Behind its contemporary cobalt-blue façade (the work of architect Henri Ciriani), the museum displays a large collection of antiquities, including monumental Roman sculptures and sarcophagi, pagan and Christian art, and a series of stunning mosaics. Among the highlights is a model of the water mills that operated in Roman times at Barbegal, thought to be among the most complex of ancient times, and a 2,000-year-old barge, the Arles-Rhône 3, excavated from the Rhône River and painstakingly restored.
You can explore the museum independently or as part of a guided tour. Weekly English-language tours are provided some months of the year.
Don’t miss the museum’s Roman-themed Hortus garden, where you’ll find picnic areas, benches, and a children’s playground.
There is an admission fee to visit the museum; visitors under 18 years old enter for free.
The museum is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers, and wheelchair rentals are available on-site.
The museum is located on the Presqu'île-du-cirque-romain, close to the ruins of the Roman Circus. It’s about a 20-minute walk from the central Place du Forum, or you can ride the Vi’arelate electric shuttle from the Parking des Minimes directly to the museum. Free Hopla! bicycle shuttles run from the Old Town center to Boulevard Clemenceau, from where it’s a less than 10-minute walk to the museum.
The museum is open to the public daily except Tuesdays and on certain public holidays, with opening hours from morning to evening year-round. English-language tours are available each Monday afternoon during the months of July and August, and there’s free admission for all on the first Sunday of every month.
Thanks to its strategic position on the River Rhône, Arles was an important cultural and religious hub during Roman times, and the modern city is brimming with remnants of its Roman past. The remarkably preserved Roman amphitheater, with its 120 arches, forms the centerpiece of an Arles history tour, though other nearby monuments are similarly grand and UNESCO listed.
