Avignon

To visit Avignon is to follow in the footsteps of thousands of ecclesiastics, noblemen, scholars, merchants, artists and pilgrims who flocked to the city during its heyday in the fourteenth century. Back then, it was Avignon’s power and influence as the seat of the papacy which drew people from far and wide. Nowadays it is the monumental architecture harking back to that era which constitutes the city’s star attraction.

Though the papacy was ceded to Rome several centuries ago, the colossal popes’ palace and the neighbouring cathedral still have the ability to impress and humble, just as they must have awed visitors of yesteryear. Together, they dominate the skyline, presiding over a jumble of ancient streets peppered with churches and encircled by the old city wall, beyond which flows the Rhône, into whose languorous waters another key landmark, the Bénézet Bridge, juts until coming to an abrupt and premature halt.

Iconic monuments aside, this is, above all, the heart of Provence, where the stone buildings bask in the warm sunlight and life is lived outdoors, with cafés and restaurants that spill out onto pavements and squares.

Explore the city

Notes for a self-guided walking tour included

Notes for a self-guided walking tour included

Choose to follow our notes for a self-guided walking tour of the main sights and lesser-known corners, or make up your own route through the ancient streets. The obvious place to start your explorations is the heavily fortified Papal Palace, whose huge proportions and magnificent frescoes leave no doubt as to the wealth and power enjoyed by the popes who had their seat here. You can see the tombs of some of them in the cathedral next door, before climbing the tower for superb views over the Rhône to the plain beyond.

It was the Rhône which claimed all but four arches of the famous Pont de Bénézet (also known as the Pont d’Avignon). Whether or not you learned the song about it at school, it is worth strolling beyond the medieval ramparts onto what remains of it to see the mighty river up close.

Having seen these three landmarks, you could head to one of the city’s museums, which include a couple of art galleries, but you may prefer to seek out the trompe l’œil portraits of popes in Rue Dorée; the beautifully carved wooden doors in the north-east corner of the city; or the 18th-century water wheels along the Sorgue Canal in the atmospheric, cobbled Quartier des Teinturiers (Dyers’ Quarter).
Beyond the city centre

Barthelasse Island

Barthelasse Island

A good way to end your stay is to hop aboard one of the shuttle boats to leafy Barthelasse Island in the middle of the Rhône for a stroll along the riverbank or a drink at one of the waterfront bars, enjoying a different perspective of the city.

Accommodation

We offer a choice of two hotels, both ideally located for exploring the city. Please state your preference when booking.

We provide suggestions for where to eat out in the documentation that we send you prior to your holiday.

2 nights
Hotel de l'Horloge
Avignon
Converted from a 19th-century house in the heart of Avignon’s historic district, close to the Popes’ Palace, this smart hotel makes a great base from which to explore the city. There is an inviting bar and a lounge in which to relax, while the bedroooms (equipped with satellite television, wifi and a hairdryer) are furnished with wrought-iron beds and decorated in warm, earthy colours.

Meal arrangements: breakfast only
2 nights
Cloître Saint-Louis
Avignon
Situated in a 16th-century stone building which has in the past served as both a Jesuit seminary and military hospital, this high-quality hotel offers a peaceful haven away from the bustle of the city, yet is just a stone's throw from the historic centre of Avignon. It has a 'secret' courtyard garden, a roof-top terrace and pool, and an atmospheric vaulted restaurant where your included breakfast is served. We book the hotel's superior rooms, which are located in the contemporary wing, overlooking the courtyard garden.

Meal arrangements: breakfast only

Prices

All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.

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Prices for first-named hotel (£ per person based on 2 sharing)

Add-on price

Hotel de l’Horloge, 2 nights: 01 April 2020 - 31 October 2020

Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

Starting	Add on 2 nights	Single supplement
1 - 8 Apr 2020	£156	£116
9 Apr - 30 Jun 2020	£216	£176
1 - 25 Jul 2020	£268	£220
26 Jul - 27 Aug 2020	£198	£160
28 Aug - 29 Oct 2020	£216	£176

Includes accommodation and meals as described. No travel is included as it is assumed that you are travelling via the city as part of your main Inntravel holiday.

Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis unavailable 2-19 July 2020 due to Avignon Festival.

If you are flying via a different airport and would like us to arrange connecting travel, please contact us for a quotation.

Prices for Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis (£ per person based on 2 sharing)

Add-on price

Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis, 2 nights: 01 April 2020 - 31 October 2020

Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

Starting	Add on 2 nights	Single supplement
1 - 29 Apr 2020	£166	£136
30 Apr - 1 Jul 2020	£196	£164
2 - 19 Jul 2020	not available	not available
20 Jul - 27 Sep 2020	£196	£164
28 Sep - 15 Oct 2020	£166	£136
16 - 29 Oct 2020	£130	£100

Includes accommodation and meals as described. No travel is included as it is assumed that you are travelling via the city as part of your main Inntravel holiday.

Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis unavailable 2-19 July 2020 due to Avignon Festival.

If you are flying via a different airport and would like us to arrange connecting travel, please contact us for a quotation.

