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The past is palpable in the Provençal city of Arles. On the banks of the Rhône, just above where the Camargue delta flows into the Mediterranean, it served as a small trading post at least as early as the 6th century B.C. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar declared the settlement a Roman colony, turning it into an important imperial outpost in the region. The oldest quarters are rich with ruins, from a vast amphitheater and a necropolis lined with sarcophagi to thermal baths and the underground galleries of its ancient forum. About 20 years ago, scuba-diving archaeologists pulled up what some experts say is the oldest bust of Caesar from the bottom of the river. It’s now on display at the Arles Museum of Antiquity, which opened in the mid-1990s and is nicknamed the Blue Museum by locals for its azure enameled glass walls.
Less than a mile up the riverbank, the Vincent van Gogh Foundation opened in 2014, a long overdue tribute to the artist, who spent about 15 prolific months, starting in 1888, in Arles, captivated by the Provençal light, colors and landscape. Other artists followed suit, including Paul Gauguin, but, until fairly recently, the city was defined more by its history than its present. In 2021, construction of Luma Arles, a 27-acre cultural center established by the Swiss art patron Maja Hoffmann eight years earlier, was finally completed. On the site of an old railway complex, it’s dedicated to contemporary art, with rotating exhibitions and events, design studios and artist residencies spread across a series of converted 19th-century factories and a glass-and-steel tower designed by Frank Gehry. There’s also a large verdant park that’s open to the public.
The French photographer François Halard, who bought a house in Arles some 30 years ago, has welcomed the new addition to this ancient city. “Those two worlds — the past and the present — are working together in a way to inspire us to build a culture-focused future,” he says. Here, Halard, Hoffmann and two other creative-minded locals share the hotels, restaurants, shops, galleries and nature spots around town they find most inspiring. The Insiders
François Halard is a French design photographer and artist who lives in Paris, Arles and Symi, Greece. The South African artist and designer Porky Hefer moved from Capetown to Arles with his wife, Yelda Bayraktar, in 2020. Bayraktar opened the city’s Couthure boutique last year. The Swiss-born entrepreneur Maja Hoffmann founded the cultural complex Luma Arles in 2013 and co-founded the Vincent van Gogh Foundation in Arles in 2014. She also owns a few hotels in the city, including the Grand Hôtel Nord-Pinus. She lives in the countryside near Arles, as well as in London and Switzerland. The culinary activist Kamal Mouzawak opened the acclaimed Tawlet restaurant group in Beirut in 2009 and the city’s Souk el Tayeb farmer’s market in 2004. In 2022, he moved to Arles with his husband, the Lebanese French fashion designer Rabih Kayrouz. Sleep
“If you go in the summer, there’s no better place to escape the crowds in the city center than the Pool Suite, a one-bedroom holiday rental. It’s so simple and pared back that it feels like camping, but there’s a pool in its center.” From about $350 a night — Porky Hefer “La Maison Fragonard is a charming place to stay near the Place du Forum. There’s a boutique selling pottery, fragrances and linens on the ground floor and a guesthouse on the floors above. Each room is different, and some come with kitchens, so you can prepare what you pick up at the market. From about $130 a night
I also love the décor of Le Cloître hotel. It was designed by India Mahdavi. I usually take room 11. It’s the only bedroom on the first floor and has a huge living room and bathroom. I adore all the rattan furniture, and the breakfast there is gorgeous.” From about $115 a night — Kamal Mouzawak “In the Camargue [region just south of Arles], close to the village of Le Sambuc, Le Mas de Peint is a country hotel and restaurant on a 1,200-acre estate, the Manade Jacques Bon, which is also a ranch with Camargue horses and bulls where you can take guided riding tours.” From about $335 a night — Maja Hoffmann Eat and Drink
“Le Bistrot du Paradou is about a 25-minute drive northeast toward the Alpilles mountains. It’s best to go for a long lunch on Saturday when they serve lamb. The cheese plates are the biggest you’ll ever encounter, and you can drink as much wine as you want for a set price. The baba au rhum seems to come with a full bottle of rum, so save space for that. La Cabane du Pêcheur Fou is a great local Camargue cabane (shack) on the banks of the Petit Rhône near the sea in the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Go for lunch and try to sit outside. Order the fresh grilled fish. The staff and the music add to the atmosphere.” — P.H. “The talented Céline Pham, who used to work at Luma, together with her wife, Agathe de Buretel, opened Inari on Place Voltaire. It’s located in a very striking space within a former 13th-century chapel. She makes French- and Vietnamese-inspired food. For lunch go to Le Galoubet, a modern french bistro with a lovely vine-covered Provençal-style terrace.” — M.H.
