Camargue Region - Any recomendations ?

[flytoolow]

OK, So after being allowed by SWMBO to ride the bike along the route des Grande Alps & Napoleon, Its now time for the both of us to go sightseeing...

We intend to visit the Camargue region in South France (by car ) and do some camping, town visits, bottle of wine at sun-set..that sort of thing..

Does anyone have a good places (towns, beaches, markets etc ) to visit in that region.

..if we dont like it, well probably cut over to the Atlantic coast...but that something else..

Just a thought...

 

[Wapping]

There is a route in the 80 Virees a moto thread.

There is a very nice beach at St. Maries. No Brit's, just French.

They do bull fights there, too.

The church of the 'Black virgin' is worth a look, if only to go on the roof and into the grotto with its hundreds of burning candles.

http://www.saintes-maries.camargue.fr/

Take a boat trip inland to see the bulls, white horses etc.

Aigues Mort is worth a look, as is Arles.

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

I find crossing the Camargue strangely attractive. But there's no escaping the fact that it is very flat and boring. It's worth spending a day riding around, but not much more than that. It is impossible not to be a little bit excited when you see black bulls, white horses and flamingos.

(I recall one occasion where I stopped and took loads of photos of two flamingos in the distance. Drove on for five minutes to find hundreds of the bastards ten feet from the road!)

Arles is a nice town with a great old Roman Amphitheatre. They do hold bullfights there but not "mis a mort" where the bull is killed. They try to snatch ribbons from his horns. Mad and entertaining. Go to Avignon and sing the song about the bridge. St Remy de Provence - not actually on the flat bit, but close - is a lovely little place, trading heavily on Van Gogh's residence there. .

There is a long, flat, straight road to the east of Arles that just begs you to do a maximum speed run on your bike. I imagine the gendarme know this too ...

Don't write off the Med coast down towards Spain. Avoid the holiday resorts - usually the towns ending in "-Plage" and visit some of the older villages. Marseillan, on the lagoon called Bassin de Thau, is one of my favourite places in the world. Noilly Prat, the second best French vermouth, is made there, and the tour of the factrory is an hour well spent. The coast road towards Spain and the Bay of Roses is a fine spin too.

Finally, speaking from just my own personal experience - avoid Marseilles at all costs.