Arles is a major town on the tourist circuit, its fame sealed by the extraordinarly well preserved Roman area, Les Arenes, at the city's heart. It was the key city of the region in Roman times, then, with Aix-en-Provence, the main base of the Counts of Provence. For centuries it was Marseille's only rival, profiting from the inland trade route up the River Rhone. It declined when the railway put an end to this advantage.
