Spending Two Days in Arles, the "Little Rome of Provence": A Guide Curated by Our Lifestyle Editor

In the charming city of Arles, France, the photography festival Les Rencontres d'Arles is taking place from July 7 to October 5, 2025. This year's theme, "Disobedient Images," sees the city transformed into a broad canvas for cutting-edge photography, historical art context, and local Provençal culture.

The festival offers a diverse range of exhibitions held across unconventional venues such as churches, supermarkets, factories, and crypts. One of the main exhibitions is Nan Goldin’s Stendhal Syndrome, a powerful slideshow linking portraits of her friends with Renaissance masterpieces, creating a profound artistic experience.

Large-scale shows like On Country, an exhibition of Australian First Peoples’ photography in Église Sainte-Anne, are also worth visiting. This exhibition features compelling portraits and landscapes that touch on identity and the environment.

For a melancholic and introspective experience, head to Espace Van Gogh to view The Light From Within by Todd Hido. This exhibition showcases melancholic photos of lonely houses and landscapes, emphasizing themes of memory and solace.

If you're interested in exploring personal and historical photographs by unknown creators, visit Cloître Saint-Trophime for the In Praise of Anonymous Photography exhibition. This thoughtful exhibition features intimate family albums to wartime images.

For emerging voices from around the world, don't miss the Discovery Award exhibition upstairs at Monoprix. This exhibition presents artists exploring issues like mental health, media distrust, and cultural memory.

Besides the exhibitions, there are related events such as portfolio reviews, panel debates on photography’s ethics and activism, book fairs, and late screenings in the Roman theatre. These events contribute to the festival’s dynamic atmosphere.

Outside of the exhibitions, visitors can explore Van Gogh-related sites around Arles, like Place Lamartine (site of the Yellow House), Jardin d’Été, and Café Van Gogh on Place du Forum where he sketched and socialized with Paul Gauguin. The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh and L’espace Van Gogh are also worth visiting, including Van Gogh’s former hospital setting which now hosts exhibitions and recreates his famous garden painting.

To unwind and enjoy the local atmosphere, browse the markets and convivial bars where festival-goers debate photography. For a unique coffee experience, visit Mazette !, a coffee shop characterized by a boho-meets-modern rustic decor and offering organic, local products.

For a culinary adventure, dine at Le Réfectoire, a restaurant designed by Martino Gamper and located within LUMA Arles, serving as an all-day canteen. Alternatively, visit Chardon, a bistro and wine bar offering three-course set lunch and dinner menus crafted by rotating chefs in residence.

L'Épicerie du Cloître, a restaurant located in Le Cloître, a boutique hotel in Arles, serves local delicacies. Inari, Chef Céline Pham's first-ever permanent restaurant, is a neo-bistro eatery located within a storied chapel in Arles, offering a fusion of Vietnamese and French cuisine.

For a modernist gem, dine at La Villa Bank, which serves as the location for the WE ARE ONA pop-up during the Les Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. This pop-up offers an exclusive food experience with a menu authored by American-Thai chef Dalad Kambhu and stool and glassware design by India Mahdavi.

Lastly, VAGUE Cafe, located in a former chapel in Arles, is a coffee shop that is part of the Japanese interdisciplinary collective Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio's base in the city. The Camargue Regional Nature Park, located near Arles, is a nature reserve known for its surreal landscapes, diverse wildlife, and salt marshes painted in pink, purple, and blue.

These activities offer a comprehensive experience of the festival’s blend of cutting-edge photography, historical art context, and local Provençal culture. The festival transforms Arles into a broad canvas where photography’s potential to provoke, resist, and connect is thoroughly explored.

[1] Les Rencontres d'Arles. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.lesrencontresdarles.com/ [2] Goldin, N. (2025). Stendhal Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.lesrencontresdarles.com/en/exhibitions/stendhal-syndrome [3] In Praise of Anonymous Photography. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.lesrencontresdarles.com/en/exhibitions/in-praise-of-anonymous-photography [4] On Country. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.lesrencontresdarles.com/en/exhibitions/on-country [5] The Light From Within. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.lesrencontresdarles.com/en/exhibitions/the-light-from-within

The decor of Mazette!, a coffee shop in Arles, blends a boho-meets-modern rustic style with organic, local products.
The Discovery Award exhibition in Monoprix highlights emerging voices from around the world, focusing on topics like mental health, media distrust, and cultural memory.
Visitors can explore tiles and rustic textures in the historical art context of Espace Van Gogh, home to the exhibition The Light From Within by Todd Hido.
Travel to the Camargue Regional Nature Park, near Arles, for surreal landscapes, diverse wildlife, and pink, purple, and blue salt marshes.
The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh and L’espace Van Gogh in Arles provide a lifestyle experience, showcasing Van Gogh's former hospital setting and recreating his famous garden painting.
Food-and-drink options in Arles during the Les Rencontres d'Arles photography festival include Le Réfectoire, Chardon, L'Épicerie du Cloître, Inari, La Villa Bank, and VAGUE Cafe, each offering unique cuisine and ambience.

Spending Two Days in Arles, the "Little Rome of Provence": A Guide Curated by Our Lifestyle Editor