The Top 3 Things to Do in Avignon

Before visiting Avignon and the South of France in February 2024 I, being the obsessive travel planner that I am, sat down and did a ton of research.

I looked up all the things to do, the best places to eat, where to stay, how to get around, specialty dishes to try, opening hours and much more.

But like most people, we didn’t have an endless amount of time in Avignon to do absolutely everything. My husband, Colin, and I had to prioritize.

Sometimes when I’m researching for a trip I just want to know, what are the things I can’t miss? I’m sure this city is lovely and has 50+ things I could spend weeks doing but here’s the reality: I have 1-2 days and I want to make sure I’m hitting the highlights.

If that’s what has led you to this post, you’re in luck. I’m sharing the top three things to do in Avignon that I think every visitor should have on their itinerary.

I’ll also share a few restaurant suggestions, plus let you know where to stay, in case you want to get all of your Avignon trip planning done at once!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

1. Tour the Palais des Papes

The number one thing you have to do in Avignon is tour the Palais des Papes aka the Palace of the Popes!

The Palais des Papes is a Gothic palace and fortress that served as the seat of the papacy through the 14th Century. So the popes who currently reside in Vatican City once used to live and rule from Avignon, France!

Each of the six popes who came to power in Avignon wanted to put their own touch on the building, which has resulted in a huge palace complex with additions and towers from different eras. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the day Colin and I visited, it was pouring with rain. Luckily, most of the palace is indoors but due to some on-going construction, we had to run through the rain to get to the different buildings. We were absolutely soaked!

The coolest thing about a Palais des Papes visit is that you get to tour around not with an audio guide or in-person guide but with a histopad.

A histopad is basically a tablet that you can point around the room to see what it would have looked like back in the day. It’s interactive, so you can explore different areas, read more about them and even play a fun treasure hunt game (which Colin was great, by the way).

It was really interesting to see the empty room in front of me but hold up my histopad and have it immediately filled with popes, banquet tables, decorative art and intricate dishes.

Would I have rather seen the rooms actually decorated like they were still in the 14th Century? Probably. It would have been nice to wander around like it was the Palace of Versailles and check out all of the furniture and decor.

But the histopad allowed me to see the palace through its different stages of life and better appreciate the vastness of the empty rooms in front of me.

Walking through the rooms, I was blown away by how large they were. But my favourite rooms were actually the smaller ones.

I loved the kitchen, as you could look up and still see the chimney that they would have used back in the 1300s while standing directly where the oven used to be.

There were also a series of painted bedrooms with really intricate details on the walls. It was fun to try and find the little animals hidden in the paintings – and impressive that the art had held up so well all these centuries later.

Our last stop at the Palais des Papes was heading up to the roof. Luckily, the rain took a break so we could enjoy some very cool views over the city.

In addition to the palace, you can also buy entrance to the gardens with your ticket. We decided to skip this since we were visiting in February and knew the gardens wouldn’t be in bloom.

Explore more of Avignon on this guided city walking day tour with entry to the Palais des Papes!

2. Walk across the Avignon bridge: Pont d’Avignon

The tickets we bought to the Palais des Papes also included entrance to Avignon’s famous bridge, Pont d’Avignon.

If that name sounds familiar to you, maybe it’s because you learned the same song in French class that I did, “Sur le Pont d’Avignon l’on y danse, l’on y danse…”

(No idea what song I’m talking about? That’s okay. Colin didn’t know either, despite me singing it loudly at him throughout our trip!)

Pont d’Avignon is actually called Pont Saint-Bénézet. The original bridge was built in the 12th Century and stretched across the Rhône River to connect Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon.

Unfortunately, the bridge would collapse every time the Rhône flooded (which was often). Eventually, they got tired of rebuilding it.

Today, only four arches remain meaning that the bridge now stops in the middle of the river and no longer connects two pieces of land.

So a visit to Pont d’Avignon is less about walking across the bridge to anywhere (because you can’t) and more about the bridge itself. When we visited, we picked up audio guides to learn more about the bridge’s history and the legend behind it.

From what I gather, legend says that a shepherd named Bénézet had a vision to build a bridge over the Rhone River and built the original bridge in just seven years all by himself. Because of that, and how the bridge facilitated miracles, Bénézet was made a saint.

However, the truth is that it took much longer than seven years to build and the bridge wasn’t actually completed until after Bénézet’s death. But it makes for a good story!

In addition to the audio guide and walking along the bridge, you can also go down to the little chapel under the bridge and watch some videos about the bridge’s construction.

