Unlike larger French towns, Arles does not have large numbers of beggars and pickpockets that can make a nuisance of traveling. Still, you are advised to look after your belongings in crowded areas.

The currency of France is the Euro, US dollars are not accepted. There are more than a dozen banks in downtown Arles, including three in place de la Republique. Most of the top restaurants, shopping centers, boutiques, hotels, etc. accept credit cards.

Arles has a warm and dry Mediterranean climate with over 300 days of sunshine. Although the city is not on the Mediterranean Sea itself, it sits along the bank of the Rhone River, only about 25 miles north, and has similar weather as popular seaside resorts such as Marseille and Toulon. The summers are warm and moderately dry, with seasonal averages around 85°F, with frequent days above 90°F. During the winter and early spring, the cold Mistral winds from the north make the area rather chilly and windy, but even in January and February, the average temperature remains in the mid-50s.

French is the official language spoken in Arles. However, the staff of most tourism-related venues (hotels, restaurants) speaks English, and plenty of attractions (museums, guided tours) feature a wide openness to the English speaking public. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

The food in Arles is Provencal relying heavily on the use of olive oil, herbs, and the Mediterranean Sea. You`ll find quite a few local specialties. Saucisson d`Arles is a dry sausage, made from pork, beef and donkey meat. It is mainly eaten as an appetizer with a glass of pastis or wine. Other local food includes fougasse, a salted bread comparable to the Italian focaccia, which may contain additional ingredients such as olives, bacon, anchovy or cheese.

Broufade is a beef stew, traditionally eaten by mariners on board of their ships. Gardianne is a mutton stew prepared with thyme and sage. The meat from the taureau de Camargue (Camargue bull) is served in many restaurants, and has its own Appelation d`Origine Controlée.

There is no shortage on restaurants in Arles, many of which are concentrated around the Arènes and Place du Forum. Unfortunately, many of these are overpriced, catering mainly for foreign tourists and not offering the best quality. The best is to try to find places that are frequented by French tourists, although these can be expensive as well.

There are no real shopping districts in Arles. You`ll find most of the shops are in the area around Place de la Republique and the Arenes. Shopping is pretty much limited to souvenirs, but here is a thriving art scene, with many private art galleries, some of whom feature contemporary art exhibitions throughout the year.

There are two weekly markets in Arles. On Wednesday, on the Boulevard Emile-Combes, and on Saturday on the Boulevard des Lices and Boulevard Georges-Clemenceau. The Saturday market is one of the biggest in the Provence, with over 1.5 miles of stalls. You`ll find plenty of fresh local produce, clothing and shoes and arts and crafts.

Note: Value-added tax (VAT) rate is currently 20% in France for standard goods. A reduced rate of 10% applies to restaurants, transport, and certain medical drugs. And a 5.5% tax applies to food, water and non alcoholic beverages, books, some entertainment events and some domestic personal services.

Most of the nightlife takes place around Place du Forum, but you will also find a number of places on Place Voltaire and Boulevard des Lices that are a little less touristy.

Emergency dial 112

Centre Hospitalier d`Arles - Hospital Joseph Imber - Quartier Fourchon BP 80195, Arles 13637, France. Tel: +33 4 90 49 29 14

Clinique Jeanne D Arc - Arles –-7 Rue Nicolas Saboly, Arles 13200, France. Tel +33 4 90 99 32 32