Avignon Travelers Recommend

With three days in Avignon, you'll have enough time to visit the city's myriad medieval attractions and also experience its surrounding countryside, including lavender fields, Rhône Valley vineyards, and the landscapes that inspired Van Gogh. Here is an itinerary to maximize your time in the region.

Day 1: Palais des Papes and Lavender

Spend your first morning in Avignon focusing on some of the city’s most important medieval highlights. The number-one attraction here is the Palais des Papes, the world's largest Gothic palace, which served as the official residence of a number of popes and antipopes in the Middle Ages. Inside, you’ll find beautiful tapestries, secret passages, and beautiful gardens. Highlights include the chapel of Saint Martial, which is full of beautiful frescoes depicting scenes from the namesake saint's life, and the Grand Chapel.

After visiting the palace, make quick stops at the 13th-century Avignon Cathedral as well as the iconic Pont d'Avignon, the remains of a medieval bridge that juts out into the Rhone River. Then make your way out to the countryside to check out the charming towns of Gordes and Roussillon and, if you’re visiting in the summertime, the area's beautiful lavender fields.

Day 2: Wine and Art

Start your second day in Avignon with a visit to the Collection Lambert, one of the newest additions to Avignon's cultural scene. Founded in 2000, this contemporary art museum showcases the extensive collection of Yvon Lambert, most of which dates from the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century; expect to see works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Ryman, and other notable artists. After your visit, grab a quick lunch before joining a tour through Rhône Valley wine country, just outside Avignon. Most tours head straight to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in Vaucluse, the largest wine-producing area in the region, and include tastings and vineyard tours where you can learn a bit about how the wines are produced. In the evening, make your way back to Avignon for dinner and people-watching in the Place d’Horloge, the city’s main square.

Day 3: Van Gogh’s Provence

Spend your last day in the area exploring the areas of Provence that inspired Vincent Van Gogh: Start in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and tour the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, where Van Gogh did a stint (and also painted his famous wheat field series). Then head to Arles, where Van Gogh lived for more than a year. Alternatively, if you aren't up for dedicating a whole day to Van Gogh alone, consider a tour that combines a trip to Arles with visits to other historical sites in the area, such as the medieval village of Les Baux-de-Provence or the UNESCO-listed town of Orange. Orange is of particular interest to history buffs; it boasts some of the best-preserved Roman architecture in all of Europe, including a gorgeously maintained Roman amphitheater that now hosts summer opera performances.

With its UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval ramparts and Provencal surroundings, the old city of Avignon deserves at least two days of your Provence vacation. Here's how to make the most of your time in and around the city.

Day 1: Highlights of Avignon and Around

**Morning:**Spend your first morning exploring the 14th-century Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), the most important of Avignon's many medieval attractions. Note that lines can get long here, so it’s a good idea to buy admission tickets in advance to enjoy skip-the-line access—many walking tours include the privilege.

**Afternoon:**In the afternoon, take a trip to the Avignon countryside. If you want to skip the stress of car, there are plenty of lavender tours that take you to see the region's famous purple fields, often with stops in charming towns of Gordes and Roussillon.

**Night:**At the end of the day, head back to Avignon for dinner and people-watching at the Place d'Horloge, the city's central square. Here, you'll find a good range of brasseries and restaurants, many with alfresco terrace seating.

Day 2: Art, Wine, and Entertainment

**Morning:**On the morning of your second day, visit the 13th-century Avignon Cathedral followed by a trip to the 12th-century St Benezet Bridge (Pont d'Avignon), one of the city's most iconic structures. Then make your way over to the Collection Lambert, a contemporary art museum spread across two 18th-century mansions.

**Afternoon:**In the afternoon, head out to the Rhône Valley wine country to learn about and sample local wines—if you plan to sample wine vairetals, play it safe by joining a tour or hiring a driver. Most tours stop at Châteauneuf-du-Pape and include visits to wine estates and tastings.

**Night:**Make your way back to Avignon in the evening to attend a live performance at the Opéra d'Avignon, which dates back to the middle of the 19th century. While opera is naturally the main draw here, there are also ballet and theater performances along with chamber music and even the odd pop concert.

From lavender-laden landscapes to Roman treasures and a spectacular coastline, Provence and the south of France are full of historic and natural charms. Here are a few ways to see the best of Provence from Avignon.

Half-Day Tours

Even on a shorter half-day tour, there are plenty of interesting sites in Provence that are within easy reach of Avignon. Go wine-tasting through the vineyards around Châteauneuf-du-Pape, discover top attractions such as the Roman ruins of Pont du Gard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and learn of life in the Middle Ages at medieval Sénanque Abbey, with seasonal photogenic lavender fields. Alternatively, follow in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh around the seaside town of Arles, or visit historic Oppède-le-Vieux—surrounded in the summer months by scented lavender fields.

Full-Day Tours

Full-day Provence tours delve deeper into rural France, allowing travelers to spend more time at sites of interest. Follow the Ochre Trail from Roussillon to Bonnieux and Ménerbes, admire terraces of stone houses perched atop a mighty cliff face in Gordes, or browse for souvenirs among the narrow streets and open-air markets of Les Baux-de-Provence. Along the way, sample Côte du Luberon wines in family-run wineries and gain insight into centuries of winemaking history.

Things to Know

• Half-day tours into Provence from Avignon typically last about five hours, while full-day tours last about nine hours.

• Tours typically include pickup and drop-off at your Avignon hotel, guide, transportation, and entrance fees where applicable.

• The best time to see the Provence lavender fields in full bloom is from the end of June to early August. Sunflowers bloom in July.

With just one day in Avignon, you’ll get to experience the city’s medieval ramparts, go on a short trip out to the lavender fields of Provence, and make it back in time for dinner and drinks in the city’s main square. Here’s how to make the most of your day.

Morning: Avignon Highlights

Spend your first morning visiting Avignon's most important attraction, the 14th-century Palais des Papes (Papal Palace). This is the largest Gothic palace in Europe and features everything from tapestries to carved wooden ceilings; highlights include the Saint-Martial Chapel, filled with old frescoes, and the Grand Chapel. Walking tours provide a great way to orient yourself in Avignon’s historic centre, with some including a skip-the-line admission ticket to Pope’s Palace. Other likely stops include Avignon Cathedral, which dates to the 13th century, the medieval St. Benezet Bridge, aka Pont d'Avignon).

Afternoon: The Countryside of Provence

In the afternoon, grab a quick lunch in the city center before heading out to the countryside to see some of Provence's famous lavender fields, which bloom in the summer months. While you could rent a car, you can save time and avoid navigating unfamiliar roads by joining a lavender tour. Some tours stop in Coustellet to check out the Lavender Museum, while most give you free time to explore the villages of Gordes and Roussillon—both of which are well worth visiting even outside of lavender season. 

Night: Place d’Horloge

In the evening, make your way back to Avignon for dinner and drinks. While there are great places to dine and drink all over the city, you'll find the most activity around the main city square of Place de l'Horloge, where most bars, cafes, and restaurants have terraces for alfresco dining. You may even be able to catch a performance at the city's opera house, which sits right on the square—book tickets in advance to secure your seat. There's also a movie theater around the corner that screens a variety of French and international films; English-language films marked VO (version original) won’t be dubbed.