We arrived in Avignon (in Provence) with the TGV high speed train from Lyon, this would be our second stop on our weeklong itinerary in France. The romantic and picturesque city of Avignon is a destination we were excited to see and one we were pleased to be staying in twice during our French road trip adventure.
We did it in two half days sleeping one night each time as we didn’t want to be all the way in Carcassonne before we had to go back to CDG airport in Paris for our return flight. In retrospect, we could have done it as two nights and then continued on to Toulouse from where it’s also easy to get a TGV into Paris. That said, we are happy that we had two half days as there was plenty to do on both sides of the river.
Getting there
Arriving by TGV from Lyon into the Avignon station, our hotel sent a car to pick us up and help navigate the narrow cobblestone streets through the Old Town to our hotel.
We were already smiling as we approached the walled city of Avignon along the road that followed the outside of the long and tall city walls. The ramparts seemed to surround the Old Town making it look like a huge fortress.
We pulled into one of the old city gates and our driver had to call in to report where he was taking us in order for a guard to lower the blocking barrier used to prevent unauthorized vehicles from getting into the historic center. Avignon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and most of the inner streets are strictly for pedestrian use.
Once inside the walled city, driving through the narrow streets was also quite something. The roads looked like they’d be tight for a horse never mind a car! But our driver knew his way around and I guess he also knew the margins on his car! He zipped through these narrow alleyways with no issues.
Where we stayed
We were staying at the historic five-star Hôtel La Mirande which was once a 14th century cardinal’s lavish mansion. Conveniently located just across the street from the Palais des Papes it would make visiting the town easy for us.
The hotel has a resident cat (named Miranda of course!) which immediately made it our type of place! We remembered our room in Bath where the resident cat came running into our room one morning when we opened the door and didn’t want to leave. We didn’t mind but wanted to head out to explore too!
Thrilled that our room was ready we ran up to drop off our bags and freshened up. We had room 21 which was nice as it had a view into the gardens with the large Palais des Papes in the background. A wonderful surprise in that they had placed a box of decadent chocolates in there for us too! Back to the gym on our return!
While we were definitely keen to visit and explore the hotel, with only one afternoon here we wanted to get on with visiting the historic town and didn’t waste any time getting started with our self-guided tour.
About Avignon
While Avignon was initially a Greek emporium founded by Phocaeans from Marseille in 539 BCE, it is most famous for being the capital of the papacy from 1309 to 1377. At that time, Avignon, being in the south of France, was considered the center of Christian Europe.
There was simply no way to miss the massive palace across the street from our hotel. We had pre-bought a combo ticket for our visit with a time-entry so off we went!
Palais des Papes
Seven popes occupied the massive Palace of the Popes and when they lived there, it was lavishly decorated with bright frescoes and tiles. The palace was used to host coronations, conclaves, and other important events.
While there is not much left beyond the bare walls today, you can’t help but be impressed by the sheer size of the rooms and the height of the ceilings.
A few remaining frescos can be found on the walls in the chapel and some tiles and vases have been preserved. When the popes moved out, they took everything!
Visiting the Palace of the Popes
The Palais des Papes is both a fortress and a palace. The towering medieval walls are imposing and look impregnable. The menacing gargoyles extending out from the high walls would surely further discourage anyone from trying. I guess the desired impression conveyed to guests and onlookers alike was one of immense power.
An iPad-based guide (included with the visit) transports you back in time to visualize what the rooms must have looked like way back when. This is all shown in a 360 view that you visualize by pointing the iPad in all directions around you. A creative idea but my husband thought it was like playing a video game and preferred to just look around. I too may have preferred a more traditional audio guide with narration. Nothing personal to whoever went to great lengths to color in and draw the depictions and renderings!
We had bought the garden access option with our combo ticket (only a small supplement) but in early March the only flowers we could see upon entry were a few dandelion weeds.
As we investigated further, this was not quite true as there were a few tulips coming up, and some onions buds and a cherry tree that was just barely starting to bloom. In a month it would probably be full of flowers, but there would also surely be many more tourists.
It was nice to roam the castle and have it pretty well to ourselves. It’s an extremely popular place in summer with river cruises and tour busses coming in for the day. Add to that the many tourists that the local hotels can accommodate, and you can imagine. We actually did already see two Viking river cruise ships in port but perhaps they toured the palace in the morning.
Other places to see in Avignon
Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d’Avignon
You’ll find the cathedral right next to the palace, and you must be sure to enter and have a look. The entrance is up the steps just as you exit the Popes’ Palace and turn right. This is the seat of the Archbishop of Avignon, and the cathedral dates back to 1111, though it has been reconstructed, renovated, and expanded many times over the last 915 years.
Look up! And admire the giant gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the bell tower.
Inside you’ll find lots of artwork along with the marble throne used by the popes dating back to the 12th century.
The Belvedere
Right next to the Avignon Cathedral is the Belvedere and gardens overlooking the Rhône River. Be sure to walk up for some great views of the famous Bridge of Avignon.
In the park there is also a nice natural grotto that you can climb (with rocky stairs!) for even more great views.
