Tourism, camargue museum and activities during your stay
The Camargue
The Camargue Regional Nature Park is located on the Mediterranean coast, inside the Rhône delta, mainly between the two arms of the river.
It is a region rich in tradition and culture at the border of the Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône regions, Occitanie and Provence. In the south of Arles, the Camargue covers an area of 150 000 hectares covered with lakes and lagoons. It is a land of horse and bull breeding, where they live freely in the middle of pink flamingos and hundreds of other animal species.
Horse, fauna & ornithology
Mentioned since Roman antiquity, the Camargue horse is a small rustic saddle horse breed with a grey coat and above all one of the strong symbols of its region of origin, along with the black bull and the pink flamingo. It is traditionally bred in semi-freedom in manades, the exclusive mount of the region’s guardians who use it for livestock work and many popular festivals.
The Camargue, a vast wetland located in the Rhône delta, is a mecca for biological richness and diversity of fauna and flora, especially birds.
Open all year round, the Pont de Gau ornithological park, located 3 km from the hotel, shelters the most varied species: pink flamingos of course, but also egrets, coots, coot, spatulas, tadorns, herons… as many species to discover, observe or photograph from the observatories created for this purpose.
Cultures & traditions
The Camargue calendar is punctuated by a series of dates and events that cannot be ignored:
The November 11th shelters
The Camargue race
The Camargue and Delta Festival
Scrap metal
The Horse Festival in July
The gypsy pilgrimage on May 24th
Camargue museum – Musée de la Camargue
Photo credits: © Gilles Martin-Raget / © Georges Vlassis (photos taken from the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer tourist office website)
Cities & Culture
Arles (30 min)
Considered the capital of the Camargue, Arles is commonly called "La Petite Romaine" for its Roman imprint and its exceptional heritage.
Luma
Vincent Van Gogh Foundation
Arènes d'Arles (Photos credit @Valentin Pacaut_The Explorers_regionsud_Arles)
Archaeological site
Abbaye de Montmajour
Festival of photography
Aigues Mortes (40 min)
The fortified city of Aigues-Mortes and the salt marshes.
The Camargue gardoise, labelled Grand Site de France and Natura 2000 area.
The abbey of Saint-Gilles, classified UNESCO for its importance on the roads to Santiago de Compostela.
The Espiguette point and its lighthouse, at Grau du Roi.
Le Grau du Roi (35 min)
Seaside resort
Espiguette beach
Port Camargue
La Digue à la mer to the Gacholle lighthouse (on foot or by bike) (15 min)
Accessible from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer as well as from the Gacholle lighthouse, the Digue à la Mer is a 20 km walk for walkers and cyclists in the heart of the Camargue delta.
Salin de Giraud (50 min)
An unforgettable and timeless walk or bike ride to discover the Salin de Giraud. You will walk and stop, according to your desires, to appreciate the beauty of the surreal "pink" landscapes among a typically Camargue fauna.
Beauduc - the beach (1h)
Natural site dominated by the Beauduc lighthouse. It includes one of the largest sandy beaches in the Mediterranean, lagoons and a village of cabanons. (Photos credits - © Gilles Martin - Raget)
Nîmes (45 min)
La Maison Carrée (Photos credits - © Maison_Carree._Photo_Office_Tourisme_Nimes_O.Maynard)
Les Arènes (Photos credits - © Arenes_de_Nimes._Photo_Office_de_Tourisme_O.Maynard)
Les Jardins De La Fontaine (Photos credits - © Jardins_de_la_Fontaine_Photo_OT_Nimes_VA)