A plan for Avignon

Avignon is famous as the city to which the Popes fled when leaving the corruption of Rome in the 14th century. Le Palais des Papes (Palace of Popes) which was built then is the world's largest Gothic building. It was largely emptied over the centuries, and its vast stone rooms are filled with little more than old frescos, but it is still an imposing building. The Ramparts themselves were erected to keep the plague and invaders out during the turbulent Middle Ages, when Avignon belonged to the papacy and not the French crown.

Its early history is much older than the popes, however. Avignon occupies a strategic location for several reasons - it is at the confluence of two once-mighty rivers: the Rhône, still one of the biggest rivers in France, and the now largely-dammed Durance. Both were important routes of trade and communication even in prehistoric times. In addition, there is a long island in the Rhone that made it possible to ferry people and goods across, and later bridge the river, more easily than in other places.

The city has a population of 92,000 people (2017), 16,000 of which live 'intra-muros,' or within the ramparts built in the 14th century.

The city is now sprinkled with buildings and monuments ranging from the new to the old, the very old, and the ageless.

History

Avignon has been continuously inhabited since the stone age, when habitations were built in caves in the “Rocher des Doms”, a massive outcropping of rock rising over the banks of the Rhône. Today, a public park with benches, views over the surrounding countryside, a café and playground is on top of the Rocher.

The Romans had a presence in Avignon, though the walls they built lie buried somewhere under the modern streets. Vestiges of the forum can still be seen, lying unassumingly near the Rue Racine and the Rue Saint-Étienne, to the west of the city.

1 Papal Palace (Palais des Papes), Place du palais des papes. This is the palace where the Popes of Avignon ruled. For part of the period the Papacy was divided, with a Pope in Rome and another in Avignon. Most of the artwork inside (statues, frescoes) was destroyed during the French Revolution, but the impressive building still stands, and little bits of artwork, such as those that were too high to be convenient to ruin, remain.

2 Pont Saint-Bénezet (Pont d'Avignon). It is a ruined bridge not far from the Palais des Papes. The bridge was built in the Middle Ages — before the arrival of the Papacy — perhaps partly to allow the local bishop to cross the river to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, where the church authorities had installed themselves because of Avignon's then-infamous dirt and lawlessness.The legend of the bridge's building is that a local shepherd, Benezet (a dialect form of Benedict) was inspired by angels to build a bridge. When his appeals to the town authorities proved fruitless, he picked up a vast block of stone and hurled it into the river, to be the bridge's foundation stone. Convinced by this demonstration of divine will, the bridge was swiftly built. The poor shepherd boy was canonised, and his chapel remains on the surviving portion of the bridge.The bridge was built with 22 arches, reaching across to the tower of Philippe le Bel via small mid-stream islands.

If you are confident about biking, there are a lot of places to bike to alongside bike lanes, including the green Barthelasse island, historic Villeneuve. Avignon lies along the ViaRhona, a major cycling itinerary between northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Rugby league: SO Avignon play in Elite 1, the top French tier for 13-a-side rugby. Their home ground is Parc des Sports (capacity 10,000) 3 km southeast of town centre. The playing season is Sept-April.

Events

1 Theatre Festival (Festival d'Avignon). Avignon is famous the world over for its annual theatre festival. For three or four weeks in July the city is virtually swollen with street performers, actors, musicians, and of course the ubiquitous tourists. The festival is an excuse to turn any room with enough seating into a 'salle de spectacle' and the city is host to a wide variety of entertainment. The gem of this festival are the performances which take place inside the Pope's Palace itself. Tickets are expensive, but this is considered by many French and European thespians to be a crowning achievement of their career. The vast majority of performances are, of course, in French but a number of foreign companies perform in other languages including English. Even without attending any events, the atmosphere and street theatre give the city a marvellous feeling.

The International Congress Center. Was created in 1976 within the outstanding premises of the Palace of the Popes and hosts many events throughout the entire year.

Budget

1 Le Palais des Pâtes, 38 Rue du Vieux Sextier. (updated Feb 2023)

2 Chez Bodus Le Garçon Boucher, 1 Rue Saint-Michel. Hamburger (updated Feb 2023)

3 Caf'Thiers, 12 Rue Thiers. (updated Feb 2023)

4 Mamma rosa, 19 Rue Portail Matheron. (updated Feb 2023)

5 Rossini Sandwicherie, 4 Rue Félix Gras. (updated Feb 2023)

6 El Taquito, Rue de la Bonneterie. Mexican (updated Feb 2023)

7 L'Épicerie de Ginette, 25 Pl. des Corps Saints. (updated Feb 2023)

Mid-range

8 D'Ici et d'Ailleurs, 4, rue Galante, ☏ +33 4 90 14 63 65. "Fresh products on a sunny terrace." (updated Feb 2023)

9 Fou de Fafa, 17 Rue Des Trois Faucons, ☏ +33 4 32 76 35 13, restaurantfoudefafa@gmail.com. dinner from 18:30. Quality French food with an international twist. (updated Feb 2023)

10 L'Epicerie, 10, Place Saint Pierre (tucked in a nice little square just south of the Palais des Papes), ☏ +33 49 0827422. Try the Assiette Epicière for a plate full of provençal specialities such as tapenade, ratatouille, with a salad and some ham. (updated Feb 2023)

11 Restaurant EAT, 8 Rue Mazan. French cuisine (updated Feb 2023)

12 Avenio, 19 Rue Des Trois Faucons. French cuisine. (updated Feb 2023)

Cafe In Et Off, Place Du Palais Des Papes. (updated May 2023)

Splurge

13 Restaurant Sevin, 10 Rue de Mons (just south of the Palais des Papes), ☏ +33 4 90 86 16 50. A well-known Provençale chef. An excellent vegetarian menu is available. (updated Feb 2023)

14 Hiély Lucullus, 5 Rue de la République. Haute French restaurant with Peruvian influences. (updated Feb 2023)

The Rhone valley around Avignon is a major wine-growing region. The most famous wine is Châteauneuf du Pape, which translates as "the Pope's new house"; in medieval times there were some Popes based in Avignon. The reds are better known but there are also some fine whites.

1 Le Vin Devant Soi wine shop, 4 rue Collège du Roure (just off of Rue de la République, south of the Place de l'Horlorge), ☏ +33 4 90 82 04 39. Mon-Sat 10:00-19:30. This wine shop has a permanent tasting machine set up with 32 wines. You purchase tasting credit for however much you like, they give you a card that you can put in the tasting machine to select the wine you want to taste. Tastes come in three different sizes, with different prices for different wines. The staff is very friendly, and there is a nice atmosphere. (updated Nov 2023)

The old city centre is not very big and can be easily explored on foot. An automatic bike sharing scheme called Vélopop' allows you to ride along. Smartcard needed.