Petit Palais Museum
As you descend back down the path from the Belvedere, you end up at the Petit Palais (small palace) turned museum. While it may be small compared to the Palace of the Popes, it is impressive in its own right with an inner courtyard and tall ceilings throughout.
Formerly the Bishop’s Palace, as one might expect it houses many religious artifacts. Note the small wooden squares with religious paintings on them that were painted during the Black Death (Europe’s plague pandemic in the 1300s). At this time, the devout were confined to their homes and took to painting these small tiles.
The visit was free, and they even gave out candies at the entrance. Sweet!
Be sure to look back from the entrance of the Petit Palais to get some good pictures of the Cathedral and Palais des Papes at just the perfect angle.
Pont d’Avignon
Follow the path down from the Petit Palais through the old city to the river, and you’ll come up on the famous Pont d’Avignon. You can’t really miss it, just go downhill and there are plenty of signs.
The Pont d’Avignon (or its real name the Pont Saint-Bénézet) was built in 1177. In 1669 some of the bridge was destroyed and it now remains a ruin that stretches halfway across the river. Some call it the bridge-to-nowhere and there is a famous French song about it: “Sur le pont d’Avignon, L’on y danse, l’on y danse, Sur le pont d’Avignon, L’on y danse tout en rond. »
The Bridge of Avignon was built over several centuries and was 920 meters long with 22 arches perched on small pebble bedded islands that were naturally occurring in the Rhône River. Saint-Bénézet Chapel (or Saint Nicholas Chapel) was built onto one of the columns and remains there today.
Our combo ticket included the entrance, and you can walk out onto the bridge and down into the chapel. There are also some films and more information in a downstairs area as you go through the impressive gate to enter the bridge.
While we had expected to run out of time with just one afternoon in Avignon, it turned out that we were able to get through all the main attractions without a problem in the historic center area.
In March (until end of October) the bridge closes at 7pm so this allowed for an extended day of visiting. There are also many things to visit across the river such as Fort Saint-André, Abbey of Saint-André, and Philippe-le-Bel Tower which was the other end of the Pont d’Avignon and at one time completed the structure.
We would do these attractions upon our return to Avignon during our second half day. Those ambitious enough to try and do everything in one day should keep in mind that early in the season many places are only open with split hours (and closed between 12-1 or sometimes 12-2). Plan your visit carefully. We had no issues with two half days.
Avignon historic center
The cobblestone streets just beside the Palais des Papes are filled with boutiques, restaurants, and hotels. We wandered around here for a bit, despite some drizzle, and imagined how it would be when packed with tourists in the summer months. It was a little reminiscent of Dubrovnik when the historic center emptied out once the cruise ships visitors left. An eerie peacefulness settled over the city, and we could roam around quietly on our own.
Avignon historic center is a beautiful place to enjoy and while we were just outside the busy area at La Mirande, the action was literally a 3-minute walk away.
Staying at La Mirande
Heading back to freshen up we had booked a table at the hotel at their wonderful bistrot restaurant where their Michelin stared chef would prepare us a fabulous dinner.
The hotel also does a cooking school with the chef, but it was a truffle-based theme while we were staying and not only am I not a big fan of truffles, I also honestly didn’t feel like cooking for myself after sightseeing all daylong!
The meal at the Bistrot was excellent with a slow-cooked beer-soaked pork that was so tender and juicy I had to ask how they did it. The waiter (who was without a doubt formally trained) told us with one arm behind his back, that they slowly roasted it over 6-7 hours over a vat of beer, lots of beer! We had sides of endives and carrots and appetizers of tender beef slices over rockets with parmesan and the most tender leek slices I have ever tasted. Later we learned that the leek was also a local delicacy from Avignon.
The room itself was like staying in a palace. Hidden doors that disappeared into the wallpaper. Chinoiseries and folded tissue-based wallpaper. Old chandeliers and a beautiful marble bathroom.
We even had an interesting antique wooden carving in the hallway. It was like our own little château for the night. While some may find the queen size bed and the antiquated light fixtures and doorknobs dated, we found that this was really what brought about the charm.
The staff was top-notch and one waiter told us he had been trained at the Relais and Châteaux properties. No doubt you needed some good experience to be hired here. The impeccable service made the stay that much more special.
Next day, we were off early and heading to Carcassonne. We would return after two nights and opted to stay again at La Mirande within the city walls.
Back to La Mirande
When planning our trip, we expected that a half day on arrival would not be enough. While true, we had managed to do all the sites in the inner city, and we might have done better to stay outside the city walls for our second night. Coming in with our own car was a bit hair-raising on the narrow streets and confusing with the twists and turns and pedestrian-only streets.
We actually took a wrong turn and when trying to cross a barrier we rang for permission but instead got an earful for driving along a pedestrian street the wrong way where we should not have been. Hopefully we won’t have tickets to the Avignon policeman’s ball coming in the mail!
With frayed nerves we did manage to arrive at the hotel after dark and this time we got room 24 which was a bit larger and had a great view directly onto the front of the hotel towards the Palais des Papes. Each room is unique and we were glad to sample two of them.
