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Eating, drinking and festivals
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You'll find plenty of
brasseries
and
restaurants
in and around old St-RA©my. There are a few good options on rue Carnot (leading from boulevard Victor-Hugo east through the old town to boulevard Marceau), including the ProvenA§al
La GousA©e d'Ail
at no. 25 (tel 04.90.92.16.87; closed Wed), with live jazz on Thursday nights, and
La Maison Jaune
at no. 15 (tel 04.90.92.56.14; closed Mon & Sun evening in winter, Mon & Tues in summer), with a 120F/a?¬18.30 weekday lunch menu and a fabulous
menu dA©gustation provenA§al
for 275F/a?¬41.94. Alternatively,
Le Jardin de FrA©dA©ri
c, 8 bd Gambetta (tel 04.90.92.27.76; closed Wed), which has a 130F/a?¬19.83 lunch menu, usually has some interesting dishes on offer, and
Xa
, 24 bd Mirabeau (tel 04.90.92.41.23; closed Wed & Nov-March; 140F/a?¬21.35 menu), is a new modish restaurant with excellent food. For a scenic spot to dine on crA?pes, try
Lou Planet
, 7 place Favier, by the MusA©e des Alpilles, and for brasserie fare head for
Le Bistrot des Alpilles
, 15 bd Mirabeau (open till midnight; closed Sun). For
cafA©
-lounging, head for the
CafA© des Arts
, 30 bd Victor-Hugo (open till 12.30am; closed Tues & Feb), where the works of local painters are exhibited.
The best time to visit St-RA©my is during the
FA?te de Transhumance
on Whit Monday, when a 2000-strong flock of sheep, accompanied by goats and donkeys, does a tour of the town before being packed off to the Alps for the summer. Another good time to come is for the
Carreto Ramado
, on August 15, a harvest thanksgiving procession in which the religious or secular symbolism of the floats reveals the political colour of the various village councils, while a pagan rather than workers'
May Day
is celebrated with donkey-drawn floral floats on which people play fifes and tambourines. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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