Camargue
Camargue, in southern Provence, is now a regional Natural Park, around the Rhone Delta.
The Camargue is a large, flat area (more than 900 square kilometres), hard to access, and full of marshes, fields, and lakes. It is also home to an astonishing range of wildlife, including semi-wild bulls and the renowned Camargue horses, and many hundreds of species of birds. Other wildlife includes wild boars, badgers, flamingos, tree frogs and water snakes.
The region is also reputed to have more than 40 species of mosquitoes, causing difficulties for visitors for most of the year except the winter.
You will see little from your car except for the occasional small group of camargue horses and some birds - to enjoy the region you need to leave the road and explore a little! There are various marked trails in the region, to help you best see the flora and fauna.
There are also nature safaris in jeeps that leave from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to explore the places that you might find it difficult to discover yourself.
To explore the Camargue, your best starting point is Arles, found at the northern edge of the region, or Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, on the southern coast. Les Sainte Maries de la Mer is a pretty town, albeit rather expensive, with a good beach and you can hire bikes in the town - a good way to explore the Camargue. An alternative is Aigues-Mortes, to the east of the Natural Park.
A second alternative, if you want to combine the nature exploring with a seaside resort, is to stay at La Grande-Motte, along the coast to the west.
A particular architectural feature to look out for as you explore the region is the small simple whitewashed cottages of the guardians of the Camargue - the 'cowboys' who look after the horses and bulls.
A museum provides a useful introduction to the flora and fauna that you can see in the Camargue.
Note: the region is also a major French rice production area.
See also our guest article Visiting a Nature Park in the Camargue
Visit Camargue (Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone) travel, gites and hotels
Best Prices on Hotels in Camargue - Guaranteed
(see guarantee details) Reserve online, pay at the hotel
The Camargue hotels listed feature descriptions, guest reviews, ratings, location maps, online booking etc. as well as the 'best-price' guarantee. The search for hotels in Camargue is provided by booking.com. General holiday / vacation options- See Provence gites for Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer holiday rentals - Holiday villages in Provence Holidays nearbyLooking for something close by? See a wide choice of hotels, holiday villages and holiday rentals at: Places to Stay near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer VisitSee Visit Camargue for places to visit near Camargue including: a detailed map, villages in bloom and most beautiful villages DiscussAsk questions or leave a comment about Camargue in our Provence forum Airports near CamargueAvignon airport at 69 km Marseille airport at 84 km Montpellier airport at 55 km Nimes airport at 32 km Camargue property for saleSee Provence property for sale
|
|
||||||||||||
Places to visit near Camargue, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Camargue.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
30 km: Arles (Provencal town) 30 km: Roman Arles (World Heritage Site) 3 km: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Camargue town)
See also Camargue (version Francais)
