Café Van Gogh

The café in the painting Café Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh is still in existence, renamed the Café Van Gogh.

I’ve had this Van Gogh painting hanging in my home office for 15 years, so since I was visiting the South of France anyway I knew I had to come to Arles and visit the cafe itself! I went earlier in the day so no food was available, so I sat on the terrace and drank a pastis. The wait staff was pleasant and efficient. Paying with a card did give them pause, but they got their machine to work and all was fine. Feels very cool to know I have now sat inside the painting hanging on my office wall! They also sell unique souvenirs inside the cafe, which is huge and has multiple floors, it’s worth going inside as well. The cafe is in a beautiful old square, a great place to just sit and chill and people watch. A great experience for me! And if you’re a Van Gogh fan like me be sure to visit the asylum he was in where he painted The Starry Night (and many other famous paintings) in nearby Saint-Remy-de-Provence, only 17 miles/27 km away.