Selected Travel Guide:					Adjust Font Size:

Getting There By Air:

Aéroport d'Avignon-Caumont (AVN)
Tel: (04) 9081 5151.
Website: www.avignon.aeroport.fr

Avignon-Caumon Airport, operated by the Vaucluse Chamber of Commerce, is located just 8km (5 miles) from Avignon and caters for budget airlines with direct services from several destinations in the UK including summer services from Southampton, Exeter, Leeds and Edinburgh.

Airport facilities: These include a shop, bar-restaurant, car parks and car hire. There are no business facilities at the airport. 

Transport to the city: Taxis to Avignon city center are provided by Taxi Radio Avignonnais (tel: (04) 9082 2020) and cost about €15 (journey time - 10 minutes), with additional charges for baggage and extra passengers. There are no other transport options currently available from Avignon-Caumont Airport.

Approximate flight times to Avignon: From London is 3 hours; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 20 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 13 hours 10 minutes; from Sydney is 24 hours 50 minutes and from Paris Orly is 50 minutes.


Marseille-Provence Airport (MRS)
Tel: (04) 4214 1414.
Website: www.marseille.aeroport.fr

Marseille-Provence Airport, located 80km (50 miles) southeast of Avignon, has three terminals: terminal one is for international services; terminal two is for domestic flights; the MP2 terminal, opened in September 2006, is exclusively for low-cost airlines. The airport serves 80 destinations, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, London, Milan, Munich, Rome and Paris. 

Airport facilities: Facilities include a lost and found office, 24-hour medical facilities, banks, bureaux de change, ATMs, shops, bars, cafes and restaurants, a post office, tourist information, Wi-Fi and car hire from Ada, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and National/Citer. The Marseille Provence Business Center (tel: (04) 4214 2774), in terminal two, provides Internet, fax and telephone facilities, as well as several small meeting rooms accommodating up to 30. The Salon Panoramique in terminal one holds 150 delegates for meetings.

Transport to the city: There are regular shuttle buses (navettes), operated by Transport Routier Passagers Aeriens (TRPA) (tel: (04) 9150 5934), to St-Charles SNCF railway station (tel: (04) 9504 1000), about every 20 minutes (journey time - 25-30 minutes). From the station, there are direct links to Avignon (journey time - 50 minutes) on regional TER trains (see Getting There By Rail).

Airport taxis (tel: (04) 4214 2444) to Avignon cost approximately €120 (journey time - 45 minutes).

Getting There By Road:

Motorways (autoroutes) bear the prefix ‘A', national roads ‘N' and minor roads (départementales) are classed as ‘D' roads. Traffic drives on the right and drivers must give way to the right, unless the route is marked with 'passage protégé' signs (a broad arrow, a yellow diamond or an ‘X' on a triangular background) or if the driver is at a roundabout indicating ‘Vous n'avez pas la priorité'. Tolls (péages) are enforced. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas.

The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Seat belts must be worn by all passengers (front and rear). Children under 10 may not travel in the front seat. A national driving license, the car's registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving, by use of beam deflectors or by tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner's domestic policy.

Autoroutes du Sud de la France (ASF) (website: www.asf.fr) is responsible for the southern France motorway network. The Center National d'Information Routière (tel: 0826 022 022; website: www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr) provides information on traffic conditions and driving regulations in the region. Information is also available from L'Association des Sociétés Françaises d'Autoroutes (ASFA) (tel: 0892 681 077; website: www.autoroutes.fr). Traffic conditions are broadcast on Radio Trafic 107.7FM. Emergency telephones linked up to the police are located every 2km (1.2 miles) on each side of the motorway. Automobile Club Vauclusien (tel: (04) 9086 2871) is the local automobile association.

Emergency breakdown service: Garage CATTO (tel: (04) 9082 1611).

Routes to the city: The motorways A7 (direction Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Italy) and A9 (direction Nîmes, Perpignan and Barcelona) are located 7km and 10km (4 and 6 miles) from central Avignon, north and southwest respectively.

Approximate driving times to Avignon: From Marseille is 1 hour; from Barcelona is 3 hours 45 minutes and from Paris is 6 hours.

Coach services: The coach station, Gare Routière, next to the Central Station, avenue Monclar (tel: (04) 9027 3857) serves the Vaucluse department, including Aix, l'Isle/Sorgue, Nîmes, Carpentras and Cavaillon. International services, operated by Linebus (tel: (04) 9086 8867; website: www.linebus.com) and Eurolines (tel: (04) 9085 2760; website: www.eurolines.com), with connections to Brussels, Morocco, London, Prague, Italy and Spain, also depart from here. The Avignon Tourist Office (see Sightseeing) can provide information on the independent companies operating from the coach station. Tickets are available for purchase from the driver.

Getting There By Rail:

Societé Nationale de Chemins de Fer (SNCF) (tel: 0892 353 535; website: www.sncf.fr) is the national rail carrier. Avignon belongs to the regional network, Transports Express Régionaux (TER) (tel: 0891 7030 000; website: www.ter-sncf.com), of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The standard of service varies - some trains are excellent, while others, even in first class, are of poor quality. Generally, trains are punctual.

