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Avignon

Avignon, on the Rhone River, is a beautifully preserved medieval town surrounded by the original fortified city walls. The central historical part of the city, including the Palace of the Popes, the Saint-Benezet bridge, and the fortification walls that surround the city, is now a protected UNESCO heritage site. The part of Avignon that falls within the fortifications is called the intra-muros quarter.

There is much more to Avignon than these famous sites, and during a visit you will see a wealth of beautiful buildings, historical churches, a fine collection of museums, an extensive pedestrianised shopping center, and lots of cafes and bars. The possible downside is that Avignon does inevitably become a bit hot and crowded in the summer.

The heart of the town is the Place de l'Horloge (clock-tower) and the large open area in front of the Pope's Palace.

Place de l'Horloge

The centre of the town for 500 years, this open square / broad boulevard has the town hall dominating one side, with the 19th centre theatre next door. Although the town hall is 19th century, it incorporates the original clock-tower in its construction.

The square has been extensively remodelled over the centuries and took its present form at the end of the 19th century after earlier market buildings had been cleared away to make a more open space.

A bustling centre, there are numerous restaurants under the shade of the plane trees that line the square.

Avignon town hall

Palace of the Popes (Palais des Papes)

One of the most important gothic buildings in Europe, the Palais des Papes is also one of the most impressive buildings in Europe. It's size and grandeur can't be seen from a photo, but it is very large and dominates the square in front of the palace - which allows a clear view of the whole building.

The interior of the Palace of the Popes is now much more austere than it would have been in days gone by. Avignon was home to the popes from 1309 - 1377. The Palace is enormous, and comprises an 'old palace' and a 'new palace'. The extraordinary chapel, 52 metres long, forms part of the 'new palace'. There are numerous gothic towers and splendours in the palace.

Following centuries of neglect, misuse and attack the Palace is now finding a new lease of life as a tourist attraction. Guided tours will show you many of the highlights and chapels etc within the palace. Although some effort has been made to recreate / renovate some of the original features e.g. the walls in the Pope's bedroom, the interior is still very barren. Nevertheless it remains a fascinating experience to pass through the great rooms where such important matters of state and politics were debated and plots were hatched.

interior courtyard of the Pope's Palace

The smaller, grassed inner courtyard is a highlight of the visit.

See also Pope's Palace, Avignon under France castles

Pont d'Avignon (Pont St Benezet)

Not far from the Pope's Palace lies the famous Pont d'Avignon. Constructed in the 12th century, only 4 of the 22 original sections of this bridge now remain - the bridge was frequently damaged by the Rhone flooding and by war, and repairs were often made until the 17th century at which time efforts to maintain the bridge were finally abandoned.

See article about the Pont d'Avignon

Rocher des Doms Gardens

The Rocher des Doms Park and gardens is up a grand sweeping entrance to the side of the cathedral (left of the Palace of Popes) and is a large English style gardens with various water features and views back across the city and the Rhone River. a good place to go if you are getting hot and bothered on the streets of Avignon!

water feature in the Rocher des Doms gardens

Avignon Museums

There are many interesting museums in Avignon - for these see separate article about the Museums of Avignon

Shopping in Avignon

The main shopping region is partly pedestrianised and found around the bottom of the Place de l'Horloge east of the Rue de la Republique where there are numerous boutiques, shops and art galleries etc. For 'high-street' shops follow the Rue de la republique itself  straight down from the bottom of the Place de l'Horloge. This long straight boulevard continues right to the edge of town and the railway station, and is lined with lots of impressive 19th century buildings (it was in the 1850's that rail opened to Marseille and Nice, bringing prosperity to the town). The Avignon tourist office is also along this road.

...and don't forget to just keep walking...there are numerous features and things of interest to discover as you simply amble around Avignon - allow plenty of time for your visit!

Avignon: tourist information, map, travel plans and gites

Tourist Classifications for Avignon

- approved Station Classée (resort paying particular attention to facilities for tourism)

Places to visit near Avignon

Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Avignon.

Some places to visit within 30 km of Avignon are shown below (if found).

Baux-de-Provence Most beautiful village at 23 km
Beaucaire Town of art and history at 24 km
Fontvieille Small Provence town at 26 km
Luberon Natural Park Scenic highlight at 28 km
Orange Famous for Roman theatre at 21 km
Saint-Remy-de-Provence Village and Glanum at 18 km
Villeneuve-les-Avignon Town near Avignon at 2 km

See also Avignon (version Francais)

Airports near Avignon

Avignon airport at 11 km Marseille airport at 72 km Montpellier airport at 101 km Nimes airport at 48 km

Photos of Avignon - click a photo to see larger version

See Avignon airport