FR · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · 43.95°N 4.81°E

avignon

A vast papal palace, medieval walls and a bridge ending halfway across the Rhône.

Best time
April to June and September to October are best for walking. July is the theatre festival, when the city is packed and rooms are scarce; July and August are hot, and winter can be bright but very windy.
How long
2 days
Getting there
Fly direct to Paris on Malaysia Airlines (about 13.5 hours), then a TGV to Avignon TGV station (about 3 hours from Gare de Lyon; some leave straight from CDG airport) and the 5-minute shuttle train to Avignon Centre, by the walls. France is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
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FR · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azuravignon43.95°N 4.81°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,A vast papal palace, medieval walls and a bridge ending halfway across the Rhône.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingAvignonFR, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
KLavignon
≈ 10,314 km from KL, as the crow flies
Vue aérienne Avignon

Photo: OT Avignon · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

For most of the 1300s the popes lived in Avignon, not Rome, and the old town still sits inside its medieval walls. The palace fills the skyline, but the smaller pleasures are shaded squares, the covered market and the Rhône just outside the gates.

Makan

  1. TapenadeA salty spread of olives and capers, often with anchovies mixed in.Map ↗
  2. RatatouilleCourgettes, aubergines, peppers and tomatoes slow-cooked in olive oil.Map ↗
  3. Papeton d'auberginesAvignon's own aubergine flan, served with tomato sauce.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Palais des PapesThe vast Gothic palace the popes built here, with huge stone halls and painted chapels.Map ↗
  2. Pont Saint-BénezetThe bridge from the nursery rhyme, its four surviving arches stopping halfway across the Rhône.Map ↗
  3. Rocher des DomsA garden on the rock next to the palace, looking down on the bridge and the river.Map ↗
  4. Rue des TeinturiersA cobbled street under plane trees, with old waterwheels turning in the stream.Map ↗
  5. Les HallesThe covered market, with a living plant wall outside and Provençal produce, olives and ready food inside.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Avignon TGV and Avignon Centre are different stations; the TGV one is out of town.
  • Turkish and North African takeaways are the easiest halal meal. Daube, the local beef stew, is cooked in wine.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.