Greetings fellow travelers,
What is the best way to explore Van Gogh’s time spent in St Remy? Private guide? Self guided tour? Is there a map of locations where he made his paintings in and around the countryside?
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
2049 posts
In 2019 I visited the asylum and it was interesting and worth doing. The audio guide was interesting but the second half seemed to center on the life and works of the man running the asylum - who encouraged van Gogh to paint as therapy - and his progressive attitudes. While that part was also interesting it strayed pretty far from the main subject matter if you were there for van Gogh. Van Gogh's room was reconstructed from his descriptions in letters to his brother and is presented as such.
I don't believe the walking tour existed then and I'm interested in trying it out. There is a similar set-up in Arles with metal "easels" set up in places van Gogh painted featuring the painting and some information about the subject matter.
The nearby ruins at Glanum weren't uncovered until after well after van Gogh's lifetime so he probably wandered and painted the landscapes that no longer exist - except for the mountains - because no one knew they were there.
Enjoy,
=Tod
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
227 posts
I took a tour to St. Remy and on the one hand was glad because I'm not a big fan of driving in unfamiliar places so I would have been nervous driving there on my own. But on the other hand, I was almost crushed with disappointment when our tour guide only gave us an hour there, and then hustled us back in the van to go on to the next stop. So pros and cons.
You have to go to Arles, of course (that was also on our tour, and also too short of a time!) and see some of the scenes he painted. They have tableaux of his paintings near the scenes that he painted which is really cool to see.
If you're comfortable driving yourself, I'd urge you to do that instead so you can move at your own pace and take your time without being rushed. If I go to Provence again, I might bite the bullet and do that myself!
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
691 posts
Also if you go to the asylum by car there is a small parking lot there. But do not worry if full. There is a huge parking lot more or less just across the road. It might be signed as if it is the parking for Glanum but it is an enormous pay by plate lot and available for either or both. And they are close. I share this here as I think I saw on a different thread someone was explaining they were disappointed they didn't get to see the asylum because the parking lot there was full.