Provence
Avignon
The best car-free Provence base: do the walled Intra-Muros in a day, book the Palais des Papes, then take tours and buses out to Pont du Gard, the Luberon and the lavender plateaus.
Best length
3-4 nights as a Provence base
Nearest airport
Marseille Provence (MRS), ~80km; arrive ~1h by bus+train
By rail from UK
Eurostar to Paris then TGV; ~7h total to Avignon TGV
Best base
Intra-Muros, the old town inside the walls
In short
Avignon at a glance
Avignon is the practical base for a first Provence trip: a compact walled old town you can do in a day, then day trips out to Pont du Gard, the Luberon hill villages and the lavender plateaus. Stay inside the walls (Intra-Muros), book the Palais des Papes, and decide early whether you want a hire car or will lean on tours and the bus.
The short version
- Stay inside the walls (Intra-Muros) near Place de l'Horloge so the Palais, the bridge and the restaurants are all on foot.
- Avignon TGV station is 6km out: take the 6-minute shuttle train to Avignon Centre rather than a taxi.
- The town itself is a day; the real reason to base here is Pont du Gard, Gordes, Roussillon and the lavender, which are day trips.
- Lavender peaks in the first two weeks of July on the Valensole plateau; June is too early, August is mostly harvested.
- Without a car the Luberon villages are awkward, so book a small-group tour day or hire a car for the rural runs.
Avignon’s reputation rests on one building — the vast 14th-century Palais des Papes, when the popes ran the Catholic church from here rather than Rome — and a half-finished bridge from a nursery rhyme. Both are worth seeing, but you can do the walled old town in a single unhurried day. The real case for Avignon is what surrounds it: this is the most practical base in Provence, with the Pont du Gard aqueduct, the ochre and stone hill villages of the Luberon, and the lavender plateaus all within day-trip range.
That changes how you plan. Stay inside the walls (Intra-Muros), ideally near Place de l’Horloge so the Palais, the restaurants and the bridge are on foot, and book the Palais ticket before you go. Then decide early how you’ll reach the countryside: Pont du Gard has a direct bus, but the Luberon villages and the lavender fields are genuinely awkward without either a hire car or a small-group tour. Get that decision right and Avignon earns its three or four nights.
A note on timing, because Provence has two traps. July brings the lavender at its best — the first two weeks, on the higher Valensole plateau — but it also brings the Festival d’Avignon, which packs out hotels and pushes prices up sharply, plus serious heat. Come in June and the lavender is often still green; come in August and much of it is already cut. The structured planning below — where to stay, what to book, how to get in, and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Avignon
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is the largest Gothic palace in Europe and the seat of the popes from 1309 to 1377 — but the rooms today are mostly bare stone, so the free HistoPad tablet that reconstructs them in augmented reality is what makes the visit work, not an add-on. Buy the €17 combined ticket that also covers the Pont Saint-Bénézet (the famous half-bridge) since they sit five minutes apart. Allow 1.5–2 hours, and don't bother booking weeks ahead — it rarely sells out the way Paris sights do.
Pont Saint-Benezet (Pont d'Avignon)
The famous half-bridge from the nursery rhyme, now ending abruptly mid-Rhone after floods washed away most of its arches. It's honestly a 20-minute photo-and-audioguide stop, so buy it on the combined ticket with the Palais des Papes rather than paying separately. The free view is from the Ile de la Barthelasse.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Intra-Muros (inside the walls)
££ mid-rangeThe whole point of Avignon: a compact medieval centre where the Palais, the bridge, Place de l'Horloge and the best restaurants are all walkable. First-timers should stay here and nowhere else unless price forces it.
Best for: First-timers, no car, short stays
Around Rue des Teinturiers
££ mid-rangeThe southeast corner inside the walls, with the old waterwheel street, independent bars and a more local evening feel than the main square. Quieter at night but still on foot to everything.
Best for: Food-led trips, repeat visitors, value
Quartier Vernet
££ mid-rangeThe leafier southwest of the old town, with townhouse hotels, galleries and a calmer street feel. Good if you want walls-in convenience without the square's noise.
Best for: Couples, quiet, art
Villeneuve-les-Avignon / outside the walls
£ valueCheaper hotels and easier parking sit across the river or out by the ring road. Fine with a hire car, but you lose the walk-everywhere appeal that makes Avignon worth basing in.
Best for: Drivers, budget, families with a car
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avignon TGV shuttle train to Avignon Centre | ~6 min | about €1.80 | The sensible way in from TGV trains |
| Marseille Provence airport: shuttle bus + TER train | ~1h door to Avignon Centre | around €13-€20 | Cheapest from MRS; free airport shuttle to Vitrolles station |
| FlixBus from Marseille airport | ~1h | about €7-€10 | Limited daily departures, check times |
| Taxi from Marseille airport | ~60-65 min | €150-€180 | Only worth it split between four people late at night |
When to go
Sweet spot: May, June, September and early October give the best Provence weather without the worst heat or crowds. If lavender is the goal, target the first two weeks of July on the Valensole plateau; come a fortnight too early in June and the fields are still green, too late in August and most are already cut.
July is peak: lavender, the Festival d'Avignon theatre takeover (which fills hotels and pushes prices up sharply), and real heat. Spring and early autumn are gentler for walking and day trips. Winter is quiet and cheap but the rural buses and seasonal tours thin out, so it suits a town-only break rather than a Provence-touring one.
What it costs
There are no UK flights to Avignon itself; most people fly to Marseille (return fares often £40-£110 outside school holidays) or take Eurostar to Paris and a TGV down. Nimes and Montpellier are alternative airports for the western day trips.
Daily budget per person
The hidden cost in Provence is the day trips, not the town. A small-group Luberon or lavender tour runs roughly £60-£90 a head, and a few days of car hire plus fuel and tolls adds up fast, so budget the excursions deliberately rather than treating them as extras.
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