Just two and a half hours from Paris and six hours from London, Avignon is an ideal short break destination. Not only is there plenty to see in the city itself, but the fine Roman remains at Nîmes and Arles are just half an hour away.

Avignon Travel - Avignon Walking Guide

Follow this stunning walking guide, an extract from fabulous new guide book Walk & Eat Avignon, to explore the beautiful city on foot.

Avignon Travel: A Walking Tour of Avignon

Starting out at the main railway station, walk straight ahead through the city walls via the Porte de la République.

Follow Cours Jean Jaurès for 200m/yds, to where the 14th-century Abbaye de St-Martial rises on the right. The tourist office is just beyond it, also on your right. Call in and stock up on the city plan, brochures about excursions, and calendar of events. You can collect an ‘Avignon Pass’ here as well — it’s free. Out of the tourist office, turn right and right again on narrow Rue Henri Fabre, hugging the side of the abbey.

A lovely square, Square Agricol Perdiquier, lies just beside it. Rue Fabre quickly becomes Rue des Lices, a scruffy street initially, which traces the wall of the 13th century fortifications.

Then, on the left, the huge galleried 18th-century almshouse takes you completely by surprise. Not far past here, also on the left, is the classical Chapelle du Verbe Incarné, badly defaced by graffiti.

Avignon Travel Attractions

About 150m further on, at the crossroads, turn right on Rue des Teinturiers (‘Dyers’ Street’), immediately passing a large belltower on the right — the remains of a Franciscan convent. This enchanting, plane-shaded, cobbled street runs to the left of the river Sorgue, and you will see the reason for the name: the river was used by the cloth-dyers, and several of their large waterwheels remain today. But before you come to them you pass to the left of the 16th century Chapelle Ste-Croix (a Grey Penitents’ Chapel), restored in the 19th century.

Notice the stone benches alongside the road, obviously fragments from ancient buildings and carved with gargoyles, crosses and even skeins of rope. One of them is dated 1483. When you come to the town walls, turn back and retrace your steps past Rue des Lices, then take next left turn into Rue de la Masse, passing a couple of impressive old mansions. This street becomes Rue du Roi-René where, at the corner of Rue Grivolas, you’ll find the Maison du Roi René: ‘Good King René’ (under whose reign the region was politically and economically stable, allowing the arts to flourish) supposedly lived here when visiting Avignon from his base in Aix-en-Provence.

You then come into Place St-Didier, with its 14th-century eponymous Provençal-style single-nave church. From St-Didier, walk back, around the east end of the church, on Rue de la Saraillerie. This runs into a pedestrianised shopping area and takes you straight to Place de l’Horloge — the real heart of the city, bustling with cafés and restaurants. The plane-shaded square is named for the 14th-century Gothic clock tower (horloge), part of the Hôtel de Ville. Two large wooden figures, Jaquemart and his wife, strike the hour (but are not easily seen when the trees are in leaf). Next door is the city’s theatre, with a delightful two-tiered carousel in front.

Avignon City Guide

A lovely gate on the right fronts the house of Jean Vilar, who founded the Avignon International Theatre Festival. Over the Christmas period, the whole square is ‘canopied’ with lights, above a large and lively Christmas market with about 20 traders.

Continue north, past the Banque de France, into the huge Place du Palais, dominated by the Palais des Papes. (If you are running out of steam, the 40-minute guided tour of all the sights on the tourist train leaves from here.) Before exploring the palace, take time to look at the 17th century Hôtel des Monnaies (The Mint) on the left, once home of the Borghese family, who administered the city on behalf of the then pope. Later it became the city’s mint, and is now the Conservatory of Music. Its baroque façade, with fat cherubs, lions chomping on fruit, and the Borghese coat of arms (dragons and eagles) is in complete contrast to the austerity of the papal fortress.

Despite the fact that the Avignon Papacy only lasted just under 100 years, the city of Avignon remained papal property until 1791 and has always been known as the ‘city of the popes’. The massive (15,000 sqm) fortified Palais des Papes can be seen from miles around, rising above the city walls. (It consists of two adjacent buildings — the old palace to the north, and the newer one to the south.) Allow a good hour for your visit — either on your own or with a guided tour (in English).

Avignon Travel Information: Notre-Dame-des-Doms

Just north of the palace is the cathedral, Notre-Dame-des-Doms. Built in the middle of the 12th century, the cathedral was damaged repeatedly — especially during the Revolution. Most critics are unimpressed by its subsequent rebuilding, citing especially the 1859 addition of a huge gilded statue of the Virgin atop the 15th-century Romanesque bell tower. But whatever the critics say, one cannot help but admit that it is impressive. Inside, the Romanesque dome covering the chancel is remarkable, as is the octagonal lantern over the transept crossing. At Christmas there is a beautiful crib in the cathedral.

From the cathedral go through a gate and walk up Montée des Moulins to the gardens on the Rocher des Doms. From this bluff there is a stupendous view over the curving Rhône and St-Bénézet Bridge, with the Tour Philippe le Bel at Villeneuve behind it. Be sure to go on to the viewing table, which will help you identify points much further afield — from the Alpilles to Mont Ventoux.

From the viewing table go back and walk round the shady duck pond area (with picnic tables and a seasonal café). Pick your way past the courting couples, heading back towards the cathedral’s octagonal lantern. Then retrace your route back down Montée des Moulins. On your right is the Petit Palais.

