Van Gogh Walk
Van Gogh Walk
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
286 reviews
Excellent
118
Very good
119
Average
35
Poor
13
Terrible
1
Wendy V
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada1,106 contributions
Oct 2019
Arles is certainly Van Gogh territory. This walk is something you might want to do if you are a Van Gogh fan and have some previous knowledge of VG and his works. It will certainly take you on a good walk around Arles and, if you are familiar with his work, it will likely mean something to you. It is interesting and you can definitely see how perspectives and landscapes have changed since VG's times. Worthwhile if you have the interest, but IMHO not likely to teach you much if you're not really interested and have no previous knowledge. But you'll get a good walk in and see a bunch of Arles.
Written May 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joanne F
Tampa, FL703 contributions
Jan 2020
Being big fans of Van Gogh's art, we were really excited about doing the Van Gogh Walk. We started out at the park, continued on to the Arena and then went to the Cafe. We were told that the Van Gogh Foundation had an exhibit of photography and only one painting by the artist, so we decided to skip that. The next day we went in search of the yellow house--which is now white and just has a medallion on it. Then we went in search of the bridge. We crossed the bridge, but never saw what Van Gogh painted. It was too early in the day to find the place for Starry Night. Perhaps a guided tour would have been better.
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Razorfish
Little Rock, AR3,496 contributions
Mar 2019
My wife and I visited Arles this past March. It was interesting to see the sites where Van Gogh painted many of his masterpieces. We walked to the Rhône River site of Starry Night, the hospital, the cafe, the arena and toward Alyscamps. For a Van Gogh lover seeing these sites was special.
Written January 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
DuchessofNewTown
Hobart, Australia259 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
We visited Arles today, as part of a week-long break based at Saint Rémy de Provence. Our 8-year-old daughter is very taken with Van Gogh’s life story and artworks, and we are generally interested in art, so we had always planned to follow the Van Gogh-themed trails in both Arles and Saint-Rémy. On arrival at the Arles Tourism Information Office in Boulevard des Lices, we were advised that there wasn’t an English-speaking guided tour available today. This was fine for us, as we’d always intended a self-guided walk to incorporate both the Arena and Theatre, as well as a stop for lunch. However, visitors who prefer to be guided and have the benefit of a spoken interpretation, would be well advised to call ahead (33(0)4 90 18 41 20) and check when a tour in their language of choice is next scheduled, as apparently they’re quite good. We asked for a copy of the “Arles Walking Circuit” pamphlet sold at the Tourism Office for €1, but they had run out of copies in both French and English, and only had Italian, German and Japanese versions left. Fortunately, I can speak enough Italian to effectively use the guide in that language, but in any case the map at the end of the pamphlet would be essential to find all the Van Gogh identified sites without the benefit of the guided tour. Alternatives are the online PDF version of the document, or the App “Arles Tours”, although this seemed more general in nature and only in French. We enjoyed the walk, and standing on the spot where many of Van Gogh’s well-known works were painted was quite evocative. Each site displays the work in question on an easel-like plinth, near to the spot where it was painted, although the interpretative Information is only in French. Some sites, however, have changed almost beyond recognition since the artist visited them. The “yellow house” (number 4 on the map), where Paul Gauguin joined Van Gogh for a couple of months, was bombed into oblivion during the WW2, and the lady at the Tourism Office told us not to even bother the hike to the old mill” (number 6), as there’s absolutely nothing left to see. Other sites, such as the cafe in Place du Forum (number 1), The Arena (number 5), the public gardens (number 8) and the hospital garden now occupied by Espace Van Gogh (number 9) are completely recognisable. WARNING! The guide has the placement of the Langlois bridge over the Canal d’Arles a Bouc (number 10) placed next to the wrong bridge! If you actually wish to visit the site where Van Gogh painted several works featuring this bridge, which survives intact, you need to be approximately 2.2km away, upstream on the canal adjacent to Rue Gaspard Monge. Fortunately, we’d run out of steam before we wasted any time fruitlessly searching for the easel-plinth in the location given. Highly recommended for those with even a slight interest in art or Van Gogh.
Written April 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
MinkusMe
Kingston-upon-hull, United Kingdom177 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
I love Van Gogh, and it is what brought me to Arles. From the Tourist Information office, you can buy a booklet for 1 Euro that has five walks around the town, including the Van Gogh walk. It takes you around the main sights that Van Gogh painted and was inspired by in Arles. When you get to them, there are information easels with pictures of his paintings of the sights and information about them. It's a great walk to see Arles, including some of the quieter spots, as well as really take in Van Gogh's inspiration from the town.
