---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Avignon, France | Wimup"
description: "What to do in Avignon: the Palais des Papes, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the Rocher des Doms, free city museums, the July festival and day trips to the Pont du Gard."
url: https://wimup.com/city/avignon
type: City guide
updated: 2026-10-12
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Avignon

Avignon, France · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read

Avignon is the city the popes built when they left Rome, and it still sits inside its 14th-century walls on the Rhône. The palace, the broken bridge and the cathedral make one UNESCO site, the city museums are free, and Roman Provence is a short train ride away.

## Quick answer

Give the Palais des Papes its morning with the free Histopad, walk out on what is left of the Pont Saint-Bénézet, then climb the Rocher des Doms for the view over the Rhône. The Petit Palais and the Calvet cost nothing. Spend the afternoon on the Rue des Teinturiers or take the free boat to the Barthelasse, and keep a day for the Pont du Gard or Arles.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep
- **Ideal length:** 2–3 days
- **Budget per day:** $160–250
- **Language:** French
- **Getting around:** Walking & Orizo trams
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Avignon

### 1. Palais des Papes

Palace · Place du Palais, 84000 Avignon

The popes built this fortress-palace between 1335 and 1352, and nothing else in Avignon comes close in scale. The free Histopad tablet rebuilds the bare rooms as they were; buy the combined ticket with the bridge at €19.50.

- **Time:** 2 hrs
- **Cost:** €16
- **Best at:** At opening
- **Tip:** Histopad is included

Links: [Website](https://palais-des-papes.com/informations-pratiques/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. Pont Saint-Bénézet

Bridge · Pont Saint-Bénézet, 84000 Avignon

Four of the original 22 arches survive, so the bridge of the nursery song now stops halfway across the Rhône. Entry is €6 from August 2026, or see it whole and free from the Rocher des Doms above.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** €6
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Combined ticket €19.50

Links: [Website](https://avignon-pont.com/tarifs/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 3. Climb the Rocher des Doms

Park · Rocher des Doms, 84000 Avignon

The garden on the rock above the palace is free and opens at 7:30 all year. Come for the view over the Rhône, the bridge and Villeneuve, and stay late: it closes at 18:00 in winter and 22:00 in June and July.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Sunset
- **Tip:** Closes 18:00 Oct–Mar

Links: [Website](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-parcs-et-jardins/les-parcs-du-centre-ville/parc-du-rocher-des-doms/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. Musée du Petit Palais

Museum · Place du Palais, 84000 Avignon

The old archbishops’ palace at the end of the square holds medieval and Renaissance painting, Italian primitives above all, with a Botticelli Madonna among them. Entry is free, and it closes on Mondays.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Closed Mondays

Links: [Website](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-musees/musee-du-petit-palais/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 5. Musée Calvet

Museum · 65 rue Joseph Vernet, 84000 Avignon

Fine art from the 15th to the 20th century in an 18th-century townhouse by Jean-Baptiste Franque, founded on the bequest of the physician Esprit Calvet. Free, closed Mondays and rarely crowded.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Afternoon
- **Tip:** Closed Mondays

Links: [Website](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-musees/musee-calvet?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 6. Collection Lambert

Museum · 5 rue Violette, 84000 Avignon

Contemporary art from the dealer Yvon Lambert, who gave his collection to the French State in 2011. Tickets are €12, and outside July and August it opens Wednesday to Sunday only.

- **Time:** 1.5 hrs
- **Cost:** €12
- **Best at:** Afternoon
- **Tip:** Closed Mon–Tue off-season

Links: [Website](https://collectionlambert.com/informations/horaires-et-acces/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 7. Les Halles d’Avignon

Market · Place Pie, 84000 Avignon

The covered market opens Tuesday to Sunday from 6:00 and is winding down by early afternoon. Look up on the way in: Patrick Blanc’s vertical garden covers the facade, 30 metres by 11.5.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free entry
- **Best at:** Before 10:00
- **Tip:** Closed Mondays

Links: [Website](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-halles-davignon/vos-commercants?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. Walk the Rue des Teinturiers

Street · Rue des Teinturiers, 84000 Avignon

The dyers’ street follows a branch of the Sorgue under plane trees. Twenty-three waterwheels drove the printed-fabric mills here in 1817 and four remain, with the Chapelle des Pénitents Gris on the water.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Evening
- **Tip:** Cafés line the canal

Links: [Website](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/water-wheels-of-teinturiers-avignon-en-4143892/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 9. Take the free boat to the Barthelasse

Boat · Bac à traille, Rhône quay, 84000 Avignon

A free electric shuttle crosses the Rhône in about two minutes, from below the Rocher des Doms to the Île de la Barthelasse, mid-February to December. The island path gives the best low view of the bridge and palace.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Bikes allowed on board

Links: [Website](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/river-shuttle-bac-a-traille-avignon-en-4143900/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 10. Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms

Cathedral · Place du Palais, 84000 Avignon

The cathedral beside the palace is older than it and free to enter. The gilded Virgin on its bell tower, placed in 1859 and weighing about 4.5 tonnes, is the figure you see from every viewpoint in town.

