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Travel guide
The Camargue
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October
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Welcome
The Camargue, in a few days
Between the two arms of the Rhône, the Camargue is flat country where the sky takes up all the room. You drive past rice fields and salt marsh, flamingos land in front of you, a mounted herdsman rides by with his trident and black bulls graze in the wetlands.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pont de Gau Bird Park · 2 to 3 hSixty hectares of marshland trails 4 km from Saintes-Maries, where flamingos let you come within a few metres, alongside herons, storks and avocets.
- Afternoon · Horse riding in the Camargue · about 1 hRide the small, grey, hardy Camargue horse through salt marsh and lagoons where the water reaches its belly, watched by grazing bulls.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel de Cacharel€160 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer · about 2 hA white village around a fortified 12th-century church, whose crypt holds the statue of Saint Sarah, carried to the sea by pilgrims every May.
- Afternoon · The sea dyke and Gacholle lighthouse free · half a dayA car-free 19th-century dyke running about 20 km between Saintes-Maries and Salin-de-Giraud, cycled past lagoons and dunes to the lighthouse halfway.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Les Rizières€130 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Beauduc beach free · half a dayAt the end of a rough track from Salin-de-Giraud, kilometres of undeveloped sand with a shallow lagoon for kitesurfers and flamingos fishing nearby.
- Afternoon · Étang de Vaccarès and La Capelière · about 1 h 30The inland sea at the heart of the national reserve; at La Capelière, a 1.5 km trail through reed beds leads to birdwatching hides.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel les Templiers€170 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Aigues-Mortes salt marshes · about 1 h 30Salt pans that turn pink in summer thanks to a micro-alga, toured by a little train that stops on top of a mountain of salt.
- Afternoon · Ramparts of Aigues-Mortes · about 1 h 30Saint Louis founded this port to sail for the Crusades; walk the full 1,640-metre circuit of walls above a grid of lanes and the marshes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Dauphin Bleu€120 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €105 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/camargue
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.