Arles - Arles Museum

I was in the old museum 45 years ago, and I loved it. The local costumes at this museum, both men's and women's, were my best memory of Arles, and I've been to Arles many times since. It looks wonderful, expanded and even more interesting. You can consider opening hours for the museum vs hours for the walking tour. Can the walk be recreated with a guidebook or listening devices outside of museum hours?

I went to the Arlaten Museum in 2023, don't know whether that was before or after the renovation. It was good, but for me a secondary sight compared to the Roman museum on the outskirts, the arena and theater, the church and cloister, and some other Arles highlights. If I had to choose, I'd choose the walking tour, especially in good weather with a good guide. But if you love ethnographic museums your priorities might differ from mine.

I spent a couple hours in the Arlaten Museum last October. I found it fascinating but some other guests at my b&b didn't find it interesting, so depends what you like. There also is a separate costume museum in Arles. Part of what I found interesting at the Arlaten were exhibits showing how the mission and philosophy of the museum changed in different time periods with a return to tradition peasant roles for women emphasized during Nazi occupation years, for example.

I also highly recommend the other sights suggested by Dick. I bought one of the multi-museum and monuments passes and I followed the self-guided walking tour in the RS guide book.