musee de l'arles et de la provence antique

If you like Antics you will like this quite modern Museum, which explain very well how people were living during the Roman period in this part of France. Some piece are major Roman antics "Chef d'Oeuvre" find in the Rhone river. What we like the most was really the very interesting antics vessels that you can see in a very good state and all the presentations and explanation on how was the life of ordinary people at this time.

We were told that we needed to visit this relatively new museum at the end of the city of Arles. So glad that we did stop. It's a big contemporary building and it is very spacious. The entry price is not expensive (8 Eur) for the information and type of museum. It was very informative. Unfortunately all of the exhibits are marked in French (a couple large important ones have some English), but there is a handout that is given to you upon entry. Nevertheless, the Roman artifacts found and collected here are very nice. An original bust of Julius Caesar in good conditon and also a large Roman wooded barge that was found buried under the Rhone River is in the center of one wing of the museum. Once could be there for one hour and feel that they got their value for what they paid, or you could spend hours and read and see every item. Whichever one wants, this is a nice new museum and has a nice collection of Roman artifacts - all concerning the city of Arles. Glad we came for this visit!

Plenty of road signage for drivers but precious little for those on foot; you seem to have to traipse around the large area in which the museum is located and find the entrance, as the main pathway in from the fairly major road that serves the immediate area snakes around from one car park, past a recently completed landscaped garden (and some barren wasteland the other side) and there isn't even a nice big "Entree" sign painted on the building as you approach it. Shame really, as the museum is well worth an hour or two of your time.

We were there yesterday. It has a reasonably small but impressive collection of Roman antiquities well displayed. It is worth visiting just to see the ancient barge that was raised from the river bed just up near the bridge in 2011. Do watch the half hour video of the effort to raise the barge although it is in French still easy to follow. Getting there is easy five minute walk from centre.

An excellent well layed out museum with friendly, informative staff. If you are interested in Roman History you must visit.

It is not a very big museum but with some very interesting archaeological display showing the daily life of Roman people. The most impressive thing to see is the 31-meter long Roman-era boat dated back to 50-60 A.D. which they found at the bottom of the river Rhone. There is a film explaining how they dug it out and preserved it.

Arles si a small beautiful village. The Roman Amphiteathrum, The Roman Circus, have been a special visiting in a ancient village.

I have been to a few museums including the Louvre which does not have the range of artefacts, statues and artworks that they have on display here.The most cherished new find is a perfectly preserved head of Julius Caesar. Found in the river.There are also mosaic floors that have been painstakingly put back together and can be viewed from an upper platform to get full effect.Various barges that have been taken out of the water and restored.All very interesting stuff and well worth going out of town to visitIt would be nice to have more exhibits translated into English but it is France after all.

My idea of a good museum is one full of historical artifacts, displayed clearly, and with easily accessible history. This museum does that. It is well laid out with loads of artifacts, a couple of which are breathtaking, with maps and models alongside to help you understand how Roman Arles was laid out and functioned. There is an amazing 2000 year old boat - someone must have been excited to dig thst up! Most of the captions are in french, but the display boards include english translations. The way is not well sign posted and the outside doesnt look like much, but the musee is well worth a visit!

We scrambled to get there on foot, signage is still underdeveloped in France. The exhibitions are exceptionally rich when you think all the items have been "unearthed" from the large river Rhone which gave life to this Roman retirement village as it was at this time. Very professionally handled.It's a major spot to visit when holidaying in the area and a good lesson in roman and gallic history to take home. Definitely recommendable. Apparently one can drive to the premises and there is a kind of Park and Shuttle service too.

Stepping in the foot steps of Julius Caesar one finds Arles was quite a prominent Roman village. This museum well displays that fact with antiquities as well as models that recreate the Flavius Amphitheater (aka a coliseum), the dramatic theater and Forum as well as the hippodrome (race track). Who knew amphora were specific to cargo- fat ones for olive oil and slender ones for wine? Situated with a garden featuring Roman flora and along the Rhone, this is a wonderful place to soak up history. They do have an English brochure.

Very spacious museum that gives a good overview of the early history of the area. Excellent maps,relics,mosaicsetc.

Although the parking lot and environs are a bit run down and "dingy" this is a really well thought out museum. You are really able to get a sense and feel of Roman history. Quality displays and recreations abound, definitely worth a visit when you are in Arles.

Wow! The artifacts are amazing...wish they had audio guides in different languages to make the details more interesting. Many of the plaques were only in French, and this museum has so much history and folklore to offer. The models of the theater and coliseum as we'll as race track helped visualize them in their glory days

This is by far the best places to park in or near Arles, and take the free shuttle around town. Picnic tables, and a nice park.English signs are common only in the newer areas, but appreciating the core of the exhibits: the models of the floating bridge and the flour mill, and the reconstructed transport boat (along with the film about its discovery and the process of preservation) are true *** attractions: worth a trip in and of themselves.