The Van Gogh tour from Avignon: his Arles on foot, then Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
Fourteen months, three hundred paintings
Van Gogh arrived in Arles on 20 February 1888 and left for Saint-Rémy on 8 May 1889. In those fourteen months he produced more than three hundred paintings and drawings: the café terrace on place du Forum, the bedroom in the Yellow House on place Lamartine, the Alyscamps, and the hospital garden after the night of 23 December 1888 when he cut his ear. The Yellow House was destroyed in 1944; the café is still on the square; the hospital courtyard is now the Espace Van Gogh. The Fondation Vincent van Gogh, open since 2014, is where the town shows work connected to him. A guide who can stand you in the right spot and hold up the reproduction earns their place on this trip, because the places are ordinary until somebody shows you what he made of them.
What the five hours look like
The van leaves from in front of the Avignon tourist office at 41 cours Jean Jaurès and takes about an hour to Arles. The guided walk then runs an hour and a half: the site of the Yellow House, the café on place du Forum, the Espace Van Gogh, and the Roman town in between, because the guides link the two. Ines from Germany said her guide Jo tied Van Gogh to Roman Arles rather than treating them as separate subjects, which is exactly how the town feels on foot. You pass the amphitheatre; you do not go in. Then 45 minutes to Saint-Rémy and an hour at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, the asylum set in olive groves where he spent a year. Entry is included. Samantha from the United Kingdom took an early departure and had Van Gogh’s room to herself before the crowd; that is the slot I would book. The order can change on the day, and the walking is real: not for under-4s or anyone with a mobility impairment. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Saturdays
A Saturday departure reaches Arles while the market is running along boulevard des Lices and boulevard Georges-Clemenceau, about 450 stalls from eight until a quarter to one. You will cross it on foot. It makes the walk slower and better, and it is the day I would pick if the choice is open; the market page has the detail.
What the reviews say
4.6 from 118 reviews, the most-reviewed tour on this site; guide 4.7, transport 4.9, value 4.5. The guides are what people write about: Martina from the United States on Odelia’s contagious passion, Wendy from the United Kingdom on Jos being amusing with real depth of knowledge, John from Australia on Emile being “comprehensive, well organised”, Lynn from the United States on Joanna’s perfect English, Marja from the Netherlands on Arnaud driving well and everything running to time. The overall score sits a shade under the day trips because the Arles walk is dense and quick for some, and because five hours leaves no room for the monuments. The full review goes through the recurring points.
The day trips visit the same places, without the walk
If you are based in Aix or Marseille, the full-day loops stop in Saint-Rémy and Arles too, and the Marseille one offers Saint-Paul-de-Mausole as an option, but they give you free time rather than a guided Van Gogh walk, and no entry is included. Arnaud’s day from Avignon covers Van Gogh’s café and the Espace Van Gogh in its guided walk but goes to the olive mill and the Carrières rather than to the asylum. So if the painter is the reason you are coming, this half day is the one. If Van Gogh is one item among several, compare the three on the day tours page.
Fitting the amphitheatre in
The tour is back in Avignon in the afternoon. If you want the arena itself, take the train to Arles on another day, 17 to 20 minutes from Avignon-Centre, and buy a ticket at the door; the ticket page has the passes and the closed dates. Do not try to bolt it onto the walk. An hour and a half is what the guide has, and the Roman monuments deserve their own morning, starting with the theatre at nine. The what to see page puts the Van Gogh spots and the six UNESCO sites in one walking order.
Book the earliest departure. Samantha’s review is the one to trust here: the early van reaches Saint-Paul-de-Mausole before the coach parties, and the room is a very different place with nobody in it.
Van Gogh’s Arles with a guide, then the asylum
Five hours from Avignon, an hour and a half on foot past the places he painted, Saint-Paul-de-Mausole entry included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Other tours through Arles
Van GoghFrom Avignon: In the Footsteps of Van Gogh in Provence
With picnicFrom Avignon: Arles, Les Baux de Provence & St Rémy
Most bookedFrom Aix-en-Provence: Arles, Les Baux & Saint-Rémy Full-Day
Frequently asked questions
Does the Van Gogh tour include the Arènes d’Arles?
No. The walk passes the amphitheatre from outside on its way between the Van Gogh sites. The only entry included is Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy. For the arena, buy a ticket at the door on a separate visit; the ticket page explains how.
Are there Van Gogh paintings to see in Arles?
What Arles has is the places: the café on place du Forum, the site of the Yellow House on place Lamartine, the Espace Van Gogh courtyard and the Alyscamps, plus the Fondation Vincent van Gogh, open since 2014. The what to see page puts them in walking order alongside the Roman sites.
Can I join the tour in Arles instead of Avignon?
The listing meets in front of the Avignon tourist office at 41 cours Jean Jaurès. Avignon-Centre is 17 to 20 minutes from Arles by train, so it is easy to get there for the departure; the how to get there page has the connections.
Is Saint-Paul-de-Mausole worth the detour?
It is the part of the day reviewers mention most after the guides: the monastery set in olive groves where Van Gogh spent a year, with his room open to visitors. Go on the earliest departure to have it quiet. The Van Gogh tour review has more on the timing.