Arles has been inscribed for both its Roman and Romanesque remains. The city is a „good example of the adaptation of an ancient city to medieval European civilization“ (from the Advisory Board Evaluation). This can still be seen at the amphitheatre. After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was transformed into a fortress with houses and chapels inside of the arena. In the 19th century the amphitheatre was rebuilt in its original form and the later additions were removed, with the exception of three medieval towers that protrude from the upper tier. The amphitheatre has recently been refurbished and appears again in bright white. It was fun to climb on the upper tier of the arena (surprisingly there was no fence or barrier), with nice views to the surrounding houses and the narrow and winding streets of the old town centre.

The other Roman remains in the town centre are less striking: the Roman theatre has suffered substantial damage, only two Corinthian columns, the Orchestra and a few terraces for the spectators are preserved. Further: the Roman forum (only two columns and a part of the cornice, now part of the façade of a hotel), the Therms of Constantine, and the remains of the Roman ramparts. Worth seeing is the Cryptoporticus, an underground vaulted gallery once constructed to support the Roman forum. The entrance is in the hall of the Hôtel de Ville.

The most important Romanesque site is the Church of Saint Trophime. The church is famous for the portal and the cloister of the former monastery. We have seen a lot of church portals and sculptures during our trip to South France, but the portal of Saint Trophime was one of the most impressive. The sculptures and relief are magnificent, in particular the tympanum with the depiction of the apocalypse according to St John, the evangelists and the apostles. The cloister can easily be missed, because you can not enter from the church. There is a separate entrance adjacent to the church from the Place de la République.

I enjoyed most our walk to the Alyscamps, the Roman necropolis, just a short distance from the old town. It was one of the largest and most important ancient burial sites. Along an alley are long rows of Roman sarcophagi, most of them plain and undecorated (photo). The road ends at the small and unfinished, but very charming, church of Saint Honorat.

A collection of sculptured and decorated sarcophagi is shown in the Musée départemental Arles antique. A visit is worthwhile, the museum shows also some Roman mosaics, models of the ancient city and the Roman buildings, and a replica of the Venus of Arles (the original is in the Louvre in Paris).

We visited Arles in June 2013, we stayed three days there and took it as a base for daytrips to Marseille and the Camargue. In the evening the most lively area is the Place du Forum and the adjacent streets with many restaurants, cafés and bars.