Avignon

Avignon, for some time capital of Christendom in the Middle Ages, retains the indelible mark of its grandiose destiny : the palais des papes (palace of the popes), the Saint-Benezet brigde, called the « pont d’Avignon » of worldwide fame through its commemoration by the song, and the ramparts constitute an exceptional complex of monuments listed by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. In addition dozens of churches and chapels, all remains of a past rich in history give the city its unique atmosphere.

Birthplace of the prestigious festival of contemporary theatre, European Capital of Culture in 2000, Avignon also has many museums, an opera house / theatre, an exhibition hall and a congress center with installations on the cutting edge of technology located within the outstanding premises of the Palais des Papes.

Only 2 hours and 40 minutes from Paris, one hour from Lyon and 30 minutes from Marseille by TGV (high speed train), Avignon offers numerous possibilities for sightseeing, activities and events, and also has plenty of attractive shops, places to discover Provençal cooking, local specialities and the Côtes du Rhône wines…

All the beauty of Provence is on your doorstep. Villages perched high up in the Luberon and the Alpilles, the wild Camargue, Roman towns, lavender fields as far as the eye can see on the plateaux of Vaucluse, the jagged peaks of the dentelles de Montmirail, foothills of Provence’s highest peak, the Mont Ventoux…

Enter the realm of seduction and charm that this animated Provençal city offers!

What to see

Sights

Old Avignon (there's no need to bother with the new town) is a walled medieval city shaped like a rhombus and bordered on two sides by the mighty Rhône. Its fortified ramparts run unbroken for 4.5km, but their diminutive height makes them oddly unimpressive. Once there was a moat, which made them twice as tall.

Palais des Papes: The massive Palais des Papes, built when the Holy See removed its seat to Avignon in 1309 fearing insurrection in Rome, is altogether more impregnable and austere, and dominates the town, both with its bulk and in its capacity as a tourist attraction. It claims to be the world's largest Gothic palace and is undeniably impressive - even beautiful - from outside, with its towers, spires and crenellations; but it is tedious to visit. The opulent trappings of papal power have long since been stripped out, and its 25 rooms are mostly bare. The exception is the papal bedroom, where frescoes of vines and birds are intact, and there's a richly coloured, (though reproduction) tiled floor.

Pont St-Benezet: More than 800 years old, it is an impressive structure, even though less than a fifth of it still stands, 18 of its original 22 arches having collapsed or been washed away by the spectacularly fast-flowing currents of the Rhône. There are good views of both the city and its towers and turrets, and a couple of kilometres east, on the far bank, across to the satellite town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, where many of Avignon's cardinals built grand mansions known as livrées cardinalices.

Parc Rocher des Doms: For another good viewpoint, visit the Parc Rocher des Doms, where on a clear day you should be able to see as far as Mont Ventoux (1,909m), the tallest mountain in Provence.

Museums and galleries

Petit Palais: Located on the Place du Palais, a vast cobbled square that offers a crash course in the history of European architecture, flanked as it is by buildings dating from almost every century since the 13th, the Petit Palais, a former archbishop's palace, is much lovelier than the pope's home. It now contains a world-class collection of Italian Renaissance painting, including a transfixing Botticelli, as well as works by Carpaccio and Crivelli. Among the most intriguing is a Gerini of the Devil as a woman in a red dress (the tail and clawed feet are a bit of a giveaway).

Musée Calvet (65 rue Joseph Vernet) : The Musée Calvet is also worth visiting just for its building, an elegant 18th-century mansion built around two courtyards. It has a fine collection of paintings ranging from Brueghel to Bernard Buffet, via Géricault, Daumier, Bonnard and Vuillard, interspersed with the odd curiosity, including a 13th-century Cambodian head and a pair of mounted narwhal tusks, each a couple of metres long.

Musée Angladon: 5 rue Laboureur: The musée occupies the former home of the heir to the Parisian couturier and collector Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), exhibits half-a-dozen Picassos, as well as paintings by Degas, Derain, Modigliani, Van Gogh, Manet, Cezanne and Sisley. And the sumptuously decorated upstairs rooms, their walls lined in gorgeous patterned silks, are a treat.

Collection Lambert 5 rue Violette: For aficionados of contemporary art, the new Collection Lambert, in another hôtel particulier, this time with interiors by Andrée Putman, contains work by Carl André, Anslem Kiefer, Christian Boltanski and the only exhibited works by Nan Goldin and Cy Twombly in France. NB Closes for weeks at a time so check in advance.

Musée Louis Vouland 17 rue Victor Hugo : The Musée Louis Vouland is another townhouse named in honour of its former owner, a city father and grand bourgeois with a passion for porcelain and antique furniture. It is an intriguing collection but unfortunately rather untidily displayed.

Getting around

Despite the hazards of driving in Avignon (signposts are few and misleading, drivers can be aggressive and reckless, and there are few places to park) getting around is easiest with a hire car, and most of the main hire companies are represented at the airport.

How to get there

Airport: Avignon airport is 8km southeast of the city centre.
Airlines from the UK: Air France flies from Heathrow to Avignon, via Paris-Orly. Ryanair flies from Stansted to Nîmes-Marseilles airport, about 30km from Avignon. Taxis won't always accept the fare; but you can take a shuttle bus to Nîmes station, from which there are hourly trains to Avignon.

Tourist info: Office de Tourisme Avignon, 41 cours Jean-Jaurès (+33 4 32 74 32 74), can advise on museum opening times.

When to go: It is worth braving the heat for the city's internationally renowned summer arts festival, held in July and August. However the spring is the best time to visit for sightseeing.

Avignone

Avignone, Capitale della Cristianità nel Medio Evo, ha conservato l’impronta del suo prestigioso passato: il Palazzo dei Papi, il ponte Saint Bénezet, detto «ponte di Avignone», noto in tutto il mondo per la celebre canzone, le mura, uno straordinario complesso monumentale iscritto nel Patrimonio Mondiale dell’UNESCO, decine di chiese e di cappelle, vestigia di una ricca storia che conferiscono alla città un’atmosfera unica.

Culla di un rinomatissimo festival di teatro contemporaneo, città europea della cultura nell’anno 2000, Avignone è dotata di numerosi musei, di un teatro dell’opera, di un parco delle esposizioni e di un centro congressi all’avanguardia tecnologica, integrato al centro stesso del Palazzo dei Papi.

A 2 ore e 40 da Parigi, a 1 ora da Lione e a 30 minuti da Marsiglia in Treno ad Alta Velocità (TGV), Avignone offre tutto l’anno numerose possibilità di visite, animazioni, manifestazioni; non mancano di certo bei negozi e locali per scoprire la cucina provenzale, le specialità del territorio e i vini Côtes du Rhône…

Tutte le bellezze della Provenza sono a due passi. Paesini inerpicati del Luberon e delle Alpilles, Camargue selvatica, città romane, lavanda a perdita d’occhio nell’altopiano del Vaucluse, rilievi delle Dentelles de Montmirail e del Monte Ventoso…

Lasciatevi ammaliare da questa città provenzale animata e ricca di charme!

Wikipedia

Geo Data

• Latitude: 43.9493170 (43° 56' 57.54'' N)
• Longitude: 4.8055280 (4° 48' 19.90'' E)
• Elevation: 30.09 m
• Demonym: Avignonnais
• Motto: Unguibus et rostro (Avec des griffes et un bec)
• Population (2013): 90 305 hab
• Country rank: 42^nd
• Density: 1 394 hab./km^²
• Discover Avignon
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• Center of Avignon Map or City of Avignon Map
• GPX eXchange format
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• KML Syntax

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