The Musée de l'Arles antique holds one of the finest collections of Roman antiquities outside Rome itself. Opened in 1995 in a striking blue building near the river, it displays sarcophagi, mosaics, sculptures, and inscriptions from the surrounding region — a reminder that Arles was once a significant Roman city known as Arelate.
The centrepiece is the Arles-Rhône 3, a Roman river barge discovered in 2011 and now displayed in its own hall. Alongside it are beautifully carved marble sarcophagi, a remarkable collection of Roman portraits, and a scale model of the ancient water mills at Barbegal — described as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world." Allow at least two hours.