Arles market days: Saturday and Wednesday, and what they do to a day trip
What to buy
Saucisson d’Arles, the beef-and-pork dry sausage; a bag of riz de Camargue; a bottle of local olive oil; tellines if you have a kitchen that evening, since the tiny clams do not travel. Fougasse for the walk. Bring cash for the small stalls and your own bag. The food page says what to do with all of it.
How the markets fit a visit
The market ends at 12:45, so do it first and the monuments after. The amphitheatre opens at nine and is quietest then, which is a genuine conflict; my answer is market at eight, arena at ten-thirty, and accept the arena will be busier. The tourist office is on boulevard des Lices in the middle of the stalls, so buy a monument ticket or a pass on the way past. On Wednesdays the boulevard Émile Combes market sits just below the amphitheatre.
Markets and the day trips
The Aix and Marseille full days give you free time in Arles, about an hour and a half on the Aix tour, and a Saturday date drops that time into the market. The same tours reach Saint-Rémy first, whose market is on Wednesday, so you get a market in one town or the other depending on the day. The Van Gogh half-day from Avignon also catches the Arles market on Saturdays. Elina, on the Aix trip, wrote about the Wednesday market in Saint-Rémy. The market is never in the itinerary as such; it is simply where you happen to be let loose.
Parking on a Saturday morning is the worst of the week. Leave the car at Parking des Lices or P2 Cirque Romain early, or take the train and walk the ten minutes from the station; the getting-there page lists the car parks.
A Saturday in Arles from Aix
Saint-Rémy, Les Baux and ninety minutes in Arles; pick a Saturday for the market.
Frequently asked questions
What day is the market in Arles?
Saturday, on boulevard des Lices and boulevard Georges-Clemenceau, and Wednesday, on boulevard Émile Combes. Both run 8:00 to 12:45. Saturday is roughly 450 stalls, Wednesday about 300.
Does the Aix day trip visit the Arles market?
Not as a scheduled stop, but its hour and a half of free time in Arles falls during the market on a Saturday. See the day-trip comparison and the Aix tour review.
Is the amphitheatre open on market days?
Yes, market days are ordinary days. The exceptions are feria and spectacle days, when the monument closes; check the opening hours before you come.