The high-speed train station, La Gare TGV, is located 4km (2.5 miles) to the south of the city center and linked to central Avignon via shuttle buses, which stop in front of the post office. This service brings Paris within 2 hours and 40 minutes of Avignon. Some of the high-speed trains also travel on to Avignon's Central Station, boulevard St Roch (tel: (04) 9027 8163). Facilities at both stations include left luggage, a cafe, newsagent and ticket reservations service. Bilingual signs and multilingual announcements ease the way for foreign visitors. As throughout France, train tickets must be validated prior to boarding.

Rail services: There are direct links to Paris (journey time - 2 hours 40 minutes) from where services connect to Lille, Nantes, Rouen, Brussels and Geneva. Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186 or (01233) 617 575 (from outside the UK); website: www.eurostar.com) offers a weekly direct London St Pancras-Avignon service from early July to early September (journey time - around 6 hours).

Transport to the city: A shuttle service operates from La Gare TGV to the city center (journey time - 15 minutes). Avignon Central Station is linked to all major bus routes. Both stations have taxi ranks.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon (TCRA) (tel: (04) 3274 1832) provides public transport throughout ‘Grand Avignon' (the Avignon Region), including services to Les Angles, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Le Pontet. The major bus stops in central Avignon are in front of the main post office (poste), place Pie and rue de la République. The system runs around Monday to Saturday 0700-1930 (less frequently on Saturday). The restricted Sunday service (labelled with a number followed by a ‘D' for dimanche) generally operates 0800-1800. Line 30 runs on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays. During the Avignon Festival, there are reduced price tickets on some public transport services, including the Bustival, which runs on certain night routes and to and from the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lez-Avignon.

Tickets can be pre-purchased or bought on the bus and must be stamped upon boarding. Information and bus tickets are available at the TCRA Point d'Accueil, avenue de Lattre de Tassigny (tel: (04) 3274 1832), located between the central rail station and the tourist office. Tickets are also available for purchase at tabacs, newsagents and shops displaying the TCRA logo. It is possible to buy a carnet of 10 tickets, which works out cheaper. Weekly and monthly passes are also available.

Taxis
The taxi service is centrally run by Taxi Radio Avignonnais (tel: (04) 9082 2020). The major taxi ranks are located in front of the central and TGV rail stations, while others are at Raspail (rue de la République), St Lazare (near the university) and place Pie. Tips are welcome but not expected.

Driving in the City
Avignon's Old Town is compact enough to be covered on foot and parts of it are pedestrianized. However, for visitors who choose to drive, conditions are good, roads rarely traffic-clogged and there is a special pleasure to be gained in driving through the portes (gates) of the ancient city walls.

The main supervised and 24-hour car parks are located at the stations, at 7 avenue Monclar, and underneath the Palais des Papes square. Free, supervised car parks (tel: (04) 9080 8102) are located at the Ile Piot (about 1,500 spaces), with free shuttle buses running to the city center, and Parking des Italiens, avenue des Italiens (over 500 spaces). In peak season, an additional car park opens at the foot of the Pont St Bénézet. It is best to choose these supervised spaces, as car theft is all too frequent. Alternatively, there are good car parks west of the city center.

Car Hire
The minimum age for car hire varies from 21 to 25 years. Drivers must possess a national driving license, which they must have held for at least one year. Third party insurance is mandatory for driving in France and this should be covered in the hire price. Additional insurance is optional.

Providers include National/Citer, Gare TGV (tel: (04) 9027 3007; website: www.citer.com); Ucar Location, 151 avenue Pierre Sémard (tel: 0892 881 010; website: www.ucar.fr) and Véo, 51 avenue Pierre Sémard (tel: (04) 9087 5343; website: www.veolocation.com). All are centrally located.

Bicycle Hire
Provence Bike, 52 boulevard St Roch (tel: (04) 9027 9261; website: www.provence-bike.com), hires out motorbikes, scooters and bicycles, from the bus station on boulevard St Roch, during high season (April to October). Holiday Bikes, 20 boulevard St Roch (tel: (06) 6121 4256; website: www.holiday-bikes.com) provides a similar service.

Related France Content

France Airport Guides: Bordeaux Grenoble-Isere Lille Lyon-Saint Exupéry Marseille Provence Nantes Atlantique Nice Côte d'Azur Paris Orly Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Strasbourg International Toulouse-Blagnac	France City Guides: Aix en Provence City Guide Avignon City Guide Bordeaux City Guide Cannes City Guide Lille City Guide Lyon City Guide Marseille City Guide Nice City Guide Paris City Guide Strasbourg City Guide Toulouse City Guide
France Attraction Guides:
Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile Arenes d'Arles (Roman Amphitheater in Arles) Bayeux Tapestry (Tapisserie de Bayeux) Cave of Lascaux (Grotte de Lascaux) Chartres Cathedral (Cathedrale de Chartres) Chenonceau Castle (Chateau de Chenonceau) Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie Claude Monet's House and Water Garden (Maison de Claude Monet et Le Jardin d'eau) D-Day Beaches (Plages du Debarquement de la Bataille de Normandie) Disneyland Resort Paris Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) Louvre (Musee du Louvre) Mont Saint-Michel Abbey (Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel)	Musee d'Orsay (Orsay Museum) Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles) Parc Asterix Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris) Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Cimitiere du Pere Lachaise) Planete Futuroscope Popes' Palace (Palais des Papes) Regional Nature Park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne (Parc Naturel Regional des Volcans d'Auvergne) Rocamadour Sacre Coeur Basilica, Montmartre (Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre) St Benezet Bridge (Pont St-Benezet) The Walled Town of Carcassonne (Cite de Carcassonne)