The Proven\u00e7al city of Arles, France, isn’t new on the arts scene. Van Gogh created some of his most famed works here, while the envelope-pushing Rencontres d’Arles, the annual photography festival, has drawn visitors to the town’s cobbled streets since 1970. Now, with this summer’s opening of the Parc des Ateliers at Luma Arles, a sprawling complex on the grounds of an old rail yard, Arles could join Bilbao and Dundee among the ranks of formerly obscure cities turned pilgrimage sites for art lovers. Commissioned in 2008 by philanthropist Maja Hoffmann’s Luma Foundation, the center includes a showstopping aluminum-panel-clad tower by architect Frank Gehry that will house works by the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Pipilotti Rist. And it’s not Arles’s only draw; here’s what else to see.<\/p>\n
All products featured on Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.<\/em><\/p>\n Though the museum lacks a permanent collection\u2014it rotates in pieces from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum\u2014it’s worth a visit for exhibitions that juxtapose the Dutch master’s canvases with work by modern greats like David Hockney and painter Laura Owens.<\/p>\n For a morning latte\u2014or an afternoon pastis, if that’s more your speed\u2014head to this Arlesian institution run by former bullfighters. (Arles imported the Spanish sport back in the 18th century.) Old photographs of the city’s celebrity matadors hang everywhere\u2014even in the bathroom.<\/p>\n Crowds come to see Proven\u00e7al-style bullfighting, known as course camarguaise,<\/em> at this first-century Roman amphitheater during the Feria d’Arles, which kicks off each spring; the well-preserved site also hosts theatrical performances and jazz-pop concerts. Take to its ancient passageways and subterranean caverns when the mistral inevitably blows through.<\/p>\n The decor at this no-frills, paper-napkin bistro may be simple, but the food is anything but. Order the pan-fried t\u00eate de cochon and the beef tartare, paired with a R\u00e9gni\u00e9 wine from Guy Breton. Before opening Le Gibolin, seasoned owners Brigitte Cazalas and Luc Desrousseaux spent 30 years running a cave \u00e0 manger in Paris. Fixed menu from $42 per person<\/em><\/p>\n Art and bullfighting aren’t the city’s only enduring symbols; mosquitoes, common to the region, are part of its lore too. This concept shop embraces the buzz by selling home wares etched with the insect, plus accessories and fashion infused with elegant Proven\u00e7al flair. Pick up a stack of ceramic dishware featuring hand-painted illustrations by artist Roxane Lagache.<\/p>\n Prized rice from the Camargue wetlands, freshly caught seafood, fragrant bundles of tarragon: You’ll find it all at this lively regional market, which stretches over a mile and a half in the city center. To beat the crowds, hit the coffee cart by 8 a.m. for an espresso with the locals.<\/p>\nFondation Vincent van Gogh Arles<\/h2>\n
Bar Le Tambourin<\/h2>\n
Ar\u00e8nes d’Arles<\/h2>\n
Le Gibolin<\/h2>\n
Moustique<\/h2>\n
Arles Market<\/h2>\n