Exploring the Arles Way in southern France is an absolute joy, thanks to its mild weather, breathtaking landscapes, quaint villages, and unbeatable food. This lesser-trodden path takes you through a variety of historical spots, including the ancient Roman monuments in Arles and the Gellone Abbey in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. Along the way, you’re treated to the scents of Mediterranean flora in the vast natural expanses of Grands-Causses and Haut-Languedoc and a magical stroll along the Canal du Midi leading into Toulouse, concluding near the majestic Basilica of St-Sernin.
Venture further from Toulouse, and you’re met with even more stunning vistas and cultural treasures, like the towns of Morlaas, Lescar, and Oloron St Marie. Reaching Pau, the view of the Pyrenees is unforgettable, setting the stage as you head south towards the Apse Valley before ascending the Col de Somport.
Crossing into Spain, the Arles Way merges with the Camino Aragon, leaving just 88 miles to the finish line at Puente de la Reina. Whether you fancy a week-long escapade from Arles to St-Guilhem-le-Désert or a more prolonged expedition, the journey can be customized to suit your pace and interests.
Still undecided on the right Camino for you? Explore our other Camino Walking Tours in France.
Price
From £907
Price Includes
Price Excludes
We recommend two nights in Arles giving you a full free day to enjoy the scenery, art and culture.
Arles to St Gilles 13 miles / 21 km
St Gillies to Valvert 11 miles / 18 km
Valvert to Saturagues 15 miles / 24 km
Saturagues to Vendargues 11 miles / 18 km
Vendargues to Montpellier 9 miles / 15 km
From Arles, the Chemin crosses the River Rhone, heading west. This is your warm-up day – passing farms, vineyards and lovely hamlets. Soon, you’ll leave the built-up markers of the city behind you as you cross the northern reaches of the Camargue National Park towards St Gilles, set on the banks of the canal.
The park is home to the famous white horses. The Camargue Horse is an ancient breed indigenous to this very specific area of southern France and lives wild in the wetlands of the Rhone delta. Look for water birds on the marshes where flamingoes are present in significant numbers during the summer.
Saint-Gilles-du-Gard was one of the great Benedictine monasteries, founded in the 8th century by the hermit St. Gilles. This ensured the enormous prosperity of the town, which was a port of embarkation to the Holy Land in the Middle Ages.
The route takes you past fields and vineyards, cut with canals and irrigation channels—orchards and oak groves are scattered along the road. Vauvert, the capital of the Gard Camargue, meaning “green valley,” is located at the edge of the Costieres de Nimes vineyard zone. It was one of France’s most notable pilgrimage places in the Middle Ages.
The path crosses more vineyards and the Bas Rhone Canal. Passing through Gallargues-le-Montueux, between Montpellier, Nimes, the sea and the Camargue. Its location has marked many of its traditions, industries such as dyeing and weaving and games such as bullfighting. On towards Saturagues, past vineyards, irrigation canals and dykes through an attractive landscape.
Gallargues-le-Montueux, which was called Grand-Gallargues until 1969, (pop. 3,000) is located near Montpellier, Nimes, the sea, and the Camargue – all of which marks its traditions, its games such as bullfighting. Dyes of madder and the lucrative weaving of “Indian” (Hermes squares of the time) made the reputation and fortune of the Gallarguois. In the Middle Ages, Saint-Géniès-des-Mourgues possessed a Benedictine abbey. It was built in stone from local quarries. Sold during the Revolution, it was restored between 1965 and 1980.
In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important centre of commerce thanks to its situation on three tracks (Domitia, Silk and Compostela), as well as of medical knowledge having a school of
medicine. Its botanical garden was created in 1593. As the Capital of Languedoc under Louis XIV,
luxurious mansions testify to the city’s richness in the 17th century. The way of Arles is also called “Via Aegidiana” (road of Saint-Gilles), “Via Arelatensis”, or “Via Tolosana”.
Continuing from Montpellier… Montarnaud is an 11th-century Castral village (i.e., a military encampment) with a 16th-century castle and Notre-Dame-du-Fort chapel (12th-13th century).
The medieval village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is set on the meandering Verdus stream. The golden stone houses are arranged along ancient alleyways with ancient roof tiles, baked by the Languedoc sun for twelve centuries. The village is built around the Abbey of Gellone and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 1000-year-old Pont du Diable is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From Toulouse, the way extends west to Auch, turning southwest to Pau and Oloron Sainte Marie at the foot of the Pyrenees. At the Col du Somport, the Arles Way merges with the Camino Aragon as it enters Spain.
