Are you visiting Avignon for one day and wondering how to best plan your time so that you can see the very best of Avignon in a limited time? I will tell you what we did on our day in Avignon to give you some ideas of what is possible to do in one day.
After a very nice previous day visiting The Camargue and Arles Day 2, we started the day in Avignon at “Le Precieuses Suites” flat.
We were travelling independently in France with a car as we are confident travellers and speak a bit of the language. However, if you prefer to be part of a tour and to have everything organised for you, I advise you to book a complete tour with Tourradar.
Tourradar has different kinds of tours that will fit your time and budget. If you book it via my links you can get a discount by using this code: RoseG50.
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As it was not a B & B or hotel, we didn’t have breakfast available, so we got ready and left for the day. We looked for a café in the town centre and had breakfast there. Only after breakfast we were fully awake and ready to start exploring.
Below is a map showing the places we visited in Avignon:
Before I start telling you about our day in Avignon, let’s learn a little bit about it:
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AVIGNON
Avignon, in southeastern France, is famous for being the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1377.
This period saw seven popes ruling from the city instead of Rome, fundamentally shifting European power dynamics. The “Palais des Papes”, a massive Gothic fortress-palace, remains a dominant landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Strategically located on the Rhône River, Avignon was a key medieval trade and religious centre. The city is also known for the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the ruined medieval bridge that inspired the French song Sur le Pont d’Avignon.
Today, Avignon is a cultural hub, hosting the annual Festival d’Avignon, one of Europe’s most important performing arts festivals. It retains much of its medieval charm, with well-preserved ramparts, cobblestone streets, and a strong regional identity tied to Provence’s wine and cuisine.
VISITING AVIGNON
After breakfast, we strolled through the streets of the Town centre, admiring the buildings. We headed to the local food market called “Les Halles d’Avignon”.
The original market was built at the end of the 19th century, but in the 1970s, it was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate car parking.
In 2006, the façade was refurbished, and a green wall was designed by the botanist Patrick Blanc. He also designed a similar wall for the “Musée des Arts Premier” in Paris.
There are about forty stalls selling all kinds of local produce. On Saturdays, at around 11 am, they have lively cookery classes given by local leading chefs from the area. Every week, a different chef gives cookery classes or performs food-friendly activities.
Unfortunately, we were not there on a Saturday, so we missed it. Keep this in mind if you are there on a Saturday and have an interest in cookery.
We love to visit food markets, and this one didn’t disappoint with its colourful stalls and produce.
From “Les Halles”, we walked to Rue des Lices and Rue des Tinturies.
Rue des Tinturies (Dyers Street) is a charming street alongside the Sorgue River, which provided the waterpower necessary to the dye process that used to take place on this street in the past.
The road is lined with sycamore trees, but some of them were cut down, only the stump was left, and it looks a bit untied. There are some water wheels left from the time they used to work.
I found this place a bit underwhelming, and the river was full of rubbish. However, some buildings on this street are worth admiring, buildings such as the “Penitents Gris d’Avignon”, “Maison du IV de Chiffre” and “Couvent des Cordeliers”. Apparently, it is a nice place to go in the evening as this street is full of lively bars and restaurants.
From there, we walked in the direction of the Palais du Pape, passing through “Place de l’Horloge” where the “Opéra Grand Avignon” is located. Soon, we arrived at “Place du Palais” where the entrance to the palace is. The Avignon Cathedral is also located on this square.
You can buy a combined ticket to visit the “Palais du Pape” and the bridge “Saint Benézet”. (Le Pont d’Avignon from the children’s song Sur le Pont d’Avignon). However, they said that the bridge was closed that day, and no combined ticket was available. So, we only visited the palace and gardens.
The “Palais des Papes” is the largest Gothic palace in Europe and was the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1377. Built primarily under Pope Benedict XII and Pope Clement VI, it functioned as both a fortress and a lavish residence, reflecting the immense political and religious power of the papacy at the time.
The palace is huge, but I didn’t find it as lavish as many other palaces we visited. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a major tourist attraction in Avignon, so it should not be missed.
“Le Pont d’Avignon”, officially called the “Pont Saint-Bénézet”, is a famous medieval bridge spanning the Rhône River in Avignon. Originally built in the 12th century, it was once 900 meters long with 22 arches, connecting Avignon to the town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
Legend attributes its construction to Saint Bénézet, a shepherd who, according to myth, was divinely inspired to build a bridge. However, the Rhône’s strong currents repeatedly damaged it, and by the 17th century, flooding had destroyed most of the structure. Today, only four arches remain, ending abruptly in the river. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of Avignon’s medieval past.
When visiting the bridge, you can walk across it, enjoy the views and learn about its history.
After we visited the palace, we went back to “Place de l’Horloge” where we saw many nice restaurants. We picked one of the restaurants and had a late lunch there before exploring a bit more of the centre of Avignon.
