Avignon
The walled city of the popes on the Rhône, 2 hours 40 from Paris by TGV, and the starting point for most of our Provence trips.
The short version
- The fastest TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Avignon TGV in about 2 hours 40. That station is 6 kilometers outside the walls, and a shuttle train takes a few minutes to Avignon Centre, two minutes from the old town gate.
- Our Best of Provence in Three Days meets your train at Avignon TGV with a driver. You get two nights in a four-star hotel inside the walls, the Palais and the bridge with tickets included, a full day through Roussillon, Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Saint-Rémy, the Pont du Gard and Les Baux, and two Châteauneuf-du-Pape cellars before the train home, for $1,925 per person.
- The Palais des Papes opens every day of the year. Tickets are €16, or €19.50 with the gardens and the bridge, and children under 10 go free. From November 2 it closes at 17:00.
- The Pont Saint-Bénézet, the bridge from the song, costs €6 and takes about 35 minutes. The Rocher des Doms garden above it is free and has the view over the river to Mont Ventoux.
- Most of what people come to Provence for sits outside the walls. Saint-Rémy has a bus about every hour in summer, Gordes takes two buses, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Sénanque and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse have no practical service from Avignon.
What to see
Seven popes lived in Avignon between 1309 and 1377, and the palace they built is the largest Gothic palace in Europe. Walk through the Grand Tinel banqueting hall, the pope’s bedchamber painted with birds and vines, and the Chambre du Cerf with its hunting frescoes, where photos are not allowed. Allow two hours and expect stairs; there is no wheelchair route.
A new route through rooms never shown to the public opened in May 2026, with a free web app on your phone, and restoration work continues until spring 2027. Climb to the roof terraces at the end for the view over the town.
The Pont Saint-Bénézet once crossed the Rhône on 22 arches, and four of them still stand. The chapel of Saint-Nicolas sits on the second pier, and a lift takes strollers and wheelchairs up. From the bridge entrance, follow the ramparts up to the Rocher des Doms garden.
Inside the walls, place de l’Horloge is the café square and Les Halles is the covered market behind its living green wall, open every morning except Monday. Rue des Teinturiers is the lane with the old waterwheels. The Petit Palais at the end of the Palais square holds Italian paintings, including a Botticelli, and entry is free.
The City Pass costs €24 for 24 hours or €32 for 48. It covers the Palais, the bridge and nine more museums and monuments in Avignon and in Villeneuve across the river.
Getting there and around
TGVs leave Paris Gare de Lyon for Avignon TGV through the day, about 2 hours 40 on the fastest runs. The TGV station sits 6 kilometers out at Courtine. The shuttle train to Avignon Centre takes a few minutes, and buses and taxis about 15.
Regional Zou! buses leave from the bus station next to Avignon Centre. Line 707 reaches Saint-Rémy in about 50 minutes and continues to Les Baux on some runs. Gordes needs two buses with a change at Coustellet, and Orange is 15 minutes by regional train.
Drivers can park inside the walls at the Palais des Papes car park, €19.30 for 24 hours with a 1.90-meter height limit, or free at Île Piot across the river with a free shuttle into town. The village car parks charge too: Les Baux €5 for the first hour, Gordes €8 for up to four hours and the Pont du Gard €9 a day.
Our second day takes in six of those stops from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in one van, with eight guests at most, and the third morning goes to the Châteauneuf cellars that no bus reaches. The Six Days in Provence adds a cooking class at Les Halles and a Tavel rosé tasting, then continues to Nice by first-class TGV.
When to go
April to June and September to October are the best months, warm and with room on the streets. July and August are hot and dry. The mistral blows cold and clear for a few days at a time in every season.
The Festival d’Avignon fills the town every July, with the courtyard of the Palais as its main stage, and the 2027 program comes out in April. Hotels fill first, so book the room before anything else.
Lavender blooms from mid-June to mid-July around Sénanque and on the Valensole plateau. Our Provence Lavender Tour leaves Avignon every day from July 6 to 25 and sells out.
In winter the Palais and the bridge close at 17:00, the Pont du Gard museum shuts from November to February, and Glanum in Saint-Rémy closes on Mondays from October to March. Winter is truffle season, and our Five Days in Provence offers a truffle lunch in the Luberon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Avignon a day trip from Paris?
Only for the Palais and the bridge. More than five hours on the train leaves an afternoon inside the walls, and the villages, the Pont du Gard and Les Baux need at least one night. Outside lavender season, One Night in Provence is the shortest trip we sell: Orange and a Châteauneuf cellar the first afternoon, a night in Avignon, and Arles, Les Baux and Saint-Rémy the next day.
Avignon TGV or Avignon Centre?
TGVs from Paris stop at Avignon TGV, 6 kilometers outside town. Avignon Centre is the old station by the walls, a few minutes away by shuttle train, where the regional trains and buses leave. Our trips meet you at Avignon TGV with a driver.
Can I see the villages around Avignon on my own?
Yes, one or two a day. Saint-Rémy has a bus about every hour in summer, Les Baux a few runs, and Gordes two buses with a change. Sénanque, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse need a car or a driver. On your own you plan around timetables and see fewer places; our second day covers six of them between breakfast and dinner.
Where should I stay in Avignon?
Inside the walls, so you can walk to the Palais, the restaurants and the tourist office. Our trips use four-star hotels in the old town, such as the Hôtel de l’Horloge on place de l’Horloge, and offer a five-star upgrade.
Is there a tour from Paris?
Yes. Our Best of Provence in Three Days is $1,925 with two nights, the six-stop day and the Châteauneuf cellars. One Night in Provence is $775. The Five Days, $1,850, and Six Days, $2,350, add Aix, cooking and the Riviera, and the Provence Biking Trip is $1,185. All meet at Avignon TGV, and we can book your train once your dates are set.
Our Most Popular Trips From Paris
Six days and five nights from Avignon to Nice, with a 5-star upgrade available.
Louvre, Montmartre and Notre Dame in eight hours with a private driver-guide.