Where to stay in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer: the best neighbourhoods (2026)
Here you do not choose a neighbourhood but a landscape. The white village packed around its fortified church is a seaside resort with its beach, its arena and its shops; three kilometres away, the herdsmen's farmhouses set among the lagoons have only horses and flamingos for neighbours.
The two are priced very differently: 60 to 100 EUR for a room in the village, 150 to 300 EUR in a farmhouse out in the delta, and up to 600 EUR in the two grand houses by the Petit-Rhône. Three areas follow, from the seafront to the marshes.
That said, I strongly advise avoiding weekends and above all the month of August, when the town gets very busy. To make the most of it, better to come out of season.
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At a glance: our picks by traveller type
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The neighbourhood map in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Get your bearings on the neighbourhoods and must-see sights before choosing where to drop your bags. Click a name to jump to its description.
The village, between church and beach All on foot, feet in the sand
for the beach and the shops without a car
A grid of white flat-roofed houses, a twelfth-century fortified Romanesque church whose crypt holds the statue of Saint Sarah, and a sand beach that starts at the end of the streets. You cross the village in ten minutes; here are the restaurants, the bike hire and the arena where Camargue bull games are run. The catch: it is also the only place with any crowd, the lanes clog on summer weekends, and the seafront hotels are more functional than charming.
I would advise going on a weekday, otherwise you will not be able to enjoy it properly.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Le Dauphin Bleu Mid-range
Three stars on the seafront avenue, with a pool and a terrace facing the Mediterranean. The beach is across the road and the church five minutes' walk away: the most practical position in the village.
Hôtel Le Mirage Budget
A small family address right in the heart of the village, on rue Camille Pelletan, a step from the church. Simple rooms, low rates for this commune, and you park the car once and for all.
Pros
- Beach, church and restaurants on foot
- The only affordable rates in the commune
Cons
- Lanes clogged on summer weekends
- Hotels more functional than charming
The Cacharel road and the bird park 1 to 5 kilometres north
for the flamingos and the horses
The road heading back towards Arles runs along the lagoons and serves the Pont-de-Gau ornithological park, sixty hectares of marsh where you walk among the pink flamingos. This is the district of the herdsmen's farmhouses: low whitewashed buildings, horses tethered outside, mosquito screens at the windows. The catch: the mosquitoes, precisely, are a reality from May to September, and there is nothing walkable from these addresses.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Hôtel de Cacharel Luxury
An isolated farmhouse at the end of a track, opened in 1947 by a bull farmer, with no televisions in the rooms and horses available. You come for the silence and to ride out from the courtyard.
Le Mas de Cocagne Mid-range
Four stars two kilometres from the village, with pool, garden and ground-floor rooms opening onto the greenery. The compromise between hotel comfort and the quiet of the delta.
Le Fangassier Mid-range
An address at the start of the Cacharel road, close enough to reach the village by bike and far enough to sleep in peace. Pool and parking, without the rates of the grand farmhouses.
Pros
- The flamingo park and the bull farms at the end of the track
- Complete quiet once night falls
Cons
- Mosquitoes from May to September
- Car or bicycle needed for everything
The delta and the Petit-Rhône 3 kilometres west, out in the marshes
for a large Camargue house and a pool
West of the village, the road pushes on between the rice fields and the lagoons as far as the Petit-Rhône. This is where the commune's two largest houses have settled, on estates of several hectares with pools, spas and sometimes their own lagoon. You sleep in the middle of nowhere, which is precisely the product being sold. The catch: the rates bear no relation to the rest, and it is ten minutes by car to the nearest coffee.
Where to stay in this area
L'Estelle en Camargue Luxury
A five-star set beside a private lagoon, with pool, spa and rooms opening onto the water. One of the Camargue's two truly luxurious addresses, ten minutes by car from the beach.
Mas de la Fouque Luxury
An estate on the Petit-Rhône road, with decks on stilts over the lagoon and a view of the flamingos from the room. The hotel-as-retreat format, not to be confused with a seaside hotel.
Les Rizières Mid-range
A restored farmhouse on the Arles road, with pool and garden, halfway between the village and the marshes. The gateway to the delta for anyone unwilling to pay the price of the two grand estates.
Les Arnelles Mid-range
A decent-sized address at the edge of the village towards Arles, with pool and a large car park, practical for a family. Less isolated than the farmhouses at the end of the road, and markedly cheaper.
Pros
- The delta and its lagoons outside the room
- Pools and large grounds, unavailable in the village
Cons
- The highest rates in the Camargue
- Ten minutes by car for a coffee
Our tips for booking the right place
- The two dates that fill the town are not the ones you expect: The great Roma pilgrimage, which carries the statue of Saint Sarah down to the sea, is held on 24 and 25 May; a second, quieter one takes place on the Sunday nearest 22 October. Those two dates fill the commune and its surroundings months ahead. August is simply the holiday peak: the town is packed but rooms can still be found, provided you book early. One traveller sums it up: out of season, you genuinely enjoy the place.
- The bicycle goes where the car is useless: The country is table-flat and gridded with dykes and tracks closed to cars: it is the best way to reach the lagoons, the bull farms and the Grande Radelle beach. Hire shops in the village charge about the price of a lunch for the day, and several farmhouse hotels lend bikes. Take water and a windproof layer: there is not a single tree and the mistral gets up without warning.
- The mosquitoes are not a legend: From May to September the delta is a marsh and behaves like one, especially at dusk and after rain. The best-equipped farmhouses have screens on every opening and say so on their website; check that point before booking rather than on arrival. Bring repellent and long sleeves for evenings on the terrace, and note that the village, more exposed to the sea breeze, has markedly fewer than the inland areas.
- Booking on the pilgrimage dates without meaning to: on 24 and 25 May the commune goes from two thousand people to several tens of thousands, rates double and availability disappears as far as Arles. If you are coming for the festival, book six months ahead; otherwise shift by a week.
- Choosing an isolated farmhouse without measuring the distances: from some delta estates the nearest shop is ten minutes away by car and the nearest restaurant fifteen. These are places where you dine on site, which has to go into the day's budget.
- Relying on public transport to get about: there is no station and no regular service from Saintes-Maries, only a few coaches from Arles, thirty-eight kilometres away. Without a car or a bike you stay on the seafront, and most of the Camargue remains out of reach.
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