Avignon Travel Guide

The city of Avignon is located in the south of France in the Vaucluse department of the left bank of the Rhone.

Population: 90 194 inhabitants

Density: 1392 hab/km²

Name of inhabitants: Avignonnais, Avignonnaises

Area: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Zip Code: 84000

Although the city of Avignon is not expended, it is nevertheless very well managed in terms of public transportation. So it's easy to move within the city and its surrounding towns during your stay.

Car

Avignon is close to the A7 and the A9 motorways (leading to Spain). Therefore, it will be easy to reach Avignon by car from the highway. Once in town, it will be possible to travel by car although much of the city centre is a pedestrian area. However, you will find new large paid car parks and shuttles to take you downtown. For more information, visit the TCRA website

Train

The city has two stations interconnected through a shuttle: the “Virgule d'Avignon”.

• Avignon Centre: located outside the city, mainly hosts TER and Intercity trains going to Orange, Carcassonne or Toulouse.
• Avignon TGV which only hosts TGV

Plane

The city of Avignon has an airport:Avignon-Provence. Flights serve cities in England (London, Southampton, and Birmingham) once a week. Regular services are also performed to Limoges, Ajaccio and Amsterdam.

Moving around town

• Bus
Bus Avignon has an extensive bus network. With more than 20 bus lines, the TCRA network will ease your exploration of the city during your stay. In addition the city also offers an online reservation system or by phone of your minibus: the Allo'bus service. So you can walk to the nearest bus stop and your van will pick you up to take you to the requested destination. Very convenient for those wishing to travel to the airport without incident! Whether for a bus ride or Allo'bus, the price is the same: € 1.30 per trip.
• Tramway

Since 2010, the city of Avignon returned to service the tramlines that disappeared in the 20th century. Therefore, the city has now two tram lines that will expand and grow in the Grand Avignon project.

• Vélo

Today there are over 140 kilometres of bike paths that allow you to wander around the city safely and quietly. In addition, the city has established a bicycle rental system, a simple, effective and economical alternative for those who want to enjoy the climate to start biking again. Packages for 1 or 7 days are available. For a 1 day package, you need to pay €1 + €0.5 per half hour. For the 7 days package, you will pay €5 + 0.5 per half hour. A card will be given to you, necessary to unlock bikes in the different Velopop stations of the city.

With part of the city as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a very mild climate in summer and winter, Avignon is of course a very attractive city at any time of the year. However, it is during sunny days and especially in mid-summer the city is the most dynamic and the most attractive.

Summer in Provence

Birthplace of one of the world's largest theatre festival, Avignon awakens in July at the Avignon Festival, which brings together actors and contemporary directors for exclusive representations sometimes outdoors. The festival lasts three weeks and animates the entire city much to the delight of all theatre lovers. It is also during the month of July that the famous Avignon Jazz Festival takes place bringing together and honouring the greatest world jazz musicians.

Fall

Mild and pleasant in Provence, fall is also a good time to discover Avignon and its surroundings. If the summer attracts many tourists, autumn is quieter and allow you to take full advantage of the region that is still very sunny and pleasant in September and October. Also, wine lovers can celebrate the Grape Harvest, a familiar and popular celebration that marks the beginning of the harvest in the capital of the Côtes du Rhône. A good way to discover local traditions and specialties, whether you have knowledge about wine or not!
In addition, Avignon regularly welcomes artists and great performances throughout the year. So, when planning your trip we suggest you go on the site of the city tourism office to inquire about the various cultural events organized by the city.

Avignon city tourism office: http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/

Emergency number: 112

Fire-fighters: 18

Emergency: 15

Police: 17

Missing children: 116

Transportation

Public transportation: http://www.tcra.fr/setlang.asp?lang=2

Avignon Centre station: https://www.raileurope.com/en/europe-travel-guide/france/avignon/train-station/centre-train-station.html?country_origin=TW

Avignon TGV station:http://uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/destination/france/south/avignon/train-station

Avignon airport: http://uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/destination/france/south/avignon/train-station

Touristic sites and museum

Palais des Papes

Pont d'Avignon

Musée Calvet

Musée Petit Palais

Musée Requien

Musée Mont-de-Piété

Musée Haribo

Accommodation

The prices indicated below are indicative, they concern the price of a one night in a standard double room and may vary depending on the season.

From 20 to €40*:
For that price you can afford spending a few nights in a simple hotel with basic services. It may happen that the hotel be out of town.

From 40 to €60*:
You will have the opportunity to spend a pleasant stay in a nice hotel downtown.

From 60 to €85*:
For this reasonable price, you could enjoy a beautiful establishment (hotel or B&B) in the city centre or on the outskirts of Avignon.

More than €85*:
For that amount, you will discover one of the finest hotels in the region that will offer you high quality services in a dream setting.

