Routes where water and history

Reaching this paradise suspended in time is easy: Marseille airport is about a 50-minute drive away, while the Tgv (high-speed train) connects Paris to Arles in four hours. Exploring these places means tracing a route that starts from the multi-ethnic vibrancy of Marseille and ascends to the rocky peaks of Les Baux-de-Provence, a village suspended in time that offers priceless views of the surrounding valleys. After experiencing the intensity of Arles and the Saintes-Maries, the journey can continue to nearby Aigues-Mortes. This medieval citadel, enclosed within perfectly preserved walls, is surrounded by salt marshes that dye the water a surreal pink at sunset, creating a magnificent contrast thanks to the flamingos that populate the lagoon. On the way back, obligatory stops include Nîmes, with its imposing Roman vestiges, the aristocratic Aix-en-Provence, with its tree-lined avenues and fountains, and finally Avignon, the city of the Popes, where the majestic Gothic palace dominates a Rhone that here becomes wide and solemn, guardian of centuries of Provençal history.