Sightseeing OverviewIn Avignon, everything worth seeing is within
easy walking distance and orientation is not difficult. The city is enclosed in fortified medieval walls, with the River Rhône to the north and west of the town.
The
Palais des Papes and
Pont St Bénezet are in the north, connected by the place du Palais, which itself runs into Avignon's central square (place de l'Horloge) just a little south. This square is home to the impressive
Hôtel de Ville and the
Opera House, decorated with statues of former visitors
Corneille and Molière.
From there, the main thoroughfare, the rue de la République, turns into the cours Jean Jaurès as it approaches the southern city walls and the railway station. To the east are several shopping streets and a mass of interesting restaurants and cafes.
The best way for visitors to explore Avignon is to wander through its maze of
medieval streets. Many take their names from inns (such as rue du Chapeau Rouge) or from trades - such as rue des Fourbisseurs (‘weapon sharpeners'), rue du Vieux Sextier (‘old sexton') and rue des Teinturiers, named after the process used to dye calico.
Off the main drag, the
rue Joseph Vernet is worth a detour, lined with Avignon's most stylish shops, old hotels and
quaint courtyards and
gardens. More imposing but still frequented, mainly by the locals, is the cathedral,
Notre-Dame des Doms, a brief walk passed the Palais des Papes. The cathedral is surrounded by
Rocher des Doms, a charming public
park offering magnificent
views of the city and the Rhône.
Avignon also has a cluster of interesting little museums that are clearly detailed on a free map available at the Avignon Tourist Office. Most notable is the
Musée Angladon, which displays the private collection of aesthete Jacques Doucet, including Modigliani's
The Pink Blouse and Van Gogh's
The Railroad Cars.
Tourist InformationOffice de Tourisme d'Avignon 41 cours Jean Jaurès
Tel: (04) 3274 3274.
Website:
www.avignon-tourisme.com or www.ot-avignon.frThere is also an information office at Espace St Bénezet.
PassesThe
Avignon Passion card is available free at participating museums, on tourist transport and at Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon tourist offices. The pass offers 20% off tourism transportation and cut-price admission (reductions of 20-50%) after the first full-price attraction has been visited and includes all the various sightseeing tours listed in the
Tours of the City section. Participating museums and attractions include Musée Calvet, Musée Vouland, Musée du Petit Palais, Palais des Papes and Pont St Bénezet. The pass is valid for two weeks of unlimited visits for the holder and their family.
Key Attractions:Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) This palace-fortress looms above Avignon. The immense courtyard in front, lined with cafes and restaurants, is also the impressive setting for the Avignon Festival, while the battlements offer wonderful views. The palace was built over 30 years, during the reign of three popes - Bénédict XII, Clément VI and Innocent VI. The palace is based on the fusion of two buildings - the austere ‘Old Palace' (1334-42), constructed on the orders of Bénédict XII, and the extravagant Gothic ‘New Palace' (1342-52), of Clément VI. It is a frowning mass of elaborate architecture, covering some 15,000 sq m (166,660 sq ft), that dominates the city's other buildings.
The exterior is chilling and unfriendly, with a crenellated facade and slit windows. In contrast, the interiors are rich with the frescoes of Italian artist Matteo Giovannetti and Sienese artist Giovanni Luca, survivors of the fire that burned away many paintings and much finery in 1413. It is worth taking the audio-guide that is included in the admission price, to make sense of the maze of rooms within the palace. Among the most beautiful is the
Pope's Bedchamber. The walls are awhirl with frescoes of birds and grapevines, while the floor is covered with reproductions of the 14th-century tiles discovered beneath the nearby study of Bénédict XII, in 1963. Religious themes dominate the frescoes in the
Chapelle St Martial and
Pope's Antechamber, while hunting scenes decorate the
Stag Room. The
Grand Tinel is where the pope's banquets were held, with the pope seated on a raised platform. Gold plates and ivory cutlery were used to devour mountains of food - detailed inventories record the consumption of 118 cows, 1,023 sheep, 60 pigs, 1,195 geese, 7,428 chickens ... a total of 95,000 dishes; and all at one sitting.
A guided tour (in French only) through the ‘Secret Palace', with a chance to see
St Michel Chapel and rooms that are normally closed to the public, with a convivial brunch is available every Saturday (1230) and Sunday (1030) from September to May. On the whole, however, it is best for visitors to make a trip to the Palais des Papes in the afternoon, when it is cooler and there are fewer tourists.
