Arles private guide tour review: two hours, five languages, one honest caveat
My verdict: the best guides of any tour on this site, by the numbers and by the reviews, attached to a booking that only makes sense for the right group. Two hours on foot with a licensed guide in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish, starting on boulevard des Lices by the tourist office, past the amphitheatre from outside, the Théâtre antique, place de la République and the Hôtel-Dieu. It rates 4.3 from 22 reviews, and the split underneath is the whole story: guide 5.0, value 3.8. A private walk is priced for a group, and two people paying for it feel that. Four or more do not. Entry to the amphitheatre is not included.
What the walk is like
You meet at 9 boulevard des Lices, next to the tourist office where the monument tickets and passes are sold, which is convenient if you plan to go inside anything afterwards. The standard route takes in the amphitheatre from outside, then the Théâtre antique 200 metres away, then place de la République with its 4th-century obelisk and the Saint-Trophime portal, then past the Hôtel-Dieu, the hospital courtyard that is now the Espace Van Gogh. It ends near the Mémorial Charles de Gaulle. The itinerary is customisable with the guide, and reviewers use that: Annick from France describes a three-and-a-half-hour version with a knowledgeable guide, which is not what the listing promises but is apparently what happens when the conversation is going well.
The point of a private guide in Arles is the things you cannot read off a panel. Noël writes about historical details inaccessible to ordinary tourists; Michel from France about flexibility and kindness; Ramon about having things explained with kindness by Isabel. The German, Swiss and Mexican reviewers are anonymous on GetYourGuide, but the language list is why they are there: this is the only tour through Arles that is guided in German, Italian or Spanish.
What works
- Guide sub-score 5.0 from 22 reviews, the highest on this site
- Five languages; the only Arles tour guided in German, Italian or Spanish
- Customisable route, and the guides seem to run over rather than under
- Starts by the tourist office, so you can buy a monument ticket or pass afterwards
- The theatre, the obelisk and Saint-Trophime as well as the arena
Worth knowing
- Value sub-score 3.8: a private walk is priced for a group, and two people feel it
- The amphitheatre is seen from outside; no entries are included
- Not for children under 10, and the listing also says not for people over 70 or 75
- Non-folding and electric wheelchairs are not allowed
- Only 22 reviews, so the 4.3 is a small sample; Marie-Pascale from Belgium gave four stars and called it very interesting
The value score, plainly
I am not going to pretend a 3.8 is a 4.5. The guides are as good as anyone in town, and the people who gave this tour fewer than five stars did not say otherwise. What they felt was the arithmetic of a private booking divided by two. So I frame it the way I would to a friend: if there are four or more of you, or if you need a guide who works in German, Italian or Spanish, this is a good booking and the per-person sum is ordinary. If there are two of you and you speak English or French, the express walk covers the arena, Saint-Trophime and the river with a local host in an hour, in a small group, and most couples would be happier there. Walking tours puts the two side by side.
Buy a combined amphitheatre and theatre ticket, or a pass, at the tourist office before the walk starts, then go inside both straight afterwards while the guide’s explanation is still in your head. The walk sees them from outside; the ticket is your business, and the desk is next to the meeting point. Details on the tickets page.
Who should book it, and who should not
Book it for a family or a group of four or more, for anyone who wants Arles explained in German, Italian or Spanish, and for anyone who wants to steer the two hours themselves towards Rome, Van Gogh or the bulls. Skip it as a couple on a budget of time and patience; the express walk is the better fit. Note the age lines in the listing before you book for grandparents or young children, and remember that the ground in Arles is uneven Roman paving in places.
Other tours to consider
The express walk is the small-group alternative for an hour in town. The Avignon day includes a 75-minute guided walk through the same sites as part of a longer day. The Van Gogh half-day is the guided walk for the painter rather than the Romans.
Quick & localArles: Express Walk with a Local
With picnicFrom Avignon: Arles, Les Baux de Provence & St Rémy
Van GoghFrom Avignon: In the Footsteps of Van Gogh in Provence
Frequently asked questions
Why is the private Arles tour rated 4.3 when the guides score 5.0?
Because the value sub-score is 3.8. Reviewers rate the guides as highly as any on this site; the lower marks are about a private booking shared by two people. With four or more in the party the arithmetic changes, which is why I recommend it for groups and for anyone who needs German, Italian or Spanish. Couples in English or French should read the express walk review first.
Does the private tour go inside the amphitheatre?
No. It sees the arena and the Théâtre antique from outside, and no entry tickets are included. The meeting point is next to the tourist office on boulevard des Lices, where tickets and the Arles passes are sold, so going inside afterwards is easy. See how tickets work.
Can the route be changed?
Yes. The itinerary is customisable with the guide, and reviewers describe versions from the standard two hours to Annick’s three and a half. Tell the guide at the start whether you want Rome, Van Gogh or the bullfighting story; corrida versus course camarguaise is a good primer if it is the last.