Camargue and Roman Provence

Route description

Arles, where Van Gogh painted, has a Roman arena and theatre in its old centre. From here the D570 runs south into the Camargue, the flat delta of the Rhône, with lagoons, rice fields and grazing land for white horses and black bulls.

The wetlands around the Étang de Vaccarès are home to pink flamingos; an ornithological park near Pont de Gau gives close views. Bring binoculars and insect repellent, as mosquitoes can be fierce in summer. The D570 ends at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a seaside town whose fortified church rises above the white houses; overnight parking by the beaches is restricted.

Head west to Aigues-Mortes, a town enclosed by complete medieval walls and surrounded by salt pans that turn pink in summer. Then drive north to Nîmes, with its Roman arena, the Maison Carrée temple and the Jardins de la Fontaine.

The last stop is the Pont du Gard, a three-tier Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon river; there is a charge for parking, and you can swim in the river below it in summer. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with fewer mosquitoes and milder temperatures.