France · Provence
Avignon
The city of the popes: Europe's largest Gothic palace, the half-bridge of the song and a great theatre festival inside medieval walls.
Avignon is the walled city on the Rhone where the popes lived for most of the 14th century, and the Palais des Papes they built is still the largest Gothic palace in Europe. Below it, four arches of the Pont Saint-Benezet, the bridge of the nursery song, stop halfway across the river. Inside near-complete medieval ramparts sit plane-shaded squares, a covered food market and a run of fine museums, and every July the whole town turns into a stage for one of the world's great theatre festivals. It is also the natural base for the Pont du Gard, the Luberon and the Rhone vineyards.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
French
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Avignon
The popes' palace The Palais des Papes, a fortress-palace of towers and vast bare halls, dominates the old town the way it did when Avignon was the capital of Christendom
The broken bridge The Pont Saint-Benezet reaches four arches into the Rhone and stops, best seen from the Rocher des Doms gardens or across the river at sunset
The festival In July the Festival d'Avignon and its huge fringe fill every courtyard, chapel and cellar with theatre, and the streets with performers and posters
A Provence base Roman sites, hilltop villages, lavender country and famous vineyards all lie within an hour of the ramparts
Best time to visit
Mar-Nov
15-32° days
43.949° N, 4.806° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Paris
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Weather & when to go to Avignon
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Mar-Nov
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Avignon
Spring through autumn is the time to come. Winter is quieter and cooler, and the mistral, a cold, hard north wind that can blow for days down the Rhone valley, is at its most frequent then and in early spring. July is the festival: brilliant if you want it, but rooms book out months ahead and the old town is packed and hot.
Top things to do in Avignon
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Palais des Papes - the popes' Gothic fortress
history culture arts 👍 PopularBuilt mostly between 1335 and 1364 by Benedict XII and Clement VI, the palace is a warren of cloisters, great halls, chapels and towers. The furnishings are long gone, so the scale does the talking, along with the surviving frescoes in the papal chambers and the Chapel of Saint Martial. Climb to the roof terraces for views over the Rhone.
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Pont Saint-Benezet - the bridge of Sur le pont d'Avignon
history 👍 PopularLegend credits a shepherd boy, Benezet, with starting the bridge in the 12th century. Rhone floods repeatedly broke it, and after the 17th century it was left with just four arches and the small Chapel of Saint Nicholas, and walking out to its abrupt end over the water is a classic Avignon moment.
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Festival d'Avignon - theatre in the palace courtyard
culture arts nightlife music ⭐ Highly recommendedFounded by Jean Vilar in 1947, the official festival stages its biggest productions at night in the palace's Cour d'Honneur, while the Off, a fringe of well over a thousand shows, takes over every small theatre and hall in town. Book rooms very early, or stay across the river.
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Rocher des Doms - gardens above the Rhone
scenic 👍 PopularThe rocky outcrop beside the cathedral of Notre-Dame des Doms, where the town began, is a shady park with a pond, and its terraces look down on the bridge, the river, Villeneuve-les-Avignon and, on a clear day, Mont Ventoux.
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Musee du Petit Palais - Italian primitives
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedThe former archbishop's palace at the end of the Place du Palais holds a superb collection of early Italian painting from the 13th to early 16th centuries, including a Botticelli Madonna, together with medieval Avignon sculpture. Quiet, compact and often overlooked beside its giant neighbour.
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Collection Lambert - contemporary art in town houses
culture artsThe collection given to the city by the art dealer Yvon Lambert fills two 18th-century mansions with contemporary work and temporary exhibitions, a sharp counterpoint to the medieval town outside.
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Les Halles - the covered market
foodBehind a facade covered in a living plant wall on Place Pie, the covered market gathers Provencal produce, cheese, olives, charcuterie and fish, with counters to eat at. Go in the morning, then look for the Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines on the town's restaurant lists.
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Rue des Teinturiers - the dyers' street
scenic historyA cobbled street along the Sorgue canal, shaded by plane trees and still turning a few old waterwheels from the days when the town's cloth dyers worked here. Cafe terraces and small theatres line it, and it is at its liveliest during the festival.
Best areas to stay in Avignon
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Intra-muros (Place de l'Horloge)
First-time visitors $$Medieval centre of squares and terraces
Explore hotels in Intra-muros (Place de l'Horloge) →
Quartier des Teinturiers
Quieter old town $$Canalside cobbles, plane trees, small theatres
Explore hotels in Quartier des Teinturiers →
Villeneuve-les-Avignon
Couples and calm $$$Village of cardinals' palaces across the river
Explore hotels in Villeneuve-les-Avignon →
Ile de la Barthelasse
Campers and families $River island of farms and campsites
Explore hotels in Ile de la Barthelasse →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Avignon
Getting to & around Avignon
Getting there
Take the TGV from Paris to Avignon TGV station, or fly into Marseille Provence (MRS) and continue by train or road
Flight
Marseille Provence Airport (MRS)
Most flyers land at Marseille Provence, about an hour south by car; a shuttle bus links the terminal to Vitrolles station for regional trains to Avignon Centre. Avignon's own small airport has only limited flights.