Written February 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dave6827
San Diego22 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
We had an apt in Arles, as our base of operations; we were "tracking van Gogh" on this trip...the apt (la Residence Arles) was marvelous, and in a great location.
1) Frankly, all the van Gogh sites in Arles itself were disappointing. Being at the physical locations: Place du Forum (Cafe de la Nuit), L'Hopital d'Arles (Espace van Gogh), etc. we did NOT get the vibes so many folks rave about. To really expereince the soul (spirit) of van Gogh, definitely travel to St. Remy-en-Provence.
2) Highlights of Arles for us were the Roman sites, and the amazing Musee Departmental Arles Antique.
3) Wonderful neighborhood restaurants
4) WARNING: scattered through the old area of the city (the streets fanning out from the south end of Le Pont deTrinquetaille) are a number of
"limited access barriers" in the middle of many of the narrow streets in this area. At certain times of the day, these 8"-round cylinders are down, flush with the street pavement; however, at other times they automatically (on timers) rise up to create the barrier. I was unfortunately the victim of a freak pedestrian accident. As I was walking over one of these barriers, without any warning signals it popped up, and knocked me down for a loop...at first I thought I had just stumbled, but something (the rising cylinder) actually pushed me down. Fortunately, no serious harm done (although, a month later, I still have a sore shoulder). One of daughters said, in USA, this would be ripe for a hefty lawsuit against the city.In retrospect, I notice, on a city map issued by the tourist office of Arles, that these barriers are marked...but in real life, again, NO warning that a barrier is going up or down.
1) Frankly, all the van Gogh sites in Arles itself were disappointing. Being at the physical locations: Place du Forum (Cafe de la Nuit), L'Hopital d'Arles (Espace van Gogh), etc. we did NOT get the vibes so many folks rave about. To really expereince the soul (spirit) of van Gogh, definitely travel to St. Remy-en-Provence.
2) Highlights of Arles for us were the Roman sites, and the amazing Musee Departmental Arles Antique.
3) Wonderful neighborhood restaurants
4) WARNING: scattered through the old area of the city (the streets fanning out from the south end of Le Pont deTrinquetaille) are a number of
"limited access barriers" in the middle of many of the narrow streets in this area. At certain times of the day, these 8"-round cylinders are down, flush with the street pavement; however, at other times they automatically (on timers) rise up to create the barrier. I was unfortunately the victim of a freak pedestrian accident. As I was walking over one of these barriers, without any warning signals it popped up, and knocked me down for a loop...at first I thought I had just stumbled, but something (the rising cylinder) actually pushed me down. Fortunately, no serious harm done (although, a month later, I still have a sore shoulder). One of daughters said, in USA, this would be ripe for a hefty lawsuit against the city.In retrospect, I notice, on a city map issued by the tourist office of Arles, that these barriers are marked...but in real life, again, NO warning that a barrier is going up or down.
Written December 8, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
John B
Nashua, NH106 contributions
Sep 2014 • Couples
This is a fun walk: you get to see the places where Van Gogh painted; in many of them the thing he painted is still there; you also get a tour of Arles and can walk along the river. For me, it was a relaxing change from some of the intenser tourist stuff. I had thought that Van Gogh's wild-looking paintings were only slightly based on reality but it turns out that he really did paint from life, so much so that you wonder whether he literally saw the swirls and textures as well. My wife pointed out that as with photographers, when someone paints from life, the selection of the thing to paint and of the view to paint it from is a big part of the creativity of the artist. This walk was therefore an art theory lesson as well as an art history lesson.
Written March 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
908Laura
San Francisco, CA1,682 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
Given that we are big Van Gogh fans, this walk was on my must-do list. But I have to say that we were very disappointed.
We started at the tourist office, and the lady there was not very helpful at all. They did not have the Van Gogh walk map in English, so we did not get one and instead relied on one we downloaded from the internet that was unfortunately in French.
Arles has changed so much since Van Gogh's time, and it was pretty hard trying to see beyond the crowd and conjure up what Van Gogh saw in his time and from his eyes. Le Cafe is no more aside perhaps from the yellow paint, and I could not recognize the Yellow House at all. Le Jardin is perhaps the only thing that has not changed much.
All in all, I think if time pressed, it's better to visit the Asylum at Saint-Remy.
We started at the tourist office, and the lady there was not very helpful at all. They did not have the Van Gogh walk map in English, so we did not get one and instead relied on one we downloaded from the internet that was unfortunately in French.
