Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
As you enter this town's mammoth and medieval cathedral, the Église des Stes-Maries, you'll notice an oddity that wrenches you back to this century: a sign on the door forbids visitors to come torse nu (topless). For outside its otherworldly role as the pilgrimage center hallowed as the European landfall of the Virgin Mary, Stes-Maries is first and foremost a beach resort, dead-flat, whitewashed, and more than a little tacky. Unless you've made a pilgrimage to the sun and sand, you probably won't want to spend much time in the town center. And if you've chosen Stes-Maries as a base for viewing the Camargue, consider one of the discreet country inns outside the city limits.
This mammoth, Romanesque fortress-church, built in the 9th century, is almost devoid of windows, and its tall, barren nave is cluttered with florid and sentimental ex-votos (tokens of blessings, prayers, and thanks) and primitive artworks depicting the famous trio of Marys. For €3, you can climb up to the terrace for a panoramic view of the Camargue (hours vary depending on the season).
