Historic Monuments in Avignon & Arles

Avignon and Arles are the greatest places to go to learn about Provence's cultural heritage. The UNESCO-listed Palais des Papes at Avignon is a magnificent monument to the glory of Christendom in the fourteenth century.

Avignon also has an excellent museum of fine arts (the Musée du Petit Palais) and notable medieval churches. Arles is a picturesque town in the heart of Provence, known for its historic Roman monuments and traditional festivals. The remarkably well-preserved Roman Amphitheater, which was built in the first century to accommodate 21,000 people, as well as many other Roman-era archaeological monuments will surely astound visitors. It's great to walk the streets of Arles looking for Vincent van Gogh's painted monuments. The Café du Forum, which is depicted in one of the artist's iconic works, offers a distinctive Provençal atmosphere owing to its outside patio on the Place du Forum. The location immortalized in Van Gogh's painting Starry Nights is also on the Van Gogh Trail.