Camargue

La Camargue encompasses the Rhone River delta in the southeast of France. It is one of the best places in Europe for birdwatching; also great for biking and horse riding.

Eat

Local specialty foods

Specialty foods of the Camargue include:

• Bouillabaisse
• Anchoïade
• Anguilles au four
• Gardiane de Taureau
• Salade Camarguaise
• Aubergines aux anchois et aux capres
• Barbouillade d'artichauts
• Brandade de Morue
• Canard aux figues
• Moules en Brasucado
• Hachis camarguais
• Fougasse d'Aigues Mortes
• La Broufado

Finding a good dinner

When staying in a touristy city like Saintes Maries de la Mer, it can be difficult to find a place for a good dinner with anything beyond fried chips and over-grilled meat.

However, if you have a car, here are some tips for finding a good place serving local cuisine. Internet connection can help in your research. You should look for:

• Restaurants out of town, even in remote locations. Minus the convenience factor of an in-town location, many countryside restaurants rely on local customers and fidelity to regional cuisine which attracts enough clientele despite remote location.
• Menu that lists mostly or exclusively local specialties (see the list above)
• Ferme Auberge (farm inn), an official government program. Members usually show good fidelity to local cuisine, though limited menu selection.
• Membership in Conservatoire des Cuisines de Camargue, society for the preservation of true Camargue cuisine
• Table d'hote (guest table), a kind of intimate restaurant. Often a bed and breakfast which prepares dinner with advance reservation. Don't confuse it with table d'hotes in a regular restaurant in a big city where it is more for solo diners to share a communal table—and more common at lunch.
• Ask at the local tourist information office. They are not allowed to give opinions, but you can ask what restaurants serve local dishes in the list above or if there are any table d'hote or ferme auberge in the region.

Here are some restaurants that look promising per above recommendations as of Sept 2010:

• close to Saintes Maries de la Mer:
  • Le Flamant Rose, ☏ +33 4 90 97 10 18, fax: +33 4 90 97 12 47, [email protected]. Member of a society for the preservation of true Camargue cuisine. Local specialties, plus a remote location. 
  • Le Pont des Bannes. Very elegant. Hits every major local specialty and has almost nothing from outside the region on the menu. Dinner menus: starter+main+dessert: €43; starter+main: €36; main+dessert: 31; starter+dessert: 17. 
  • Mas de Peint. Table d'hote, by reservation only. Breakfast: €22; lunch: €42; dinner: €55. 
  • La Tour du Cazeau, Arles The Sambuc, ☏ +33 4 90 97 21 6, fax: +33 4 90 97 20 70, [email protected]. Ferme-auberge, by reservation only. Dinner menu: €25. 
• away from Saintes Maries de la Mer:
  • Le Tamaris, 13 rue Victor Hugo, Le Cailar, ☏ +33 4 66 88 07 91, [email protected]. The most rustic – most likely to prepare food you absolutely cannot get outside of the Camargue. The display of their dishes, remote location, and menu selection suggests it is probably a worthwhile experience. Set menu: €13..16. 

Sleep

There are numerous hotels on way from Arles to Saintes Maries de la Mer. Some of them worth considering include:

• Les Arnelles (450m outside of the St-M-dl-M, on the left side of the road just after Le Pont Des Bannes hotel). Bar 8AM-11PM 

Further information

More information on the Camargue can be found here.

• The Camargue on About-France.com.

Go next

• Arles
• Aigues-Mortes
• Saintes Maries de la Mer
• Le Grau-du-Roi