Avignon, France

Avignon is one of the major cities of Provence, in Southern France. It is the main city of the departement of Vaucluse, and is located on the banks of the Rhone river. The city is probably best known for its Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), where the Popes lived for much of the 14th century. For centuries, it has also been one of the major artistic centres of France.

Avignon has an immaculately preserved medieval town with endless impressively decorated buildings, ancient churches, chapels and convents, and plenty of places to eat and drink. There is a great shopping area, with pedestrian streets without cars and loads of shops of all kinds. Southeast of the Place de l'Horloge: rue des Marchands, rue Rouge and ajoining streets are full of clothing and other shops.

Things to See & Do

* Palace of the Popes
* Le Pont Saint-Benezet - bridge
* Museum of Modern Art
* Notre Dame Des Doms - cathedral
* Calvet Museum

General Information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - French
Land Area - 64.78 km²
Population - 92,000 appox
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 33

Port Location - The port is centrally located on the Rhone River.

Travel Links - Avignon lies on the TGV line from Paris to Marseille, about three hours from Paris, Gare de Lyon. It is also served by numerous local and regional services.

Local and regional trains call at the central station, outside the walls on the southern edge of the old town. TGVs call at Avignon TGV, about 2km out of town. It is also possible to catch the Eurostar direct from London to Avignon.

The airport is 8 km southeast of the center, at the Exposition Center, and along the main N7 highway. There is no bus or shuttle to town.
Bus Line 57A runs daily between Saint Remy-de-Provence and Avignon, with stops in Eyragues, Chateaurenard and Rognonas.