Place du Palais
Tel: (04) 9027 5000 (reservations).
Website:
www.palais-des-papes.com Musée du Petit Palais (Little Palace Museum)Located on the northern end of place du Palais, the Little Palace Museum was built for Cardinal Béranger Frédol between 1318 and 1320. Following extensive alterations, Pope Benoît made it his episcopal headquarters. Today, its 19 rooms house an impressive collection of frescoes, sculptures and Italian religious paintings from the 13th to 16th centuries, including works by Botticelli, Carpaccio and Giovanni di Paolo. The
Angel of the Annunciation, by Sano Di Pietro (1406-1481), is one of the most remarkable paintings - the golden-haired angel has all the beauty of a pre-Raphaelite woman.
Palais des Archevêques, place du Palais
Tel: (04) 9086 4458.
Website:
www.petit-palais.orgPont St Bénezet (St Bénezet Bridge) ‘Sur le pont d'Avignon on y danse, on y danse ...' - the melody of the 19th-century song still draws visitors to the famed bridge that is formally known as the Pont St Bénezet, after the shepherd whose heavenly vision and determination led to the bridge being built. Spanning the two channels of the River Rhône and the island in between (
Ile de la Barthelasse), the bridge was built between 1177 and January 1185. Originally made of wood, it had to be continuously rebuilt, as it was the only crossing, providing a link between the Mediterranean and Lyon, an important trade hub in the Middle Ages. The river finally won the day, washing away the bridge in the mid 1600s. Today, only four of its original 22 arches and the tiny
Chapelle St Nicholas remain. This delicate Romanesque chapel, dedicated to St Nicholas, patron saint of barge men, should not be missed. A small museum, situated beneath the ticket office, contains images of the bridge in former centuries.
6 rue Pente Rapide
Tel: (04) 9027 5116.
Website:
www.palais-des-papes.comFurther Distractions:Rocher des Doms Ramps from the Palais des Papes lead up past the Cathédrale Notre-Dame
des
Doms to the Rocher des Doms, the site of Avignon's earliest settlement. The rocky area was landscaped into a pleasant plateau with an artificial rock garden in the 18th century. Nineteenth-century additions include a lake and the statues of prominent Provençal figures, such as writer Félix Gras and artists Paul Saïn and Paul Vaysan. Terraces were laid out in the 20th century, offering sweeping views of the River Rhône, Pont St Bénézet, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the Alpilles. A shady idyll that draws courting couples and refugees from the afternoon heat.
Rocher des Doms, above place du Palais
Musée Louis Vouland (Louis Vouland Museum) Successful businessman and art collector Louis Vouland (1883-1973) bequeathed his 19th-century mansion to the state. His home was opened as a museum in 1982, offering a quirky collection of 17th and 18th-century decorative arts. Highlights include
faïence (earthenware) from Vincennes and Sèvres, and tapestries woven in Flanders, Aubusson and Gobelins. However, a dainty travel tea set in Sèvres
faïence, which belonged to the Comtesse du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, steals the show.
17 rue Victor Hugo
Tel: (04) 9086 0379.
Website:
www.vouland.comCollection Lambert en AvignonHoused in the Musée d'Art Contemporain, this unique ensemble of more than 350 contemporary artworks, which have been loaned by Yvon Lambert to the city of Avignon for over 20 years. The collection contains a most coherent ensemble of works by leading artists, including Cy Twombly, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Niele Toroni, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Christian Boltansky, Nan Goldin and Douglas Gordon. Two to three temporary exhibitions are presented each year in addition to the permanent collection.
5 rue Violette
Tel: (04) 9016 5620.
Website:
www.collectionlambert.com Musee Calvet (Calvet Museum) Housed in a splendid 18th-century mansion, the Musée Calvet displays a varied collection of paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century, ranging from the archaeological to beaux arts, from decorative to ethnic art.
65 rue Joseph Vernet
Tel: (04) 9086 3384.
Website:
www.musee-calvet.org
Le Musée Angladon
A former private home in the heart of historic Avignon, this museum is home to a collection of 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces by artists like Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso and Modigliani.
5 rue Laboreur
Tel: (04) 9082 2903.
Website:
www.angladon.com
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