- **Time:** 30 min
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Pair it with the Rocher

Links: [Website](https://www.diocese-avignon.fr/paroisse/metropole-notre-dame-des-doms/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Best museums in Avignon

Six collections, three of them free, all inside the walls.

1. **Musée Angladon** (€12 · Closed Mon · Intra-muros): Jacques Doucet’s collection, with Van Gogh’s Railway Carriages among the modern works. [Website](https://www.angladon.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Palais du Roure** (Free · Closed Mon · Intra-muros): Provençal folk arts and traditions in a family mansion. The permanent collections are free.
3. **Musée Louis Vouland** (€8 · Closed Mon · Intra-muros): Decorative arts, furniture and faience in a collector’s house on rue Victor-Hugo. [Website](https://www.vouland.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Maison Jean Vilar** (Festival archive · Intra-muros): The Festival’s memory: archives and exhibitions, run with the national library. [Website](https://maisonjeanvilar.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
5. **Musée Lapidaire** (Free · Rue de la République): The Calvet’s antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Gallo-Roman stone, in a former Jesuit chapel.
6. **Musée Requien** (Free · Rue Joseph-Vernet): Natural history, with more than a million specimens, next door to the Calvet.

## Best restaurants in Avignon

Two Michelin stars inside the walls, and a Bib Gourmand for the rest of the week.

1. **La Mirande** (Modern French · €€€€ · Palais des Papes): One Michelin star for Florent Pietravalle, in a hotel behind the palace.
2. **Pollen** (Modern French · €€€ · Rue Joseph-Vernet): A Michelin star for Mathieu Desmarest and a surprise menu that follows the season. Closed weekends.
3. **Restaurant Sevin** (Modern French · €€€ · Palais des Papes): Guilhem Sevin cooks in Christian Étienne’s old house beside the palace, a building from around 1200.
4. **L’Agape** (Modern French · €€ · Corps-Saints): A Bib Gourmand on Place des Corps-Saints. Julien Gleize has cooked here since 2014.
5. **Hiély-Lucullus** (Modern · €€€€ · Rue de la République): Avignon-born Gérald Azoulay mixes Peru and Provence in a Belle Époque dining room.

## Best of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

The cardinals’ town on the far bank, and the view of Avignon you cannot get from Avignon.

1. **Fort Saint-André** (€7 · Monument · Villeneuve-lès-Avignon): The 14th-century fortress on Mont Andaon, with the best view back at the palace. €7, free under 18. [Website](https://www.fort-saint-andre.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **La Chartreuse** (€8 · Villeneuve-lès-Avignon): Innocent VI’s charterhouse, now the national centre for writing for the stage. [Website](https://chartreuse.org/site/visites-du-monument?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
3. **Jardins de l’Abbaye Saint-André** (Gardens · Villeneuve-lès-Avignon): Terraced gardens inside the fort walls, on a separate ticket from the fort.
4. **Tour Philippe-le-Bel** (Tower · Views · Villeneuve-lès-Avignon): The tower that guarded the French end of the Pont Saint-Bénézet. Climb it for the view.

## Best wine tasting around Avignon

One tasting room on the palace square, three appellations within the hour.

1. **Le Carré du Palais** (In town · Place du Palais): Inter Rhône’s wine centre on the palace square, with tastings and a wine school. [Website](https://www.carredupalais.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Châteauneuf-du-Pape** (About 15 km north · Vaucluse): The popes’ summer-castle ruin above the vines. Its 1936 appellation is often called France’s first.
3. **Tavel** (About 15 km north-west · Gard): The only French appellation for rosé alone, since 1936.
4. **Gigondas** (Dentelles de Montmirail · Vaucluse): Grenache under the Dentelles de Montmirail, a cru in its own right since 1971.

## Best neighborhoods in Avignon

Stay inside the walls if you can. The question is how close to the palace.

