Full day tour Roman Arles & Abbaye de Montmajor shore excursion

The Roman Theatre of Arles, declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, preceded its famous neighbour the amphitheatre by a century, and is less well preserved. Constructed at the end of the 1st century BC, it dates from the first phase of urbanisation of the Roman colony founded by Caesar in 46 BC. It was built on the L'Hauture hill and was part of the Roman grid system, on the decumanus (East-West road). Fortified in the Middle Ages and lost to encroaching construction work; its material was often reused for neighbouring buildings. Even the original function of the monument is unknown. This function was rediscovered in the late 17th century and its origin was confirmed over the following centuries thanks to a number of archaeological finds excavated from the ground, including the famous 'Venus of Arles'. It was not until the 19th century that the site was completely cleared.

The amphitheatre is the most important monument of the former Roman colony that we should admire, some two thousand years after its construction. Its architecture is entirely designed in relation to its vocation of place to great shows, hosting a large audience. In their initial rise, the bleachers could receive approximately 21 000 viewers, streams were cleverly organized by a network of doors, galleries and stairs, on several floors.Become at the beginning of the middle ages a city close and fortified, the building was cleared only in XIX century. He himself then for part, its original function, including bullfighting, which earned him his current common appellation of "arenas".It is today the monument of the most visited city, bringing the image of Arles in the world.With a major axis of 136 meters in length and a minor axis of 107 meters, the amphitheatre of Arles is slightly larger than that of Nîmes and the 20th ranked among those of the Roman world. It has a shape of an ellipse. The façade includes two levels of sixty semicircular arches, separated by the abutments, massive rectangular section. A wider opening points out the ends of the two axes of the monument. The main entrance was not North as today, but the West where we can see the remains of a staircase overlooking the city.The cavea, space reserved for spectators, included 34 stands, divided into four series: the maeniana, where viewers were divided according to their social status. It is estimated the initial capacity of the monument to some 21,000 people.

Dating from the 12th century this exceptional cloister sits adjacent to the church.

Built between the 12th and 15th century, this exceptional former cathedral displays some of the best examples of Romanesque sculpture.