Room upgrades & extra nights for first hotel

Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

Hotel de l'Horloge, Avignon
'Privilège' : 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2020	£18
Superior: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2020	£12

Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

Hotel de l'Horloge, Avignon (B&B)	Double room	Single room
01 Apr - 08 Apr 2020	£68	£118
09 Apr - 30 Jun 2020	£95	£173
01 Jul - 25 Jul 2020	£116	£214
26 Jul - 27 Aug 2020	£88	£158
28 Aug - 31 Oct 2020	£95	£173

Room upgrades & extra nights - Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis

Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

Cloître Saint-Louis, Avignon
'Exclusive': 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2020	£10

Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

Cloître Saint-Louis, Avignon (B&B)	Double room	Single room
01 Apr - 29 Apr 2020	£72	£132
30 Apr - 01 Jul 2020	£85	£157
02 Jul - 19 Jul 2020	not available	not available
20 Jul - 27 Sep 2020	£85	£157
28 Sep - 15 Oct 2020	£72	£132
16 Oct - 31 Oct 2020	£58	£102

Hotel Cloître Saint-Louis unavailable 2-19 July 2020 due to Avignon Festival.

Getting to the city centre

This information is for guidance only; no travel is included in our prices and you should pay locally for your chosen option.

For more information about the airport, visit the Avignon airport website.

Getting between Avignon airport/TGV and the city

From Avignon airport	Approx. duration	Frequency
Bus	20 minutes	departures coincide with flight arrivals
Taxi	25 minutes	n/a

From Avignon TGV	Approx. duration	Frequency
Shuttle train to city-centre station (from where it is an 800-metre walk to the hotel)	5 minutes	every 30 minutes

Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

TP, East Sussex

02 September 2019

Our fourth Inntravel holiday, with the usual excellent planning and information throughout the walk to the Pont du Gard, followed by an Avignon City Add-On. We had lots of glorious sunshine, due to the Mistral blowing the clouds away – although this did sometimes make walking northwards on high ground harder work! The only cold, wet weather coincided with a day trip to Nîmes, but the temperature also dropped in the evenings, so pack some warm clothes – especially as all the hotels serve dinner on their terraces (into September anyway).

Highlights:
- Lovely countryside, linking lovely villages and towns
- The wonderful displays of fruit, salad and vegetables in the markets (why don’t hotels and restaurants make more of these?)
- The Medieval Gardens in Uzès, including the 360° view from the top of the tower
- The Pont du Gard itself, but also associated features along its length: the source in the valley below Uzès (we walked down on Day 1), the limestone quarries north of Vers-Pont-du Gard, the ruined sections west of the bridge and the Castellum, the end point, in Nîmes
- The Palais des Papes in Avignon, including the 14th century tiled floor
- Déclinaison de brandade for lunch at Halles Auberge in Nîmes – thanks to the Taxi Nabais driver for telling us about brandade being a Nîmes speciality

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Avignon city add-on following our To the Pont du Gard self-guided walking holiday.
Happy walker from Wales

08 June 2019

The holiday lived up to expectations we both loved it and would book a walking holiday with Inntravel again
Miss E Kent

Doncaster

08 June 2019

We had a brilliant holiday and really enjoyed the walking. As for the hotels and service they were excellent. My person favourites were the Hostellerie Le Castellas and the Hotel de l'Horloge but that said they were all wonderful. We both loved Uzes and Avignon.

As for tips I would recommend to always stock up with snacks as you tend to arrive at villages when shops are closed. Also June is low season and you won't meet people along the way.

We're booking another walking holiday next year.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer added our extension at the Hotel de l'Horloge in Avignon to our To the Pont du Gard walking holiday.

TP, East Sussex

02 September 2019

Our fourth Inntravel holiday, with the usual excellent planning and information throughout the walk to the Pont du Gard, followed by an Avignon City Add-On. We had lots of glorious sunshine, due to the Mistral blowing the clouds away – although this did sometimes make walking northwards on high ground harder work! The only cold, wet weather coincided with a day trip to Nîmes, but the temperature also dropped in the evenings, so pack some warm clothes – especially as all the hotels serve dinner on their terraces (into September anyway).

Highlights:
- Lovely countryside, linking lovely villages and towns
- The wonderful displays of fruit, salad and vegetables in the markets (why don’t hotels and restaurants make more of these?)
- The Medieval Gardens in Uzès, including the 360° view from the top of the tower
- The Pont du Gard itself, but also associated features along its length: the source in the valley below Uzès (we walked down on Day 1), the limestone quarries north of Vers-Pont-du Gard, the ruined sections west of the bridge and the Castellum, the end point, in Nîmes
- The Palais des Papes in Avignon, including the 14th century tiled floor
- Déclinaison de brandade for lunch at Halles Auberge in Nîmes – thanks to the Taxi Nabais driver for telling us about brandade being a Nîmes speciality

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Avignon city add-on following our To the Pont du Gard self-guided walking holiday.

Happy walker from Wales

08 June 2019

The holiday lived up to expectations we both loved it and would book a walking holiday with Inntravel again

Miss E Kent

Doncaster

We had a brilliant holiday and really enjoyed the walking. As for the hotels and service they were excellent. My person favourites were the Hostellerie Le Castellas and the Hotel de l'Horloge but that said they were all wonderful. We both loved Uzes and Avignon.

As for tips I would recommend to always stock up with snacks as you tend to arrive at villages when shops are closed. Also June is low season and you won't meet people along the way.

We're booking another walking holiday next year.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer added our extension at the Hotel de l'Horloge in Avignon to our To the Pont du Gard walking holiday.

Avignon City Add-On

Holiday information

Avignon

Sightseeing

Accommodation