1. **Palais and Horloge** (Historic centre · Intra-muros): The papal core: Place du Palais, Place de l’Horloge and the busiest streets. Loudest in July.
2. **Teinturiers and Carnot** (Canal quarter · Intra-muros): The east side of the walled town, along the canal, quieter and cheaper than the centre.
3. **Île de la Barthelasse** (Island · Rural · Across the Rhône): Farms, orchards and campsites on a river island, linked to town by the free boat.

## Best day trips in Avignon

Seven trips, Roman Provence by rail and the Luberon by car.

1. **Pont du Gard** (Gard · By road · West): The three-tier Roman aqueduct bridge west of town, on the UNESCO list since 1985.
2. **Arles** (Rail · 20 min · South): The Roman arena and the town Van Gogh painted in 1888, about 20 minutes by train.
3. **Nîmes** (Rail · 30 min · West): The Maison Carrée and the arena, about 30 minutes by train.
4. **Orange** (Rail · 20 min · North): The Roman theatre, its stage wall still standing, a short train ride north.
5. **L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue** (Market town · East): Antique dealers along the canals, and a big Sunday market.
6. **Gordes** (Luberon · By road · East): The Luberon’s hilltop village, stacked on a cliff above the valley. Best by car.
7. **Les Baux-de-Provence** (Alpilles · By road · South): A ruined castle on a crag, and the Carrières des Lumières light shows in the quarry below.

## Best markets in Avignon

Three markets, one for every morning that matters.

1. **Les Halles** (Daily exc. Mon · Place Pie): The covered market on Place Pie, Tuesday to Sunday from 6:00, behind its green wall. [Website](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-halles-davignon/vos-commercants?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Marché du centre-ville** (Saturday morning · Place des Carmes): Saturday 8:00 to 13:00, local produce and crafts from Place des Carmes to Place Pie.
3. **Marché aux puces** (Sunday morning · Place des Carmes): The flea market on Place des Carmes, Sunday 8:00 to 13:00.

## Festivals & annual events in Avignon (2026)

- **Cheval Passion** (January): Five days of horse shows at the Parc des Expositions. The 40th edition ran 14 to 18 January 2026.
- **Les Hivernales** (February): The winter contemporary dance festival. The 2027 edition is set for 7 to 27 February.
- **Rencontres Cinématographiques du Sud** (March): Film previews across the city’s cinemas, Utopia among them. The 2026 edition ran 10 to 20 March.
- **Fête de la musique** (21 June): Free concerts in squares and courtyards across the walled town, as everywhere in France.
- **Festival d’Avignon** (July): Jean Vilar’s festival, founded 1947. The 80th edition ran 4 to 25 July 2026, with the Cour d’honneur as its main stage.
- **Festival Off** (July): The open fringe on the same dates: more than 1,700 shows in 2026, in some 140 theatres.
- **Jazz Avignon Musics** (Late July): Jazz in the Cloître des Carmes. The 2026 edition ran 28 July to 2 August.
- **Christmas markets** (Late Nov – early Jan): Chalets on Place de l’Horloge, listed for 27 November 2026 to 2 January 2027.

## Must-try dishes in Avignon, France

- **Papaline d’Avignon**: Pink chocolate filled with Origan du Comtat, a liqueur of Ventoux herbs.
- **Daube avignonnaise**: A slow wine stew, made here with lamb or mutton rather than beef.
- **Tapenade**: Olives, capers and anchovies pounded with olive oil, spread on toast.
- **Ratatouille**: Summer vegetables stewed down in olive oil, served warm or cold.
- **Melon de Cavaillon**: The Vaucluse melon, protected as an EU geographical indication since 2025.
- **Berlingots de Carpentras**: Striped hard sweets from the market town 25 minutes north-east.
- **Pompe à l’huile**: Olive-oil and orange-blossom brioche, broken by hand at Christmas.
- **Calissons**: Almond and candied-melon sweets from Aix, sold in every confiserie here.

