City apartments · Arles
Central Stays in Arles' Old Town
This page is filed under city apartments, but to be clear from the start: the three Arles properties listed here are hotels, not self-catering flats. What they share with an apartment stay is a central address in the old town, where everything is reached on foot. Hôtel du Musée is the best rated at 9.0, in a 16th- and 17th-century mansion, Hotel Du Forum follows at 8.9 on Place du Forum with a garden pool, and Hôtel Amphithéâtre, rated 8.6 from more than 1,600 reviews, is 200 metres from the Roman arena. None offers a kitchen.
Arles, on the Rhône at the gateway to the Camargue, is a Roman city with a UNESCO-listed arena and theatre, the town where Van Gogh painted some 300 works in 1888 and 1889, and the home of a major summer photography festival.
Updated October 14, 2026
Where to stay
Three Hotels in the Old Centre
Arles is small and best explored on foot, so where you sleep matters more than what kind of property it is. These three hotels put the Roman arena, the ancient theatre, Saint-Trophime and the Van Gogh sites within a few minutes' walk. If you need a kitchen, check self-catering listings separately.
Hôtel du Musée is the best-rated address on this page, scoring 9.0 from about 660 reviews. This three-star hotel occupies a former 16th- and 17th-century mansion in the historic centre of Arles, with 28 air-conditioned rooms, two patios and an art gallery that hosts contemporary exhibitions. There is no lift, which matters with heavy luggage, and public parking is nearby rather than on site. For travellers who want character and quiet in the middle of the old town, close to the Réattu museum and the Rhône, it is the most rewarding choice and the one I would rank first.
Hotel Du Forum, rated 8.9, is a three-star hotel in an elegant family house on Place du Forum, the lively square at the centre of old Arles. It has a rare asset for the old town: a swimming pool in the garden, a welcome escape in the Provençal summer heat. The hotel stands opposite the café painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1888 in Café Terrace at Night, so you step out onto one of the most famous views in art history. It suits couples and first-time visitors who want to be at the centre of everything and still have a pool.
Hôtel Amphithéâtre is the most reviewed of the three, rated 8.6 from more than 1,600 reviews. This three-star hotel sits in a 17th-century building just 200 metres from the Roman arena, with a patio, contemporary décor, a luggage room and air-conditioned rooms with a desk and flat-screen TV. Arles station is about a kilometre away, an easy walk with a small suitcase, which makes it practical for travellers arriving by train. The luggage room helps on departure day, when you can drop your bags and spend a last morning in the old town.
Everything in Arles is close. The Roman arena still hosts events, and the ancient theatre, the Alyscamps necropolis and the Constantine baths are a short walk apart. Saint-Trophime, on Place de la République, has one of the finest Romanesque portals and cloisters in Provence. The Van Gogh trail marks the spots he painted, and the LUMA Arles tower by Frank Gehry rises over the Parc des Ateliers. In summer, the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival takes over the city, and the Saturday market along the boulevard des Lices is one of the largest in Provence.
A traveler's take
For a central stay in Arles, I would book Hôtel du Musée: it scores 9.0, occupies a 16th- and 17th-century mansion with two patios, and stays calm in the middle of the old town. In high summer, my choice would be Hotel Du Forum, rated 8.9, for its garden pool and its address on Place du Forum. If you need a kitchen, I would look beyond this page.
City apartments
3 stays in Arles
City apartmentsArles
Hôtel du Musée
Renovated 16th-century mansion with two patios and an art gallery
Why guests love itThis is a family choice for older children who enjoy a building with stories: patios for breakfast, a gallery on the ground floor and a historic centre outside. Family rooms are available, rooms are air-conditioned and the stairs are the only catch, since there is no elevator. Parking is public and nearby, so families without a car manage best, and the Roman sites are within walking distance.
City apartmentsArles
Hotel Du Forum
Family house on the Place du Forum with a garden pool
Why guests love itThe Place du Forum gives families an open-air living room: cafés, a lively square and the Van Gogh trail at the door. The garden pool gives children a place to cool off between monuments, and the Amphitheatre and the Théâtre antique are an easy walk. Rooms in a family house are not huge, and the square can be noisy in the evening, so request a garden-side room.
City apartmentsArles
Hôtel Amphithéâtre
17th-century building 200 metres from the Roman Amphitheatre
Why guests love itFamilies get a central base that works without a car: the Amphitheatre is 200 metres away, the train station is 1 km away, and the patio gives children somewhere to sit after sightseeing. Rooms are air-conditioned and heated, family rooms are available, and the continental breakfast is served in the breakfast room or in your room. There is no pool, so day trips fill the gap.
Arles
Local tips
- 1Do not expect a kitchen: the three listed properties are hotels, not self-catering apartments.
- 2Book Hotel Du Forum in July or August, when its garden pool makes the Provençal heat bearable.
- 3Pack light for Hôtel du Musée, which has no lift and only public parking nearby.
- 4Arrive by train if you can: Hôtel Amphithéâtre is about a kilometre from Arles station.
- 5Visit the arena and the ancient theatre early in the morning, before the midday heat and the crowds.
- 6Book well ahead for July, when the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival fills the city.
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Frequently asked questions
City apartments · Arles
No. Although the page is filed under city apartments, Hôtel du Musée, Hotel Du Forum and Hôtel Amphithéâtre are three-star hotels without kitchens. What they offer is a central old-town address. If you need self-catering facilities, check the kitchen details of each listing before booking elsewhere.