Toulouse to Pibrac – 9.4 miles/15 km
Pibrac to L’Isle de Jourdain – 15.6 miles/25 km
L’Isle de Jourdain to Gimont – 16.3 miles/26 km
Gimont to Montegut – 14.4 miles/23 km
Montegut to Auch – 6.3 miles/10 km
Auch to Isle de Noe – 14.6 miles / 23.4 km
Isle de Noe to Montesquiou – 13.7 miles/21.9 km
Montesquiou to Marciac – 7.1 miles / 11.3 km
Marciac to Vidouze – 16.8 miles / 26.8 km
Vidouze to Morlaas – 18.1 miles / 28.9 km
Morlaas to Pau – 8.8 miles / 14 km
Pau to Monein – 12.2 miles / 19.5 km
Monein to Oloron St Marie – 10.8 miles / 17.2 km
Oloron St Marie to Sarrance – 12.9 miles / 20.6 km
Sarrance to Accous – 8.1 miles / 13 km
Accous to Urdos – 10 miles / 16 km
From Urdos, you cross the Spanish border at Col du Somport, and into the Kingdom of Aragon. See our Camino Aragon page for details on continuing into Spanish Aragon.
https://walkthecamino.com/tour/camino-aragon/
The Camino Aragon connects with the Camino Frances at Puente de la Reina in Navarre province, where you can join the pilgrim flow to Santiago de Compostela. Human traffic has flowed along this route connecting Rome to Santiago de Compostela for millennia. Puente de la Reina to Santiago de Compostela would require between four and five weeks of walking.
https://walkthecamino.com/tour/classic-french-way-full-camino/
The Arles Way can be tailored to suit your walking pace and available time. Just let us know your preferences, and we’ll take care of your personalised itinerary. You can further extend by adding the Camino Finisterre after Santiago.
*We include breakfast and dinner in our French country properties due to their rural locations and the custom of serving guests a set table d’hote menu. This takes the form of a set three-course home-cooked menu with wine. Menus are fixed, and choices are limited. We do our best to cater to some food preferences and allergies. In the cities, your hotel reservations are for bed and breakfast only, as there are plenty of dining options locally.
Arles, located in the Provence region of southern France, sits on the banks of the River Rhone. This area is famous for inspiring many artists, including Picasso and, most notably, Vincent Van Gogh. Today, culture vultures can even enjoy a walking tour around the various Arlesian places Van Gogh painted, such as the Quai du Rhone Starry Night and the Langlois Bridge – also known as the Pont Van Gogh.
Arles was once a provincial capital of ancient Rome, and many impressive traces survive to this day, including the Arles Amphitheatre, which now serves as a venue for theatre, music, and bullfights.
(If you are still exploring your Camino options, be sure to check out our other Camino Walking Experiences.)
The gastronomy of the south of France is terrific – featuring local produce and traditional home-cooked recipes, often with a twist. And, of course, French wines are world-famous. You will pass through areas where local wines can be enjoyed in bars and restaurants.
Many of our accommodations are tiny guest houses or Chambres d’Hotes, where they take pride in serving home-cooked menus to their guests. We prefer to book our itineraries on bed and breakfast. However, you are often obliged to dine in-house in the Chambres d’Hotes as part of the overall service, paying the host directly for dinner.
In the larger centres, B&B board is in your best interests as many dining options suit all pockets and tastes. You will find an enticing range of eateries at all times of the day. For example, Oloron Saint Marie is famed for its patisseries. These sophisticated specialist cake shops are gourmet palaces for anyone with a sweet tooth.
The Arles Way is a quiet route, and you will not encounter very many walkers. This means that there are not a lot of services on the trail itself outside of the many villages you pass through. Many walks pack a picnic lunch and snacks for the full day. Some lodgings will make a picnic for you; otherwise, you visit local stores for picnic items each morning. French bakeries—boulangerie—are very good and open early for business everywhere.
Comfortable, small establishments with high levels of personal service. We choose comfortable, small, family-run establishments on the Arles Way. All rooms have en-suite facilities. Our high level of personal service and customer care strives to offer the best in the local food, culture and history.
If you wish to upgrade your accommodation, there are some opportunities, usually in the bigger towns and cities.
In the larger centres, we offer all Bed and Breakfast accommodation, allowing you to try local eateries near your hotel. This allows you the widest range of French cuisine and the chance to soak up the local atmosphere.
Some of our locations are very rural, and the lodgings are Chambres d’Hotes, family-owned guest house establishments offering lodgings and half board. Table d’hote menus are famously delicious value – as one would expect of rustic French cuisine.
Due to availability, we may have to accommodate you in lodgings slightly off the route in the highest season. Under these circumstances, we may arrange a shuttle transfer from a convenient place and back again the next morning.
