This is where the heart of the Camargue beats passionately, where a different scenery awaits you and invites you to take an unusual, spiritual, joyful and colorful journey. It’s where you can live the Camargue experience to the fullest. It’s where locals have at heart to share with you their art of living and their lively culture.
Nestled between lagoons and the Mediterranean Sea, in shades of grey or blue depending on the season, the town of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer gives the impression of being at the end of the world.
The bell tower of the church overlooks this windy seaside village whose whitewashed houses do not exceed two floors. Enjoy the vibrating sound of a gypsy music concert. Laze in the shade of a square and taste the local specialities. Contemplate the Mediterranean sea and its changing colors. Explore the spiritual richness of the place. Walk or ride on the path La Digue à la mer. There’s no doubt: you are on holiday.
Amazing moments in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer
In the rhythm of the Gardian nation
It was in 1895 when Folco de Baroncelli definitively took residence in the city: he created a manade and put all his energy in the defense and transmission of local traditions. In 1909, he founded the Nacioun gardiano (Gardian nation) whose vocation is to maintain and glorify the local costume, the habits and the traditions of the Pays d’Arles, the Camargue and the bullfighting regions. Every last Sunday in July, the Nacioun Gardiano honors young girls dressed in the traditional costumes of Arles during the Fèsto Vierginenco. Having turned 15, the young ladies wear the hair ribbon for the first time, like their mothers and grandmothers did before them.
Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer spiritual and festive
At the dawn of Christianity, a place of legends, the shore received Marie Jacobé, Marie Salomé and their companion Sara, young persecuted Christians fleeing Palestine on a boat without sail or rudder. You cannot stay in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer without visiting the fortified church dedicated to them. Built in the Middle Ages, it was also a refuge for the population against pirate attacks.
There are three major pilgrimages per year bringing together thousands of visitors. Believers or not they come to attend the processions. Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer are part of the association Villes sanctuaires en France.
If you are somewhere nearby on May 24, don’t hesitate to attend the fervent and colorful procession dedicated to Sara, patron saint of the gypsies and travelers. Covered in a crowd of pilgrims, the city comes alive to the sound of guitars, clapping hands and twirling ruffled dresses.
Highlights
Three pilgrimages per year
- Gypsies’ pilgrimage: May 24 and 25
- Marquis de Baroncelli Day: May 26
- Provençal pilgrimage: 3rd weekend of October
- Pilgrimage of Les Saintes: 1st weekend de December
Since May 2021, the pilgrimage foot trail of 224 km called “Sur les pas de Marie Madeleine” links Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and Saint-Maximin via Marseille and La Sainte-Baume. Learn more about it: www.cheminsdessaintes.fr
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Broad Camargue
Discover and enjoy Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer
Wild West feeling
When the gardians cross the streets of the city mounted on their white horses, wearing their hats, Camargue boots and spurs, no need to cross the Atlantic to imagine yourselves in the world of cowboys. This outfit designed by Folco de Baroncelli to honor the Nacioun gardiano (Gardian nation) has been worn by Camargue riders on festive days since the beginning of the 20th century.
With more than twenty manades (horse and bull breeding farms), the town organizes a whole lot of bullfighting events: Camargue races, bullfighting games (taureaux piscine and games of gardians), street shows (abrivado, bandido, roussataïo), ferrades, shows and equestrian parades, Spanish and Portuguese bullfights, ferias, cattle dressage and sorting competitions…
Each year, on November 10 and 11, the eastside beach is the unique and privileged setting to attend the abrivado festival.
From September to October, the Tau (young bulls) races take place on Wednesdays in the arena.
Féria du Cheval
For more than 20 years, the horse fair has brought together aficionados of bulls, horses and gypsy music, the 3 cultural pillars of Les Saintes-Maries and the Camargue. In the arena, dressage, vaulting and equestrian shows follow one another, while the village comes alive with parades, equestrian competitions and flamenco nights.
Swimming, water activities, fishing
With over 38 km of sandy beaches, the most complicated choice is where to put your towel. If you like to sunbathe or practice gliding sports, this is your ideal spot.
Looking for coolness?
The beach near the arena and the amphora beach, close to the city center and the marina, offer easy access for swimming.
Looking for space?
Choose the Crin Blanc beach west of the harbor. A beach whose name refers to the film that first brought the landscapes of the Camargue to the screen in 1953. Generations remember this story of an incredible friendship between a little boy and a wild horse. An ode to freedom, so dear to the people of the Camargue.
Looking for nature?
The Clos du Rhône beach westside, divided into several coves and protected by dykes and the east beach stretches in the heart of the nature reserve and invites you to explore the wildest areas of the Camargue coastline.
Looking for action?
Close to the marina, you can rent paddles, kayaks, windsurfers, catamarans at the nautical club and book sailing courses for 5+ year olds.
Looking for local products?
At the edge of the Port Gardian, local fishermen repair their nets. If you are an early bird, you can watch them coming back from fishing and buy their fish in the small huts near the arena.
Looking for adventure?
The new museum of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer invites visitors to explore the seabed and sunken wrecks off the Camargue coast. Overlooking the port Gardian, it is a tribute to the history of navigation in the Mediterranean since ancient times. Part of the museum is dedicated to Folco de Baroncelli, eulogist of the Camargue.
Escape
Follow the digue à la mer along the coastline all the way to the Gachole lighthouse (24 km round trip) or even to the village of Salin-de-Giraud (34 km round trip).
A hike in the heart of the national reserve, discovering the fauna and flora during an immersive walk open only to soft mobility. If you fancy a swim, don’t worry: the customs trail leads you to a beach where you could feel like Robinson Crusoe : remote from the world.
Mas de la Cure
You want to learn more about the Camargue horses? Visit the Maison du Cheval at the Mas de la Cure. Located in the countryside of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, this property of the Conservatoire du littoral leads a vast project of preservation and enhancement of the breed of Camargue horses and its natural heritage.
Ecotourism
A world of birds
