The South of France, and most notably, the region of Provence is one of the most charming places to visit anywhere in the world, I’m convinced of it. As a Provence couples and engagement photographer, I love welcoming couples to the south of France and photographing their romantic love stories, as well as showing them some of the very best and most scenic spots. I was thrilled to be contacted via Instagram by this beautiful couple, in my town of Arles, France, to celebrate their vacation memories. A Provence vacation photoshoot is always a great idea, it’s the perfect way to see the magnificent old town and have great memories, too!
Welcome to Arles, France!
Arles, France is an absolute treasure of a town, located less than an hour from the second largest city in France, Marseille, and just south of an equally charming town of Avignon (only 20 minutes by train). Arles is a great launching point to visit many wonderful spots in Provence, but mostly its famous for two things: Romans and Van Gogh.
As one of the oldest Roman settlements outside of Rome, due to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the mighty Rhone River, Arles was at one time a very wealthy Roman town. Many vestiges of the town’s Roman history are still available to us today to see, such at the Roman amphitheater, still in use, the Roman antique theater (still in use), the old Roman cemetery called Alyscamps, the Roman baths–the list goes on and on.
To get an even closer-up view of Roman life and Roman artifacts, it’s also essential to visit the wonderful Musée Départmental Arles antique, where visitors can see beautiful models of what Arles looked like during Roman times, as well as artifacts as small as women’s hair combs! The museum’s treasures make you think, oh get out of here, that can’t be real! But it is!
Arles in summer time is absolute paradise, but spring and autumn are also wonderful. So many festivals, too many to count, Provençal markets twice a week, and delicious restaurants to try. Don’t count out winter, though, that’s when Vincent Van Gogh arrived, in February 1888 he put his suitcase down in Arles and pained some of his most famous works here.
A Romantic Couples Photoshoot on the Charming Streets of Arles
I met Dori and Jordan on the steps of the old Roman amphitheater, they were staying in the Provence region and intrigued to visit Arles, and I was so glad to welcome them! Friendly and lovely, they had an easygoing way about them and listened to me tell all the stories I’ve learned about Arles after living between Arles and Paris for the last few years’.
Arles was once a wealthy Roman town, but there isn’t much industry here anymore outside of tourism, so this isn’t the clean and glittering Provence you’d experience in a smaller village like Gordes, for example, or even Aix-en-Provence. It’s a proud working class town, where you’ll find some crumbling facades, a lot of tagging on buildings (graffiti) and more trash than I like to see (a lot of it whipped up by the very strong and famous mistral winds, which affect this region). You’ll also see grand old townhomes, from the 17th century, cute little cafés and artists shops, some cobblestone streets, and lots of vegetation–plants and flowers. It’s a proud town with a strong tradition and is usually sunny, warm and relaxing. A walk around Arles is peaceful and nothing makes me happier than showing my wonderful clients the very best spots in Arles.
A Walking Tour of Arles and a Photoshoot, Too!
To walk around with a camera in hand, not saying anything to my clients, would feel rather strange. That’s why my photoshoots in Arles are also a bit of a walking tour, as I point out some landmarks and tell some stories of life in Arles, and in Provence in general. After photographing Dori and Jordan on the crown jewel of the town, the Roman arènes, we passed the antique theater, set up for a show, then around to the main square and the amazing obelisk, which once adorned the Roman circus. Then, a peek of the courtyard next to the St. Trophime church and a walk down the main shopping street in the old town.
One of my favorite spots to take my clients is to the beautiful garden surrounded by the old hospital building where Van Gogh once stayed. These days, this building has been repurposed and is used as a media library and more, but you can see Van Gogh’s painting of the garden and it’s just a lovely place to visit.
Next, I took Dori and Jordan to the ‘hipster’ neighborhood of Arles, called La Roquette. Once part of a fisherman’s village, La Roquette has so many beautiful old mansions/townhomes and some cute-as-can-be streets, as well as some colorful homes, too. Wandering around La Roquette is intoxicating and fun, as you can get lost in the maze of streets, one street cuter than the other.
Dori and Jordan visited at the end of August, and by this time many of the vines hanging above the streets are now filled with purple, juicy grapes! No visit to Arles is complete without a view of the river Rhone, which is one of the most powerful in Europe, and again, inspired a Van Gogh painting. Nowadays, there are Rhone river cruises that dock here and you’ll see lots of tourists in summer flooding the streets of Arles, discovering its unique history.
I also photographed Dori and Jordan under the plane trees, trees that you’ll see all over Provence, known for their large leaves, they help provide much needed shade for the long and hot summers. We then went back into the old town and finished our tour of Arles with a stop at the beautiful Amédée Pichot fountain, which was recently refurbished to look more beautiful than ever.
I was so sad to say goodbye to Dori and Jordan, they asked such great questions about Arles, and were so beautiful and romantic everywhere we stopped, their love story perfectly highlighted by this old Roman town.
Karina Leigh Photography
I would love to show you around Arles, too! So much to do here, make a day out of it, take away some gorgeous photos to treasure, and have so much fun in the sun! Contact me to learn more about photo sessions in Arles, France!
