trekking.

The bull and the horse work together and can live the same way. In the old days, bulls were brought to the bullring by horses ridden by the herdsmen, the so-called abrivado! Today the bulls are brought by mechanical chariots but the abrivado still exist and are celebrated during village festivals or for a particular occasion like the 10th and 11th of November on the beach of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer.

These two emblematic animals are raised in farms, called manades. The word “manade” refers to the breeding of a herd of Camargue horses and bulls in semi-freedom, directed by a gardian. Many manades are present in and around the Camargue. Many of them offer the possibility of immersing oneself for a day in its traditions by visiting the manade and attending a Camargue race performance sometimes accompanied by costumed arlesiennes. Some of them : the Laurent Manade located in Sambuc, the Cavallini Manade in Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, the Salièrene Manade located in Saliers…

The famous Tauromachie

In Provence, two types of bullfighting are practiced: Camargue bullfighting and Spanish bullfighting.

The Camargue bullfighting is represented by the Camargue race. It is a bull race where the bullfighters try to catch, with the help of a hook, the different attributes located between the horns of the bull. In this discipline the bull is king, it has a name and can become very famous. Some of them even have statues built in several villages to pay tribute to their career. The Camargue bull has been chosen for this discipline because it combines many qualities such as intelligence, strength and speed. During all the summer season, many Camargue races take place in the different villages of Provence.

The Spanish bullfighting is very appreciated by the Provençal people and celebrated during the Férias. The Férias of Arles, Nîmes and many others are unmissable events that bring together thousands of people around the same passion: the bullfight. It is an ancestral art of bullfighting where the matador and the bull fight in duel.

Course camarguaise / Corrida

Avignon theater Festival 

The Avignon Festival is the most famous theater festival in the world, not only for the number of theater performances but also for the number of participants. Are you a theater lover? This is the place to be; every street, every square, every corner is transformed into a living theater! The atmosphere is guaranteed!

All the programs are online directly on the festival website!

Theater of Avignon during the festival