Saintes-Maries-sur-de-la-Mer, in the Camargue, France --flamingos, wild horse and bulls as well as the sea






Visited Oct 17, 2025

The Camargue is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta.  We chose Saintes-Maries-sur-de-la-Mer as our destination because we hoped to see the wild white horses, flamingoes and wild bulls.  We scored! The wild horses were in places that stopping to photograph wasn't possible, so we settled on one of many ranches where rentals are possible. 

While I was only familiar with a Spanish bull's fate, I was relieved to learn about this culture's tradition. During the Camargue bullfights, the raseteurs —young men dressed in white, a symbol of purity and respect—enter the arena with skill and audacity. Their mission: to catch the attributes attached between the bull's horns. The bulls are allowed to roam and rounded up for branding and bullfights. They are much smaller compared to what we see in the US and those in Spain. 

Swan and flamingos 

                                                                 Swan and flamingos  

Flamingos 


horse riding
Stopped at rental spot and snapped photos 



It was market day in Saintes-Maries-sur-de-la-Mer and we enjoyed the different offerings of local rice, soaps, and the ubiquitous lavender sachets. We walked to the sea (Mediterranean) and enjoyed seeing people as bundled up as I was --wool shirt and puffy as well as folks swimming!  The sun was intense and warming, the air was in the high 60's.  Since it was nearly noon when restaurants opened we postponed eating the pizza we'd picked up a a bakery and instead opted to eat seafood. 

Mediterranean Sea




La Casita Restaurant

 Queue de lotte/monk fish & Noix de St Jacque/scallops -- best seafood I've eaten in years. Served with local rice and the vegetable of the day was leeks that were sublime. 


The traffic circles in Saintes-Maries-sur-de-la-Mer reflect the culture 

                                French cowbow called a gardian and the Camargue bull




French: Camarguaisor Cheval de Camargue; Occitan: Caval de Camarga, is a traditional French breed of working horse indigenous to the Camargue area


Getting there 
We rented a car using Priceline at Alamo. It was $60/day, diesel gas; pick up at TGV train station. Easy to find as we arrived on 20 bus from Avignon and passed Alamo along the way to bus stop at train station. 
Fast and efficient check in with the manager who had excellent English.  

Additional note, we visited Saintes-Maries-sur-de-la-Mer, Roussillon as well as L'Islle sur la Sorgue in one very long day. Each are posted separately.


Surprised to see Halloween decorations


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