Staying in Arles, France - Seeking advice on winery visit, Lavender Trail and Camargue

teds,
In reference to wineries...... In France, unlike the Napa/Sonoma/Mendocino area, there are not as many wineries you can visit without a reservation. That is why there are many tours. Also, the blood alcohol content for impairment in France is lower than in California (and most of the US). If you are stopped and found impaired, there is no talking your way out of it. We have stopped at small farms/wineries on small D roads kind of away from the more scenic areas (on our way to see family) and tasted wines, honeys, olives and confitures, but nothing advertised or big labels. Just local vineyards producing for the local area, with a small sign along the road.
I would Google "wineries" in whatever area you are looking at. I have done so and found many that have websites with info re visits and tours. Most all required reservations. You can email them (as I did) and get more info and reserve. Many (most?) are open for tasting only on weekends. BTW wineries abound throughout all of Provence and the Luberon.

Lavender......I seriously doubt there will be any lavender in bloom in your time period. But know that Provence is full of fresh produce and at that time of year you will find delicious apricots, cherries and strawberries. Driving around the area you may drive through places where the scent of the blossoms and fruit are wonderful. Stop at the local markets in the villages and fill up your bag with fruits and honey and confitures. Yum!

The Camargue.....a unique place. I don't know what time of year is best to see the flamingos. Use the search bar above for "Camargue" and filter for "forum" and one year or less, or 6 months or less to find suggestions and hints. It's been too long ago for me to comment.

Hint......five nights means 4 full days, so make your plans judiciously to make the most of those days. The towns/villages to visit (of which there are many!) can be combined with a winery visit or two. Get a map and (I recommend Michelin ones) and look at the big picture to plot out and plan your days.

Provence is wonderful! Amusez-vous bien!

May 1 is 'Fete des Gardians a Arles'. It's like the blessing of the cowboys. The locals dress in traditional garb and have a processional through town to a plaza near the Roman Arena (I think it was in front of the City Hall). Horses and riders ride in and lined up in front of clergy and statesmen. A statue of St. George slaying the dragon is paraded around. The finale is the crowning of the year's queen. https://benvengudo.com/blog/events-in-provence-arles-gardian-day/ These are the same horsemen who bloodlessly have bull fights in the Arena. I believe the staffs the riders carried are used to capture the ring from the bull's horns.

We visited a winery in Les Baux (Caves de Sarragan). It was located in the caves left from quarrying limestone ages ago. We walked 1/4 mile underground to the tasting room, which was not well lit. I think there were other wineries in the vicinity.

The 3 days/4 nights we had in Arles, we visited the Camargue twice, once by bicycle and the second time in our rental car. We were there the beginning of May. Bicycling, we saw the bulls and horses at the farms. And we were tall enough to see flamingos on the other side of the dike that folks in their autos couldn't see. We drove to Ste-Maries-de-la-Mer, which has parking for the Nature Park, from where we could walk the dikes and the beach. We saw lots of flamingos, herons, and other waterfowl. Flamingos look like flying golfclubs. Other people took horseback tours of the delta from there.

Thanks for your specific tips @Leonard. We didn’t realize there was a major event in Arles on May 1. Sadly that is the day we leave to head back to Paris. :(

I’ll check into that winery you mentioned ; sounds unique! Might you have any recommendations for restaurants or cafes in Arles?

Hi @ Judy. Thanks for sharing your insights on the region!

One town we were thinking of visiting is St Remy., between Arles and Avignon. The photos make it look so lovely, quaint and inviting. Have you ever visited that town? Any recos restaurants in St Remy on other towns to visit from your experience?

Will definitely follow your advice and contact wineries directly to schedule time. If you have any faves I’m all ears. :)

Thanks again!

teds,
St Remy is a good choice. Lovely town, typical Provencal ambience. Pick a market day to go. Right outside town is Glanum (Roman ruins). Van Gogh stayed here. Definitely worth a visit! We've stayed there a couple of times but I don't remember the names of restaurants or lodgings. I do remember sitting with our kids on a bench in a small park, eating ice cream, and watching the elderly menfolk playing petanque (Provencal boules), joshing with each other, and each one smoking what was probably a Gitane!. I'll never forget that Provencal moment!
I can't remember the names of where we ate or stayed in Arles, either. Ir's been a good few years. I do recall wandering around the Roman arena, all by ourselves. There was a bullfighter's fancy cape lying on the wall there and we took photos of our kids wearing it.
Have fun on your trip!

teds, Google "wineries near (city or town name), France".

I can't remember the places we ate at. There was bakery on Rue Voltaire where we got our morning pastries.

I don't live far, so one of my favorite experiences is visiting a manade, a horse and bull ranch. Here's something from the Arles tourist office Some welcome visitors, give demonstrations of traditional riding and movements with the bulls, offer lunch that includes camargue rice and a meat dish that resembles beef burgundy but made from bull and usually there is Gypsy King style music. Last time when I went with family visiting from the US, we were clapping to the music and dancing. Our granddaughter and another child ate only rice, but the adults enjoyed the meal.

Thanks for your tips on Carmague, @Elzabeth!