Arènes d’Arles tickets: how to get in, what to buy and the days the gates are shut
Two websites, two kinds of ticket
The first thing to untangle is that the Arènes d’Arles has two box offices for two different products. Sightseeing tickets, the ones that let you walk the tiers and climb the tower, are run by the Office de Tourisme d’Arles and sold through arlestourisme.com. Seats for a corrida, a course camarguaise or a summer concert are sold by arenes-arles.com, the events site, and I do not sell those and neither does anyone else on this page. If you have arrived here looking for a seat at the Feria de Pâques, that is the site you want. Everything below is about getting in as a visitor.
What is on sale
| Ticket | Covers | Valid |
|---|---|---|
| Single monument | The amphitheatre only | The day you visit |
| Amphitheatre + Théâtre antique | Both sites, 200 m apart | The day you visit |
| Pass Liberté | Your choice of 4 of the 6 monuments, the Musée Réattu and one other museum | One month |
| Pass Avantage | All 6 monuments and all 4 museums | Six months |
The six monuments are the amphitheatre, the Théâtre antique, the Saint-Trophime cloister, the cryptoportiques, the Alyscamps and Constantine’s baths. The museums in play are the Musée Réattu, the Museon Arlaten, the Musée départemental Arles antique and the Musée de la Camargue. Both passes also give a reduced rate at the Fondation Vincent van Gogh. My rule of thumb: the single ticket if the arena is all you have time for, the combined ticket if you will do the theatre too, which you should, the Pass Liberté if you are here a full day and will see three or four sites, and the Pass Avantage only if you are staying long enough to want the museums as well. The what to see page puts the six sites in walking order.
Where to buy
Three places, and I would not book ahead for the arena alone. The ticket desk under the arches at 1 rond-point des Arènes sells everything above and rarely has a queue before ten. The Office de Tourisme on boulevard des Lices sells the same, and is where I send people who want the passes explained by a human. Online through arlestourisme.com if you like having a ticket on your phone. The opening hours page tells you when the gates open by season; last entry is 30 minutes before closing, except in winter, when it is four o’clock.
Who pays less
Under-18s are free, which makes the arena one of the better family outings in town. Reduced rates exist for students, seniors and groups; bring the card that proves it. Guided visits of the underground galleries are separate and need booking, and the city heritage service runs guided tours mostly in French, with English on some dates. A free web audio guide covers the basics if you want commentary without a group.
The trap: days with no ticket at all
This is the paragraph I would read twice. When the arena is used as a bullring it closes to sightseers, and in 2026 that means Friday 3 to Monday 6 April for the Feria de Pâques, Monday 6 July for the Cocarde d’Or, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September for the Feria du Riz, and the concert dates in between. The monument is also shut on 1 January, 1 November and 25 December. Hotels fill for the ferias and the town centre turns into a row of bodegas, which is a fine thing to see, but you will not get inside the walls. The full calendar is on the feria page, and the difference between what you would watch at a corrida and at a course camarguaise is explained separately.
Tours do not include entry
None of the six tours compared on this site includes an amphitheatre ticket. The day trips from Aix and Marseille give you free time in Arles and leave the monuments to you; Arnaud’s tour from Avignon and the Van Gogh half day walk past the arena rather than into it; the express walk and the private guide look at it from outside. So a tour is never a substitute for the ticket. The one Arles-area entry any of them includes is Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, on the Van Gogh tour.
What works
- The ticket desk at the door is quick before ten and in the last hour
- Under-18s are free, so a family pays for the adults only
- The combined ticket covers the theatre, 200 m away and empty at nine
- The Pass Liberté is valid a month, so it survives a two-visit stay
Worth knowing
- No ticket exists on feria, Cocarde d’Or or concert days
- Only a small part of the site is step-free; the tiers and the tower are stairs
- Winter hours are short: 10:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00
- The underground galleries need a separate, booked guided visit
Buy the combined ticket and do the Théâtre antique first. I send friends to the theatre at nine because nobody else is there, then the arena at ten before the coaches. The pair takes about two hours, less if you skip the tower.
When a tour is still worth adding
If you have bought your ticket and have an hour to spare, the thing I would add is not another monument but a local. The express walk meets at 37 boulevard Émile Combes, two minutes from the arena, and takes you through the streets a ticket does not cover: Saint-Trophime, the Trinquetaille bridge stairway and the Roquette, with a list of places to eat at the end. It is compared with the private guide on the walking tours page; if you are based in Aix, Marseille or Avignon, the day trips are the other route in.
An hour with someone who lives here
The express walk starts two minutes from the amphitheatre, covers the town the ticket does not, and ends with a list of where to eat. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy Arènes d’Arles tickets online?
Yes, through the Office de Tourisme site, arlestourisme.com, which also sells the two passes. In practice the desk at the entrance is quick before ten and in the last hour, so I only book ahead for the underground galleries, which are guided and need a reservation. Check the opening hours for the season first.
Is the amphitheatre ticket included in any tour?
No. None of the six tours on the tours page includes entry to the arena or to any other Arles monument. The day trips give you free time to buy one at the door; the walks look at the building from outside.
Is entry free for children?
Under-18s go in free with a paying adult, and reduced rates exist for students, seniors and groups. The ground level is fine for a pushchair; the tiers and the tower are stairs, as the accessibility page explains.
Which pass should I buy?
The combined amphitheatre and theatre ticket if you have a morning; the Pass Liberté if you have a full day and will see four monuments and two museums within a month; the Pass Avantage only for a longer stay. The how long to visit page lays out what fits in a half day and a full one.