This most attractive building was bought by the popes in 1335 and eventually became home to Pope Julius II in the 16th century. Apatron of Michelangelo, he took a great interest in the arts and established a fabulous collection of painting and sculptures with two main themes — Avignon in the Middle Ages and early art (the Italian primitives are especially noteworthy). Later the building was often used by the city to house visiting royalty and dignitaries.

Avignon Walking Guide: Palais des Papes

Continue back down to the Palais des Papes, then take the alleyway at the right of the Mint, Rue de la Monnaie. This takes you to Rue de la Balance, where you turn right. Home to gypsies in the 19th century, the street was completely revamped in the 1970s. Despite some old restored mansions on the right, it’s not very attractive, on account of the modern buildings on the left. Following brown signposts to ‘Pont St-Bénézet’, go left on Rue Reille, right on Rue de la Grande Fustière and then left on Rue Ferruce. The Port du Rhône takes you through the ramparts and out to the famous ‘Pont d’Avignon’ — Pont St-Bénézet. You reach it via a restored gatehouse and a ‘Musée en Images’ telling the story of the bridge on a huge video screen (English narrative available).

The narrow cobbled bridge dates from 1177, built by the ‘Bridge Brotherhood’ — a group of volunteers inspired by the legend of a young shepherd boy called Bénézet, who had been commanded by an angel to build a bridge at that spot. Standing here, contemplating the full force of the Rhône, it seems astounding that such a project could ever have been completed in those days — no less in just 11 years. The original bridge crossed two arms of the river via the Ile de la Barthelasse — 900m/3000ft long, with 22 arches, and ran to the base of Philip the Fair’s Tower at Villeneuve. The bridge was rebuilt and raised in the 1230s, at which time a little Gothic-style chapel was superimposed on the Romanesque Chapelle St-Nicolas which stands on the centre pier. Today only four of the 22 arches remain — the Rhône finally took its revenge in the floods of 1668, but the setting of this bridge is indescribably lovely.

Return from the chapel and follow the ramparts south. These magnificent 14th-century walls still completely encircle the city for a distance of over 4km/2.5mi. Built by order of the popes, the original walls were much higher than they are today (the lower parts now being covered by roads), and there was also a moat outside the walls. Nevertheless, from a military standpoint the walls were more symbolic than effective, as they lacked any projecting parapets from which to survey and attack the enemy below.

Only a short section of the ramparts is accessible today, and as you pass the modern road bridge over to Villeneuve, you’ll have to descend — into elegant Place Crillon, where the famous Hôtel d’Europe is on the left (from Napoleon to the present day, anyone who is anyone stays here). Walk across the square and along Rue Folco-de-Baroncelli, then go right on Rue Joseph Vernet, a posh shopping street (the ‘Bond Street’ of Avignon). After 150m, opposite a church, turn left on Rue St-Agricol. A large staircase leads to the 14th/16th century church of St-Agricol, with its finely carved 15th-century façade. Inside there are some noteworthy works of art contemporaneous with the church … if you’re not flagging by now.

Avignon Museums

Leaving the church, continue on Rue St-Agricol, past the charming courtyard of the Petit Louvre hotel on your right; it incorporates the remains of a Knights Templar chapel dating from 1273, now a theatre/conferences venue. Coming to Rue Bouquerie, turn right (but first walk left past the east end of St-Agricol, to see some Gallo-Roman rampart ruins behind railings). Walk along Bouquerie, passing under the arch of the Hôtel du Préfecture on your left and then past the Hôtel du Département facing it. After 200m/yds, turn right on Rue Horace Vernet. This brings you back to Rue Joseph Vernet — a long street which, like the Rue des Lices near the start of the walk, traces the edge of the 13th-century ramparts. On your right, as you join this street, are two small museums, Requien (natural history, botany, zoology), then Calvet (with some fine paintings ranging from 16th-century to late 19th). But if you like the Impressionists, perhaps save your ‘museuming’ for the next, final stop!

Turn left on Rue Joseph Vernet to continue. Coming back to where the tourist office is facing you, you have a chance to see the last Van Gogh painting of Provence still in Provence: walk left on Rue de la République, then turn right on Rue Frédéric Mistral, by the side of the Lapidary Museum, and left on Rue Laboureur. At No 5 you will find the Musée Angladon, set up in the mansion of two great collectors, themselves artists. There are works by Cézanne, Dégas, Modigliani, Picasso, and Van Gogh’s Railway Carriages, painted in August 1888. Opposite the museum is the Livrée Ceccano, a media centre housed in a palace built by a cardinal.

Walk & Eat Avignon By John and Pat Underwood, published by Sunflower Books, is out in paperback 19th June 2008, RRP £8.99. This pocket-sized book includes easy-to-read maps and directions, highlighting local points of interest and culture. An excellent companion for exploring, walk & eat Avignon allows you to relax and enjoy this historic region at your own pace. Recipes from specially selected restaurants are also included, letting you recreate local dishes while on holiday and at home. All the dishes featured are made from traditional recipes, all using fresh, local produce; food that is naturally healthy. Printed in a handy pocket size and in a clear and practical format, walk & eat guides provide the perfect solution for a healthy, stress-free holiday.

Also new to the series: Walk & Eat Stockholm By Paul Eade, Published 19th June 2008 by Sunflower Books, RRP £8.99.