LUMA, Arles

Already at the first glimpse of this building, my kids were attracted. This magnificent architectural shiny tower has only been open since a few months. Inspired by the art of Van Gogh during his stay in and around Arles, the American architect Frank Gehry made a new icon for Arles. A beautiful modern contrast with the Roman history of the city. It is also a great museum for kids because… this is a museum with a slide.

LUMA has an object that disguises as art, but is in fact a super fast slide. Kids above 1m10 can experience their best time up here, and wow, the slide goes fast. Dizzy mom, happy kids.

And then on to the more serious stuff, true art. I could really recommend to take your kids along for a visit of LUMA. The art center houses contemporary objects that my kids liked very much. I have to be honest, they only liked them each for a few seconds, where standing way to close to the objects and even got into an argument together. But hey, we were in a very cool museum for about 40 minutes. That is what makes a wonderful Sunday. Which kid doesn’t want to visit a museum with a slide?

What if they’re hungry?

After you have had a nice time in LUMA and you feel like it’s time for a lunch, I have a tip. I can advise you to go for a short walk, about 5 minutes, and cross the street for La Croisière. This is a creative and cultural spot in the heart of Arles, almost next to the Arena. We visited La Croisière in summertime and found ourselves very happy on a shady terrace. There is an inside area too! The menu is very healthy and simple, I enjoyed a veggie kebab. My kids where happy with their juice and granola. The homemade pastries and Emki-pop popsicles where a great dessert. La Croisière also has an outdoor cinema, a concept-store as well as a photo museum. Fun place!

There is more about Arles

My kids were already exhausted after these two activities, but if you have energy left there is more to explore in Arles of course. Coming from La Croisière and walking towards town you will pass a quite cute playground for some running around time. From there you can walk up to the Roman amphi theatre or its neighbor the Roman antique theatre. Both of them require an entry ticket. We have never been inside, but a view from the outside was already very impressive.