Arles

The 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, which still hosts the Easter Feria every year, is the visual icon of Arles. The tourism office is explicit: dogs other than guide and assistance dogs are NOT admitted inside. The free outer circuit, with its two tiers of arcades, is however open to leashed dogs and offers the best view of the old town.

The square painted by Van Gogh in his Café Terrace at Night, with the same ochre awning still in place. Plane trees, cafés on three sides and an open paved square in the centre. Leashed dogs are entirely at home here at any hour; a permanent panel reproduces the canvas at the exact spot where Van Gogh set his easel.

The open-air Roman necropolis south of the centre, lined with sarcophagi and shaded by poplars. The famous allée, painted by Van Gogh and Gauguin during their stay, is open access 24/7 and welcomes leashed dogs. Only the ticketed inner zone of the Saint-Honorat cloister bans dogs.

The cloistered courtyard of the old Hôtel-Dieu where Van Gogh was treated in December 1888, restored to match his painting Le Jardin de l'hôtel de Dieu d'Arles. Free admission, sunken garden of geometric beds and arcaded cloister. Leashed dogs are welcome in the courtyard and arcade; the upstairs library is not.

A Roman-inspired garden laid out in the shape of an antique racecourse, next to the Musée Départemental Arles Antique, with accessible lawns, picnic slopes and paths along the Rhône. Leashed dogs are welcome on the lawns and paths; the fenced children's playground within the garden does not admit dogs.

The 25 km wild beach at the southern tip of the Camargue, 40 minutes by road south of Arles. The tourism office confirms: leashed dogs at the car park, back beach and dyke; free dogs on the main beach itself. No services, no shops: bring water, sunshade and waste bags.