Arles has changed so much since Van Gogh's time, and it was pretty hard trying to see beyond the crowd and conjure up what Van Gogh saw in his time and from his eyes. Le Cafe is no more aside perhaps from the yellow paint, and I could not recognize the Yellow House at all. Le Jardin is perhaps the only thing that has not changed much.
All in all, I think if time pressed, it's better to visit the Asylum at Saint-Remy.
Written July 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dorothy G
York, UK37 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
After reading a previous review we downloaded the map and info for this walk prior to visiting, which helped because we could start straight away not find the Tourist Info office first. Walk was well worth doing and we really enjoyed seeing the sites in the Van Gogh paintings from where he painted them. It also gave you a chance to see all the sights round Arles while you did the walk.
Written July 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lionsmaine
Chewton, Australia396 contributions
May 2018
I printed off a map off the internet which included all of the Van Gogh stops. The map wasn't the best so I had to use my phone also to get to the destinations. All the destinations were numbered so I plotted my route and explored the city by foot. This was the best place I visited on my round the world trip. I really enjoyed finding the places and standing where he stood as he painted his master pieces. The Town of Arles was stunning and had excellent Roman Ruins. The café Van Gogh was great also and served really nice local chicken, coffee, wine and beer. This town is a must. Espace Van Gogh was also a pleasant surprise.
Written June 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
lasa19642014
Alcala de Guadaira, Spain43 contributions
En la oficina de turismo de Arles hay rutas de van goont en español?
Jane P
Seminole75 contributions
NO se, solomente en english y fancais.
Teresa O
Billings, MT12 contributions
How much was the guided van Gogh tour and how often is it offered?
Thanks,
Teresa
DuchessofNewTown
Hobart, Australia259 contributions
Not sure on the cost of the Guided tour either, but they don’t offer all languages every day, so call ahead to book for a tour in your language of choice. The pamphlet for the self-guided walk costs €1 and is available from the Arles Tourism Information Office in Boulevard des Lices.
Sheila H
Hampstead, MD
What are my transportation options for getting to St. Paul de Mausole from Arles, if I do not rent a car?
DuchessofNewTown
Hobart, Australia259 contributions
Catch a regional bus from Arles to Saint-Rémy de Provence, then walk the 1.9km to Saint Paul de Mausole. If you catch a bus that travels over the Alpilles (eastern route from Arles), not only will you see spectacular scenery, but you might be able to get off the bus closer to St Paul, before you reach Saint-Rémy.
coopcoldspot
cold spot77 contributions
Where can one get a guide for the Van Gogh walk which is in English? Thanks you.
DuchessofNewTown
Hobart, Australia259 contributions
You will need to download the PDF version, or install the app Arles Tour. We did the walk today, but the Arles Tourism Information Office only had the walk pamphlet (€1) available in Italian, German or Japanese. Luckily, I can speak enough Italian to get by with it.
Karl L
Hong Kong, China10 contributions
Would like to know roughly about how long will it take to complete this walk, assume 10-15 minute stop at each of the special places.
DuchessofNewTown
Hobart, Australia259 contributions
If you stopped 10-15 minutes at every one of the 10 scenes, I would say that it would take you a minimum of 3 hours. However, three of the sites are more far-flung and can be reached by car, if you have one. Other sites show very little, if any, of the character that existed when Van Gogh painted them, and would be unlikely to warrant a 10-15 minute stop, so by that reasoning, 2 hours would give you plenty of time to walk at a relaxed pace and enjoy your surroundings.
Van Gogh Walk (Arles) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Van Gogh Walk
- We recommend booking Van Gogh Walk tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 5 Van Gogh Walk tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Van Gogh Walk:
- Arles & Saint Rémy de Provence Tour (From $906.53)
- Provence Tour (From $906.53)
- Arles, Les Baux de Provence & Saint Rémy de Provence Tour (From $906.53)
- Arles & Les Baux de Provence Tour (From $906.53)
- Private Guided Tour of Arles (From $195.30)
- Hotels near Van Gogh Walk:
- (0.01 mi) Townhouse Terrace Beauduc, Arles
- (0.09 mi) L'Arlatan (Hotel in Arles)
- (0.08 mi) Hotel du Forum
- (0.13 mi) Hotel Du Musee
- (0.09 mi) Le Nord-Pinus (Hotel in Arles)
- Restaurants near Van Gogh Walk:
- (0.10 mi) L'antonelle le bistrot
- (0.10 mi) Restaurant Le Constantin
- (0.04 mi) Le Plaza La Paillotte
- (0.06 mi) Le Galoubet
- (0.11 mi) Tonton Sam