Take a look at our website to find a place to stay in Avignon

Eating

Prices shown below are approximate and relate to the price of a dish/menu for one person.

Between 5 and €15*:
Feeling hungry between noon and two? Go to the C'Chtiment Bon a family French fries cart located downtown. On the menu: real Belgian fries and other culinary specialties straight from the flat country!
(C'Chtiment Bon, 4 Portail Bienson)
For lunch or dinner break without a fuss, we recommend Café Tapenade, a brewery that offers sandwiches to go but also more sophisticated and traditional dishes served in the dining room.
(Tapenade Café, 9 place Carnot)

Between 15 and €30*:
Fancy a culinary trip? We suggest you go for a ride to Kote Kour, a small hotel that will offer typical French dishes all in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Close to the city centre of Avignon, you can also explore Fou de Fafa, a small restaurant that will delight your taste with its innovative and sometimes... surprising menu.
(Koté Kour, 7 rue Mazan)
(Fou de Fafa, 17 rue des Trois Faucons)

Between 30 and €70*:
If you are looking for fine dining, head to CO2 for a breath of fresh air on your plate thanks to inventive dishes made by the chef.
For more traditional and regional flavours, we recommend Le Diapason a beautiful establishment that offers tasty as colourful dishes.
(CO2, 3bis rue de la Petite Calade)
(Le Diapason, 1764 avenue du Moulin de Notre-Dame)

More than 70€*:
Finally, if you want a table to celebrate a particular event or spend a special evening, we suggest the restaurant of the Auberge de Cassagne, a 5 star hotel on the outskirts of Avignon. The kitchen is run by chef Philippe Boucher great who combines Provence to French cuisine to prepare gourmet dishes to be enjoyed along with fine wines.
Here is another address for you to enjoy an exceptional culinary experience. Located in the centre of Avignon, you will discover La Vieille Fontaine, the restaurant of the Hotel Europe. On the menu at the Bruno Angelis, you will find dishes with Mediterranean flavours.
(Auberge Cassagne, 450 allée de Cassagne)
(La vieille Fontaire, 12 place Crillon)

• Le Palais des Papes (The Pope Palace)

Classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, this castle-fortress is the largest and most impressive Gothic building from the Middle Ages. The majority of the popes of the 14th century lived in the palace. Standing on the Rocher of the Doms, the impressive monument has overlooked and watched over the city of Avignon for over 600 years.

• Pont d'Avignon (Avignon Bridge)

It is also near the Palace you can admire the famous Pont d'Avignon, also known Pont Saint Benezet, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will be able to visit all of the fortress and the bridge.
For both visits, count a full price of €13.5 and €10.5 for the reduced price. The tour is free for children under 8.



• Le Musée du Petit Palais (Museum of the Small Palace)

It is at the north end of the Palace of the Popes that you will find the Petit Palais and its museum which houses beautiful collections of Italian Primitives (one of the largest outside of Italy).
Visiting the museum is 6€ for the full price and €3 at a reduced price.



• Le Musée Calvet (Calvet Museum)

This plural museum and its many collections satisfy the curious and art lovers. It has in fact more than 28,000 works of art belonging both to the field of archaeology, fine arts, decorative arts and ethnology. In addition to admiring the works, you can also rate the quality and beauty of the place that contains all these wonders.
Visiting the museum is 6€ at a full price and €3 at a reduced price.



• Le Musée Requien (Requien Museum)

This small museum is the heir of the old Avignon curiosity cabinet created in the eighteenth century under the leadership of Esprit Calvet, naturalist, botanist, palaeontologist and scientists famous at the time. Today, the museum's collections are enriched and you can observe many species of local fauna and flora and the most surprising and exotic specimens.
Access to the museum is free throughout the year.



• Le Musée du Mont-de-Piété et de la Condition des Soies (Mont-de-Piété and Silks Control Workshops Museum)

History lovers will be delighted to discover the remains and functioning of Mont-de-Piete of the Old Regime and silks control workshops that were delivered to Avignon. In addition to discovering a rich collection, you will also have the opportunity to venture into the former chapel of the Congregation of Our Lady of Loreto in which all the collections are gathered.
Access to the museum is free throughout the year.



• Le Musée du Bonbon Haribo (Haribo Candy Museum)

Located only a few kilometres from Avignon, you can visit this delicious and fun museum. At the program: the discovery of the confection of candies of the famous brand but also its history and its flagship products. After the visit, the gourmands will visit the factory shop and restock for the year! This museum will appeal the younger and older.



• Orange

Located only 30 kilometres north of Avignon, you can drive thirty minutes by car to this beautiful city. If you prefer taking the train, Orange will be at your fingertips in just 20 minutes. This historic city has, like Avignon, many historic buildings listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. You could also admire the pretty colour purple of the lavender fields surrounding the town or visit the prestigious vineyards that are also the pride of the region.

* This travel guide was published in June 2015, prices may then vary.