Tour guides France > Camargue

5 ideas for guided tours in the Camargue

• The Vigueirat marshes

  

  By carriage, on foot, or on horseback—the choice is yours—set out to explore the Vigueirat marshes along 15 kilometers of trails that wind around them.

  In the heart of a 1,200-hectare protected nature reserve, the walk becomes an act of observation: five herds of bulls and purebred horses, around three hundred bird species, nearly thirty-five thousand ducks in winter. You move slowly, the flora shifts with the water, the wetlands echo one another.

  Four trails have been designed for visitors, each offering a different way to experience the landscape. The ecofuté trail raises awareness about biodiversity and how to protect it. The ethnobotanical trail introduces local plants and their role in daily life.

  The Étourneau trails are especially welcoming for families, with fun, themed paths that lead easily into the heart of this wilder Camargue. The Palunette trail, meanwhile, follows the Vigueirat canal and offers great chances to spot bird species typical of the region.

• Aigues-Mortes

  

  A must-see for visitors, the town rises like a citadel in the middle of the marshes. This fortified medieval city, located 6 kilometers from the sea, was founded by Saint Louis. It is encircled by ramparts with five impressive towers, including the famous Tour Constance.

  Originally a small fishing village, the town later bore the marks of the Crusades and the Templars. Today, Aigues-Mortes proudly reveals its past, its wild, remarkable lands, and its salt marshes where the “white gold” of the sea is harvested.

  To end your visit, you simply must see the salt pans, which you can reach by little train, 4×4, or even by bike. The dazzling colors created by salt cultivation stretch across the vast horizon, where flamingos make their home.

• Arles

  

  With its 72,000 hectares, Arles never ceases to amaze. It is the largest commune in France, set at the gateway to the Camargue. Here, history reveals itself in fragments: an ancient theater overlooking the square, a still-vibrant Roman amphitheater, and the Baths of Constantine, where the stone still holds the warmth of the sun. Below, the cryptoporticos—shadowy galleries beneath the old forum—whisper of another past.

  You wander from one museum to another as if turning the pages of an old book. The Museum of Ancient Arles, the Museon Arlaten with its Provençal collections, the Réattu Museum for contemporary art, or the Camargue Museum. The themes shift, yet everything remains tied to the city.

  Van Gogh painted here, for a long time. The banks of the Rhône, the arenas, and many other corners. Today, the arenas have lost none of their energy: they echo with the rhythm of bullfights and festivals, as the crowd, just like in centuries past, gathers under the southern light.

• Beauduc Beach

  

  The last great wild beach in France, Beauduc Beach is something you have to earn. From Salin-de-Giraud, a bumpy track of about ten kilometers cuts through raw Camargue before reaching the sea. The road is long, but the arrival feels rare and special.

  Before you lies a vast stretch of fine sand bordered by dunes, where modest but precious plants cling to the landscape. Far from any bustle, hours slip by between swimming, walks along the shore, and kitesurfing sessions when the wind is right. Not far away, the Fangassier Lagoon hosts colonies of flamingos each year, offering a spectacle not easily forgotten.

• Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

  

  It is said that at the dawn of our era, three women—Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, and Mary Jacobe—found refuge here, carried by a sail-less boat. A story that still drifts in the air, mingled with the scent of the sea and the cries of gulls.

  Since the 19th century, the village has come alive each year for the Gypsy pilgrimage. The streets fill, guitars are tuned, and devotion spreads from square to square. Between two songs, you catch a smile, an embroidered costume, and the sense that time has slowed just a little. The setting remains simple: low houses, pale façades, a touch of the world’s edge.

  Beyond the days of celebration, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is also a Camargue seaside resort that stretches over nearly 10 kilometers of beach. You can walk for hours, or choose to ride on horseback through the marshes. There, in a silence broken only by the wind, a black bull may appear, or a sudden flight of flamingos.