Arles Roman Amphitheatre

The Arènes d'Arles — the Roman amphitheatre of Arles in Bouches-du-Rhône — is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in France and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation covering the historic monuments of Arles, recognised in 1981. Built around 90 AD during the height of the Roman Empire's urbanisation of Gaul, the amphitheatre originally seated 20,000 spectators across 120 arches in two storeys of arcaded stone galleries. Unlike the Roman Colosseum in Rome, which was comprehensively stripped of its marble, the Arènes d'Arles retains its essential architectural structure nearly intact, standing 21 metres high and measuring 136 by 107 metres across. The most visually distinctive feature is the three medieval towers added in the 10th to 12th centuries when the amphitheatre was converted into a small town — over 200 houses, two chapels, and a street pattern were built inside the arena walls, all gradually demolished from the early 19th century onward when the structure was reclaimed as a monument. The arena floor today is used for bullfighting in a tradition that dates to the 16th century in Arles; the annual Feria des Gardians in May and the Feria du Riz in September attract bullfighting crowds from across Provence and Languedoc. From May to October, summer spectacles and concerts are staged in the arena. Visitors touring outside event days can walk the upper gallery and access the three surviving medieval towers for views over Arles and the Rhône plain. The arena is 5 minutes on foot from the Arles TGV station and sits adjacent to the Théâtre Antique d'Arles (separate admission), another major Roman monument on the city's UNESCO list. Vincent van Gogh painted the crowd entering the arena in 1888 during his time in Arles.