Arles or St. Remy??

We recently returned from France and were in both towns on a Wednesday. It seems that the Arles market is larger than St. Remy. Since it had more offerings I guess that might make it better. We went to the markets to buy some food for our meals and were satisfied with both but did not spend much time looking for other items. Hopefully someone else will have a better answer.

Market sizes are directly proportional to the size of the population served.

Arles is much larger, therefore . . . .

My personal and biased opinion (I love St. Remy) is that the ambience in St. Remy would be my choice. I have great memories of that market, so if I could go to any market next Wednesday it would be that one. Just because Arles is bigger.....? does not make it better in my book:))) Get the roasted chicken, some cheese, bread and wine and have a picnic on the church steps. You can also buy some cute French linens for you picnic, then take them home.

Thanks for the responses. I agree bigger isn't always better. That being said, I will be based in Arles for three nights including a Tuesday and Wednesday night. Am planning a side trip to St. Remy, and love visiting towns on market day. Maybe it's possible to do both in same day, but not sure I want to rush from one to the other. Since I'm spending more time in Arles, maybe I'll enjoy st. Remy on market day. And for the record, I'm not sure what makes one market better than another, but just looking for opinions. Thanks again.

Both markets are so colorful and so much fun. The market in Arles was my favorite until I visited St. Remy. The market in St. Remy completely fills and spills off the square. Shopkeepers in the nearby streets bring their wares outside. There is music and a festive atmosphere. The Arles market has more vendors. Have fun!

It's like choosing between champagne and brandy. You can't go wrong with either. (And by the way, the AIR in St. Remy smells like St. Remy brandy, I swear!

Isn't St-Remy a cognac?

Hell of a wind!

I haven't been to the market in St. Remy, but did live in Arles for a month and really enjoyed the market there. It's a bit smaller on Wednesday than Saturday, but there is plenty of stuff to see and to buy - including clothes, wine, food, toys - whatever. It runs over multiple streets.

I personally would prefer to spend the time in Arles and enjoy the market at a leisurely pace rather than trying to also rush out of town on the same day for another market. Most of the vendors close up in early afternoon, so you have to take that into account if you are trying to do two in the same day.

Thanks Shirley. I've pretty much given up on the idea of doing both markets. I've got almost seven weeks to decide.

Hey Ed!
I guess St. Remy IS a oognac but I was NOT having an olfactory hallucination - it sure was a hell of a wind!