“Grand Hôtel Nord-Pinus, an institution in Arles, opened again a few months ago after a big renovation, and it now has a very good Italian chef, Antonio Altamura. It’s been a real game changer. Now that it’s open year-round — unlike a lot of other restaurants in Arles — it’s lively even in winter.” — François Halard “Café Japonais is run by a young Japanese woman who’s married to a French artist. It’s so charming and often hosts exhibitions and cultural events. Their attitude is very Arles: Sometimes the sign reads that they open ‘around’ 10. I always buy my bread at Levain on the Cavalerie. It’s an impeccable sourdough loaf and they also make amazing brioches. Shop
“Spend some time digging through the amazing vintage clothes at Ghost Town. If you’re lucky, Dorian, one of the owners, might even be spinning some cool tracks. And look out for the willow baskets that his father makes; he’s a master craftsman.” — P.H. “Moustique has been around for years and sells local and artisanal objects like candles and posters. It’s like the little Colette of Arles. I do all my Christmas shopping there.” — F.H. “Vague is a hybrid creative space combining design, craft, food and exhibitions — it’s an experimental place with strong ties to Japan, and to Kobe in particular. They often have interesting collaborations with designers and chefs, from chocolates to handblown glassware.
One of my favorite places to start my Saturdays is the Arles outdoor market on Boulevard des Lices. You can find the best fresh local produce and on some days you can also hunt for wonderful textiles. A great example of the new and creative energy happening in Arles is the tiny fashion and design boutique Couthure, which is more of a gallery than a shop. Librairie Actes Sud is the flagship bookshop of a global French language publisher. It’s at the docks of the Rhône river. In the same complex there’s a couscous restaurant, a hammam and an art house cinema. The owners also run the Association du Méjan, which organizes concerts and exhibitions in a former chapel nearby.” — M.H. “La Fromagerie Arlesienne is a beautiful small cheese shop with a big selection of goat cheese from the region that you can get vacuum packed so you can take it home. I love gin and tonics at the Bigourdan, which is both a boutique and a distillery. They also have a great pastis. My husband and I adore the auction house Alpilles Camargue Enchères. We buy so much there. You can just pass by and find something — furniture, cutlery, antiques.” — K.M. Explore
“Hypogeum of Le Castelet is a Stone Age burial site that’s at least 5,000 years old. It’s a portal placed on powerful energy lines. I was shown this hidden gem by a visiting professor with a love of ancient sites. It’s easy to miss and not the most inviting place at first — there might be mosquitoes or spider webs blocking the entrance. But push past these and you’ll be rewarded. It’s incredible how strong the energy is once you’re inside. The Dutch eco-designer Henriëtte Waal and others established Atelier Luma, a design research lab in the Luma Arts complex, in 2017. The aim is to design in harmony with their environment. It blew me away when I saw what they had produced using local materials like salt or algae. Go see how they do it. It’s really inspiring.” — P.H. “Our family originally came to the Camargue from Switzerland because my father was an ornithologist. One of his legacies is the Tour du Valat, a reserve and research institute of more than 2,000 hectares, much of it wetlands. The Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau is another ornithological paradise — and it has hiking trails.” — M.H. These interviews have been edited and condensed. Click here for a map of the locations mentioned above. Read past editions of Flocking To here.
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