Have you ever dreamed of going on holiday to Avignon? Me neither. Actually, I had no idea what Avignon was like – but that has changed completely…
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Intro and travel report
“Sur le pont d´Avignon on y danse, on y danse…”. This French children’s song was the only thing that came to mind about Avignon when we were considering spending the night here on our motorhome tour.
A quick online search revealed a few more details: the city is located in the south-east of France, not far from Marseille or Montpellier.
Provence lies to the east and south-east, the foothills of the French Alps are to the east, the Mediterranean Sea is to the south and the city of Lyon is further north. Avignon still belongs to Provence, just about.
The River Rhone connects Avignon with the Mediterranean Sea in the south and Lyon in the north. We are located in the wide Rhone Valley, which forms a broad corridor between the hills of Provence in the east and the mountains of the Cévennes in the west.
The research also reveals that the old town of Avignon is located directly on the Rhone and is home to a papal palace, among other things. What? I thought they lived in Rome?
Well, that was the case until 1309. Avignon was an insignificant provincial town and the popes stayed and resided in Rome. But Philip the Fair, King of France, had other plans. He wanted to strengthen France’s political power and bring the seat to France.
Because he had a lot of influence among the cardinals, he ensured that the Archbishop of Marseille was elected Pope Clement V. He was not crowned in Rome, but in Lyon.
Avignon was chosen as the future seat of the papacy, and it became the largest construction site of the century, which was to become a monumental palace that is now a World Heritage Site.
Pope Clement V did not live in the palace, but in the nearby Benedictine monastery. He died before his new residence was completed. Between 1335 and 1430, a total of seven popes lived in Avignon before the papal seat was finally moved back to Rome.
We have holidayed in the south of France many times, but never stopped in Avignon. Until now. The Rhone is divided by an island near Avignon. Here we find a wonderful campsite and can explore the city on foot from here.
Unfortunately, the small passenger ferry is not running today, so we have no choice but to take the slightly longer walk to the Pont Edouard Daladier bridge, which takes us to the other side of the Rhône and into the old town.
But we are not at all upset about the detour, as the walk along the tree-lined river is absolutely beautiful. Excursion boats pass us by and we admire the impressive backdrop of Avignon’s old town on the other bank.
The huge papal palace can be seen from afar. So can the high city walls and many other churches and towers.
The scenery is very inviting, as the entire old town was built from light-coloured stone and looks correspondingly friendly.
You can still dance on the famous bridge of Avignon (from the children’s song), but you can no longer cross the river.
Only four arches remain, as the Pont Saint-Bénézet, as it is actually called, was damaged several times by flooding and finally abandoned in 1660.
Together with the Papal Palace and the cathedral, the bridge is one of Avignon’s landmarks and a World Heritage Site. You can find all the information you need about Avignon’s sights here: https://avignon-tourisme.com/.
Even if you’re not interested in it, it’s simply beautiful! Many tourists who stroll across it seem to agree.
A rather small archway opens the way through the imposing city walls into the old town. Which is just as impressive! At first, we stumble across a few insignificant side streets, but then we end up at the opera house and the Place de L’Horloge.
A large, elongated square with many trees and some of the city’s important buildings. The mayor rules here, and we have already mentioned the opera house. More importantly for most people, there are plenty of restaurants with large, inviting terraces.
There is a small fair here, street performers are entertaining the crowds, and the square seems to be a wonderful starting point for a long stroll and exploration of the shopping streets and alleys that branch off from here.
My wife takes care of the strolling, while I search for the Papal Palace with my camera. Not a difficult task, because with its size, you’re bound to come across it at some point!
I walk around it for about an hour. The palace is actually an entire quarter with numerous buildings, the cathedral of Avignon and a large park, the Jardin des Doms.
From the outside, you mainly see huge high walls and the imposing entrance area at the Place du Palais.
This is the second large square where life bustles: numerous visitors and local families come and go, linger on the beautiful square or enjoy the surrounding restaurants and cafés. You won’t go hungry in Avignon!
From the riverbank, a long staircase leads up the rocky palace hill to the palace gardens. Panting, I reach the top and enjoy the beautiful view over the Rhône.
Unfortunately, I can only admire a small part of the gardens, as the rest is currently closed for maintenance. It’s late autumn and everything has to be spruced up again for next spring.
Never mind, back to the old town. We enjoy the food on offer, stroll through the beautiful alleys for a while and then make our way home. A final lovely walk over the bridge and along the Rhone brings us back to the campsite, exhausted but extremely satisfied.
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Conclusion
Do we even need a conclusion? We loved Avignon and can highly recommend it!
This city offers art and culture, food and drink, shopping and enjoyment, all in a truly magnificent setting!
We felt at home in Avignon, which is surely also due to the relaxed, positive atmosphere it exudes. We saw many tourists (apart from ourselves), but they weren’t disruptive at all, as the city is large enough for everyone to spread out.
And many, probably most, of the people around us were French, enjoying a good time with their families, just like us.
The fact that heavy traffic remains outside the city walls certainly contributes to the relaxed atmosphere. There was little sign of it in the alleys and squares of the old town.
For us country folk, it was also refreshing to see that the city is quite green, with many avenues, small parks and squares with trees providing welcome shade. We were there in late autumn and the temperatures were pleasant, but even in the warmer months it would certainly be a pleasant place to be.
In short: Avignon surprised and delighted us!
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Image credits Cover image: View of Avignon from the Rhone (Photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)