Train
Avignon TGV
High-speed trains from Paris take under three hours and also run from Lyon, Lille and Marseille; the TGV station is south of town, a few minutes from Avignon Centre by shuttle train
Train
Avignon Centre
Regional trains from Arles, Nimes, Marseille and Orange arrive at the classic station just outside the walls
Coach
Avignon bus station
Regional coaches next to Avignon Centre station serve the Luberon, the Pont du Gard and other towns around Provence
Getting around
Walking
The walled town is compact and most sights are within a short walk of each other; cars are best left outside the ramparts
Free
Bus and tram
The Orizo network of buses and a tram line links the old town with the TGV station, the suburbs and Villeneuve-les-Avignon
TBC
River shuttle
A small boat crosses the Rhone below the ramparts to the Ile de la Barthelasse in the warmer months
TBC
Bike
Flat and made for cycling, especially out across the Barthelasse island and along the Rhone
TBC
Car hire
The practical way to reach the Luberon villages and vineyards; pick up at the TGV station and park outside the walls
TBC
Day trips from Avignon
Pont du Gard
Half dayRoman aqueduct bridge
The three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon river, built in the 1st century AD to carry water to Nimes, is one of the best preserved Roman structures anywhere. Swim or kayak in the river below it in summer.
Getting there
car | bus
About 30-40 minutes by car or regional bus west across the Rhone
Luberon villages
Full dayHilltop villages
Gordes on its hillside, the ochre-red cliffs and houses of Roussillon, Bonnieux and Menerbes, and the Abbaye de Senanque, whose lavender fields flower in early summer. Add L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for its antiques market.
Getting there
car | tour
About an hour by car east, or on a guided tour
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Half dayWine village
The popes' summer castle, now a ruined keep, crowns a village of wine cellars surrounded by vineyards carpeted with large round stones. Tasting rooms line the streets; combine it with the Roman theatre at Orange.
Getting there
car | tour
About 25 minutes by car north, or on a wine tour
Arles
Full dayRoman and Van Gogh town
A Roman arena and theatre, the Romanesque portal of Saint-Trophime and the streets Van Gogh painted, with the Camargue marshes beyond.
Getting there
train | car
About 20 minutes by regional train or 40 minutes by car south
Orange
Half dayRoman theatre
The Theatre Antique has one of the only Roman stage walls still standing to its full height, with a statue of Augustus in its niche, and a triumphal arch on the edge of town.
Getting there
train | car
About 15-20 minutes by regional train or 30 minutes by car north
Nimes
Full dayRoman city
The Maison Carree, an almost perfectly intact Roman temple, a well-preserved arena still used for events, and the formal Jardins de la Fontaine.
Getting there
train | car
About 30 minutes by train or 45 minutes by car west
A little history of Avignon
A Celtic settlement on the Rocher des Doms became the Roman town of Avenio, but Avignon's defining century began in 1309, when Pope Clement V, a Frenchman unwilling to face the factional chaos of Rome, settled here. Seven popes followed in succession, building the vast Palais des Papes and turning a provincial river town into the capital of Western Christendom, crowded with cardinals, bankers, artists and petitioners. Clement VI bought the city outright from Queen Joanna of Naples in 1348.
Gregory XI took the papacy back to Rome in 1377, but the Great Schism that followed left rival popes in Avignon until 1403. The city and the surrounding Comtat Venaissin stayed papal territory, governed by legates, until revolutionary France annexed them in 1791. In 1947 Jean Vilar staged a week of theatre in the palace courtyard that grew into the Festival d'Avignon, and in 1995 the historic centre, palace and bridge were inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
According to legend, the shepherd Benezet begins the bridge across the Rhone
Pope Clement V takes up residence in Avignon
Benedict XII begins the Palais des Papes, which Clement VI greatly enlarges
Clement VI buys Avignon from Queen Joanna of Naples
Gregory XI returns the papacy to Rome
The last Avignon antipope, Benedict XIII, flees the city
Revolutionary France annexes Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin
Jean Vilar stages the first festival week in the palace courtyard
The historic centre, Palais des Papes and Pont d'Avignon are listed as a World Heritage Site
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+33
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FAQs about Avignon
▸ When is the best time to visit Avignon?
Anywhere from spring to late autumn. Spring and early autumn are warm and less crowded, June brings long evenings, and September adds the grape harvest in the surrounding vineyards. July is the festival month, thrilling but crowded and hard to book, and August is hot and busy. Winter is quiet and cooler, with the mistral wind at its most frequent.
▸ Do I need to book for the Festival d'Avignon?
Yes, for both rooms and the official festival's shows, which sell out well ahead, especially those in the Cour d'Honneur. Many Off shows can be booked closer to the day. If the old town is full, look at Villeneuve-les-Avignon or towns a short train ride away.
▸ What is the mistral?
A cold, dry north wind that funnels down the Rhone valley, often for several days at a time. It clears the sky to a brilliant blue but makes even a sunny day feel sharp, and it is most frequent in winter and spring. Pack a windproof layer.
▸ Can you walk on the Pont d'Avignon?
Yes. Access is through the ticketed entrance by the ramparts, and you can walk out along the four surviving arches to where the bridge ends above the river. The best free views are from the Rocher des Doms and from the Barthelasse bank opposite.
▸ Do I need a car in Avignon?
Not in town, where a car is more hindrance than help inside the walls. Trains and coaches reach Arles, Nimes, Orange and the Pont du Gard, but a car or a tour makes the Luberon villages and the vineyards far easier.
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