## Avignon transport & airports

- **Avignon TGV** (TGV): Direct trains from Paris Gare de Lyon take about 2 hours 40. The Virgule shuttle reaches Avignon Centre, by the walls, in about five minutes. [Website](https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Marseille Provence** (MRS): The nearest airport with scheduled flights; Avignon’s own has had none since 2023. Direct coaches reach Avignon in about an hour. [Website](https://www.marseille-airport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Orizo trams and buses** (Tram): Tram line T1 and the bus network of Greater Avignon. The walled town itself is best on foot. [Website](https://www.orizo.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Vélopop’ and parking** (Bike): Vélopop’ e-bikes at 29 stations. Drivers can leave the car free at the Île Piot park-and-ride and take the free shuttle in. [Website](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/velopop-self-service-bicycles-avignon-en-4993256/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Avignon at a glance

- **Country:** France
- **Region:** Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, prefecture of Vaucluse
- **Population:** 92,188 in the commune (INSEE, 2023)
- **Papal seat:** 1309 to 1377, then the Avignon antipopes until 1403
- **French since:** 14 September 1791
- **UNESCO:** Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge, listed 1995
- **Language:** French
- **Currency:** Euro (EUR)
- **Time zone:** CET (UTC+1), CEST in summer
- **Calling code:** +33, landlines start 04
- **Airports:** Marseille Provence (MRS), about an hour by coach
- **Emergency:** 112 Europe-wide, 15 medical, 17 police, 18 fire

## Interesting facts

- Pope Clement VI bought Avignon from Queen Joanna of Naples in 1348, for 80,000 florins.
- Seven popes reigned here from 1309, and the city stayed papal land until France annexed it in 1791.
- The walls run 4.3 km around the old town. Work began in 1355 under Innocent VI.
- Jean Vilar founded the festival in 1947. Its Off fringe now stages more than 1,700 shows each July.
- Only four of the Pont Saint-Bénézet’s 22 arches survive. Rhône floods ended its use in the 17th century.

## Avignon travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Avignon?

Two. One for the Palais des Papes, the bridge, the Rocher des Doms and the free museums, one across the river in Villeneuve or on the Barthelasse. Add a third for the Pont du Gard, Arles or the Luberon.

### When is the best time to visit Avignon?

May, June and September: warm, dry and calmer. July belongs to the festival, with the In and the Off filling every stage and hotel rates at their peak. The mistral blows hardest in winter and spring.

### Are Avignon’s museums free?

The city’s own are: the Calvet, the Petit Palais, the Lapidaire, the Requien and the Palais du Roure’s permanent collections. The Palais des Papes is €16, the bridge €6, and the two together €19.50.

### How do you get to Avignon from Paris?

Direct TGVs from Paris Gare de Lyon reach Avignon TGV in about 2 hours 40. The Virgule shuttle train then runs to Avignon Centre, beside the walls, in about five minutes.

### Do you need a car in Avignon?

Not for the city. The walled town is walkable, Orizo runs the tram and buses, and trains reach Arles, Nîmes and Orange. A car pays off only for the Pont du Gard, Gordes and the wine villages.

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Part of the [France guide](https://wimup.com/country/france.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md)

## Sources

- [Avignon tourism board](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Palais des Papes (official site)](https://palais-des-papes.com/informations-pratiques/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Pont Saint-Bénézet (official site)](https://avignon-pont.com/tarifs/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Climb the Rocher des Doms (official site)](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-parcs-et-jardins/les-parcs-du-centre-ville/parc-du-rocher-des-doms/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Musée du Petit Palais (official site)](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-musees/musee-du-petit-palais/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Musée Calvet (official site)](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-musees/musee-calvet?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Collection Lambert (official site)](https://collectionlambert.com/informations/horaires-et-acces/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Les Halles d’Avignon (official site)](https://www.avignon.fr/les-equipements/les-halles-davignon/vos-commercants?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Walk the Rue des Teinturiers (official site)](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/water-wheels-of-teinturiers-avignon-en-4143892/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Take the free boat to the Barthelasse (official site)](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/river-shuttle-bac-a-traille-avignon-en-4143900/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms (official site)](https://www.diocese-avignon.fr/paroisse/metropole-notre-dame-des-doms/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Musée Angladon (official site)](https://www.angladon.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Musée Louis Vouland (official site)](https://www.vouland.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Maison Jean Vilar (official site)](https://maisonjeanvilar.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Fort Saint-André (official site)](https://www.fort-saint-andre.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [La Chartreuse (official site)](https://chartreuse.org/site/visites-du-monument?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Le Carré du Palais (official site)](https://www.carredupalais.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Avignon TGV (official site)](https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Marseille Provence (official site)](https://www.marseille-airport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Orizo trams and buses (official site)](https://www.orizo.fr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Vélopop’ and parking (official site)](https://avignon-tourisme.com/en/offres/velopop-self-service-bicycles-avignon-en-4993256/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.