While at the restaurant, we found out why the bridge was closed on that day. This was because the Olympic Flame was coming to town on that day, and it was going to arrive and carried over the bridge before coming down on the streets again. This was going to happen at 7 pm, and after that, there was going to be a music show in the area.
We went back to our flat for a shower and some relaxing time before going out and mingling in the middle of the people to try to see the flame. We found a good place and were able to see it close by.
It was a nice surprise, and we understood why the town was a bit of a chaos with road closures, maniac traffic and the closure of the bridge. All was in preparation for this event.
Once the Olympic Flame passed, we left the area and walked to “Le Violette”, a restaurant where we wanted to have dinner, but they didn’t accept reservations via e-mail. We didn’t book and were hoping we would get a table without a reservation. We were lucky, and as soon as we arrived, we were seated at the patio where all the tables were.
We had an excellent dinner there. The food was delicious and the wine and service, first class. Something positive about Avignon to end our visit there.
This was the end of our day in Avignon. There are more places to visit, and if we had the time, we would see them, but on this trip, only a day was planned for Avignon.
Time allowing, I would include museums such as “Collection Lambert” and “Musée Angladon”. I would also explore the “Île de la Barthelasse” and the medieval town of “Villeneuve-les-Avignon” just on the other side of the river.
I would have loved to take this tour of Avignon where you can walk through the historic centre, exploring the hidden alleyways, learning about the city’s rich history. This is right up my street, but there was no time left for anything else.
With more time I would also take a half-day tour to visit Châteauneuf du Pape in a tasting wine tour. It is half an hour from Avignon and there is a stop at the ruins of the Pope’s summer residence and a visit to two wineries for wine tasting. I think this tour would be a highlight.
My honest opinion and impression of Avignon is not very positive. From the moment of our arrival and the traffic we had to endure, everything seemed a bit underwhelming, and we thought the town had a very bad smell of sewage.
I would still go back to the town and spend more time there; perhaps I can change my opinion in a different time other than such a busy one as the preparations for the Olympics.
Below is a reel from The Travelling Surveyor Instagram account with more photos of Avignon. Check it out and follow me on Instagram as well.
The following day was time to start our way back north, and the next town we would stop to visit was Dijon. I will tell you about our visit to Dijon in my next post.
I hope this post will give you some idea of what can be done in a day in Avignon and will help you plan your own visit there.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP TO AVIGNON
Below you will find a list of what to visit, where to stay and where to eat in Avignon. I classified each place as follows:
BOLD – Visited, tried and recommended
NOT BOLD – Not visited or tried, but planning to visit or try and heard very good reviews
RED – Visited and tried but do not recommend, avoid or be cautious
*** – Excellent
** – Good
* – OK
£££ – Expensive
££ – Fair and affordable
£ – Cheap
PLEASE NOTE: Every hotel, restaurants and attractions I mention on my blogs are not sponsored reviews and we always paid the full price when visiting. We give our own opinion of the place and detail our experience, good or bad.
THINGS TO DO
ATTRACTIONS
1 – Les Halles d’Avignon – ***
2 – Rue des Tinturies – **
3 – Palais des Papes – ***
4 – Pont d’Avignon – ***
5 – Place de l’Horloge – ***
6 – The Old Town – ***
8 – Musée Angladon
WHERE TO STAY
ACCOMMODATION
1 – Les Précieuses Suites & Spa II – 3* – ££
2 – N15 – Les Confidences – Chambres d’hôtel – 3* – ££
3 – Hôtel Le Bristol – 4* – ££
4 – Les Précieuses Suites & Spa I – 4* – ££
5 – Hotel d’Europe – 5* – £££
6 – La Mirande – 5* – £££
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BEST PLACES TO EAT
RESTAURANTS
1 – Le Violette – *** – ££
2 – Restaurant EAT – *** – ££
3 – Pollen Restaurant – £££
4 – Restaurant Act 2 – £££
5 – Restaurant Le Goût du Jour – £££
6 – Le Cochon Bleu – ££
If you tried any of my recommendations above, please send me a message and tell me about your experience good or bad, so I can update the list accordingly. Thanks!
If you enjoyed reading this post you might also like to read:
On this trip to France:
1 – Lyon – Day 1
2 – Lyon – Day 2
6 – Saint-Tropez/Port Grimaud/Grimaud
7 – Monaco
8 – Cannes
10 – Camargue and Arles
11 – Avignon
12 – Dijon – Coming Soon
13 – Fontainebleau – Coming Soon
14 – Paris – Day 1 – Coming Soon
15 – Paris – Day 2 – Coming Soon
16 – Paris – Day 3 – Coming Soon
USEFUL SITES
1 – Avignon Tourisme
2 – Wikipedia – History of Avignon
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