We loved the chinoiseries on the wallpaper in room 24. It was quirky that the toilet closet was across the room from the bathroom so to wash your hands you had to run back and forth. The room also had antique furniture in the Louis XIV style which was nice (well at least for one night).
Again, it was like staying in a château with the hidden doors cut out of the wallpaper and the epoch decorations. If you’ve toured some of the French châteaux you might have seen a similar room roped off as part of the exhibit. This was the same, but here you got to enjoy it and sleep in the bed (thankfully, with a modern-day mattress!).
The old plumbing fixtures were something too. The waiter told us that an influencer from South Korea had actually flown in with her entourage specifically to take pictures of the bathroom. Well, whatever turns you on, I guess.
One last look in Avignon’s historic center
Next morning, we were heading out across the Rhône River but thought we could also see the City Hall which Google says opens at 8am. As we entered, a guard smiled and said there were no tourist attractions here and sent us on our way. Well, I guess Google was right but it was a matter of interpretation.
It was already 9am but even the coffee shops were closed. We finally opted just to head out with our car to explore the attractions on the other side of the river in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon before returning the car to the TGV train station where we’d take the TGV back to CDG airport.
Place to see in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Fort Saint-André
In 1271, the Rhône River was the border of France and the Roman Empire. In 1291, King Philippe IV (Philippe Le Bel) built this magnificent fortress to strengthen his border on Mont Andaon.
The huge fort was not completed until 1350 or so and would also serve to demonstrate the power of the kingdom towards the Pope across the river in Avignon. As well, it would provide protection for the neighboring Abbey of Saint-André which can be visited with a separate ticket.
It takes about 45 minutes to walk around the remnants of this once magnificent fortress. Be sure to visit the hilltop Notre-Dame de Belvezet chapel and take in the views from the various tower top perches accessible with stone stairs.
We could even see the Alps in the distance on the clear day that we had. You also get some of the best views of Avignon from up here.
We were on a tight schedule with our TGV train that same afternoon but as much as we wanted to rush through the site to visit the other sights before they closed for lunch, we were mesmerized by the views and the beauty of the fortress, and it did take us a full hour to go through the site.
Abbey Saint-André
Right next door to the fort, you’ll find the Abbey Saint-André (St. Andrew Abbey). This beautiful abbey now turned museum and botanical gardens was saved in 1950 by Roseline Bacou, the granddaughter of Gustave Fayet who had inherited the abbey. She made it her project to take on the massive task of restoring the site and the monument opened to visitors in 1990.
There is a beautiful collection of paintings and old historical documents unearthed in the renovation, many made by Roseline herself.
We particularly enjoyed the wonderful gardens, even in March. While the flower beds were empty in the Italian garden, we could imagine how beautiful these would be when planted and fully in bloom. We could hear and see birds everywhere.
Do take a look into the Grotto where there are many nature-inspired artistic ceramics.
During our visit in March, the attractions were still running split hours, so they closed at 1pm and reopened at 2pm. It seemed that most were manned by a single person so likely this was a lunch break.
In the summer (starting in April) they are open all day but be sure to check the signs or the official websites directly as we got some wrong information online.
Well, when in Avignon, do like the Basques. We also drove out of the area to fill up the rental car and found a gateau Basque at a local shop which was delicious. A tarte filled with a marzipan almond paste. We also had an authentic croque-monsieur and a quiche Lorraine. Being in France after all!
As a final stop, and just down the street from the fort and abbey we visited the tower that used to be the opposite end of the Pont d’Avignon.
Tour Philippe Le Bel
Constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries this tower is where the original Avignon bridge would have ended.
A massive tower with lots of stone steps you can climb up to the top to get some fantastic views of Avignon. But even better are the views of the neighboring Fort and Abbey Saint-André off to the side. This is definitely the best place for those shots!
While you can sort of see the remnants of the Pont d’Avignon the best place to see these is to go onto the island (Île de Piot) near the campground where there is plenty of parking.
The pictures you get from here are just across the water on the first island and they let you capture the Pont d’Avignon in its entirety and also frame it with Avignon itself in the background.
Conclusion
With that we were done with our road trip in the south of France and headed back to return our car at the TGV station to take the 3-hour TGV ride back to the CDG airport.
We had a great time and saw a lot. We did a lot of stairs and felt like we needed a vacation after our vacation!
Some tips for Avignon
- Try to avoid the car in the Old Town, if anything park in the many public parking areas just outside the city walls.
- Split your visit up into a half day for the inner city and a half day for the outer city. If you have two days, take your time and do a day each.
- While it’s fun to stay in the city walls the historic center is quite small and nothing is much more than a 10–15 minutes’ walk away.
- Did we say avoid the headache of a car in the old city?
The Provence and Occitanie regions of France are quite beautiful to visit, and we would definitely recommend coming out here to explore. We hope some of our tips and experiences can help you with your planning. We do think that we’ll be back in France for another road trip too, hopefully sooner than later.