La Vagabonde

In the historic centre of Arles – adored by painters including Van Gogh and Picasso – this quaint townhouse is just the ticket for couples or a small family. Dressed in florals and adorned with ornaments and trinkets, your very private two-bedroom suite sits on the first floor. It feels a little like stepping back in time, and you can almost imagine the roar of the crowd at a bullfight in the amphitheatre drifting through the window.

Marie-Annick and her husband live on the ground floor, where you tuck into a generous continental breakfast of organic local produce. You eat in your hosts’ dining room or in the leafy courtyard garden in summer. Step outside to find the Rhône flowing at one end of the street and a pretty square lined with restaurants at the other.

Walk to museums and exhibitions, wonder at the birdlife of the Camargue – including flocks of flamingos – or go horse riding. It feels a bit like living in a Van Gogh canvas.