To be honest, there’s not a lot to see and do here. If entry to the bridge wasn’t included in our Palais des Papes tickets, I don’t think we would have bothered.

But I do think it’s worth seeing the bridge. So even if you don’t opt for the tickets and audio guide, at least check it out from the ground.

3. Grab a snack at Les Halles d’Avignon

Les Halles d’Avignon is Avignon’s main indoor food market. You won’t be able to miss this building – it’s covered in live plants!

More than 40 vendors sell, cook and serve food at Les Halles. From farm-grown vegetables and fruit to bakeries, butchers and cafes, there’s something for every taste bud at this indoor market.

We headed over to Les Halles on a Saturday morning for their much talked about chef demonstration. Every Saturday at 11am, a local chef prepares a dish, demonstrating their skills for an audience.

I had read all about this demonstration on various blogs and websites and was very excited that our trip to Avignon lined up with the Saturday demo. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what happened.

We arrived before 11am and walked around to get a feel for the market. Just before cooking time, we followed signs to where we thought it would be. But nothing happened.

After waiting another 5-10 minutes, I asked a nearby vendor if they knew anything about the demonstration. The girl I spoke with looked confused and told me it wasn’t happening.

So I don’t know if the cooking demo just wasn’t on that weekend, if it’s not on in the winter months (we visited in February) or if it’s hidden somewhere, but we didn’t get to experience it. Hopefully you have better luck than us!

Still, I enjoyed visiting Les Halles. It was fun to check out all of the vendors and see a mostly local crowd do their shopping. Despite missing the cooking demo, we did enjoy some pastries and sat down for a coffee, which was a nice escape from the rain.

Note: The market is only open in the mornings (6am – 2pm) and closed on Mondays. Double check current opening days/times before you visit.

A few more things to do in Avignon

So those are my top three things to do in Avignon. But if you have a little bit more time, you may want to add one of these options to your itinerary:

• Visit Villeneuve-les-Avignon, a small medieval town across the water from Avignon with some cool buildings and a Saturday morning market.
• Take the river ferry along the Rhône. I don’t think this is an option in the winter but could be fun in the summer.  
• Wander around Place de l’Horloge, one of Avignon’s main squares. We were lucky enough to stay on this square, so walked through it a few times.
• Check out the charming street and windmills on Rue des Teinturiers.
• Step into the Avignon Cathedral (aka Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon). Entry is free but check opening times, as they close in the middle of the day.
• Admire contemporary art at Collection Lambert.
• Visit one of Avignon’s free museums:
  • Musée Calvet (15th–20th Century art)
  • Palais du Roure (Provençal history)
  • Musée Requien (very small natural history)
  • Musée Lapidaire (antiquities)
  • Petit Palais (medieval religious art including Botticelli’s Virgin and Child)

We only got to visit the Petit Palais of Avignon’s free museums, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a small museum, so easy to check out with not a lot of time, and right next to the Palais des Papes.

All of the writing about the art is in French, so us boring English-only speakers simply admired the religious artwork. I’d still say it’s worth a visit (especially since it’s free!).

Where to eat in Avignon

As I mentioned, I did a lot of research on the best places to eat in Avignon. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to all of them.

Some restaurants were full (and we didn’t make a reservation – whoops!), some were closed for the off-season and sometimes we just felt like getting Asian rice bowls and eating them in our hotel bed with Netflix.

But here are a few places I would recommend eating in Avignon:

• Restaurant Le 46: Colin and I got their €25 lunch special which included a main and dessert. I loved my sea bream with potatoes and vegetables and Colin really enjoyed his steak and fries. We finished with a trio of mini desserts which were yummy!
• HI! BOWL&BUBBLE: After striking out at a few restaurants, we found this tiny Taiwanese place and even they were full for dine-in seating. But the noodle bowls we got for takeout were delicious!
• Léo Léa: This steak restaurant was right next to our hotel and where I went for a solo dinner when Colin wasn’t feeling well. I really enjoyed their Beef Paradise in a delicious sauce and treated myself to a glass of wine and chocolate lava cake for dessert.
• Yatta Bento: This was the perfect option when we were craving Asian food (which for me, is always) and wanted something quick, cheap and delicious. I loved their rice bowls and spring rolls – plus they even threw in free dessert!

Two restaurants I wanted to try were La Cuisine de Papa (full) and Restaurant EAT (closed). Maybe I’ll get to them next time!

Where to stay in Avignon

I looked through quite a few Avignon hotels and Airbnbs before settling on Kyriad Avignon – Palais des Papes for our visit.

We chose this hotel for it’s affordable price and good location. We paid just $73 CAD ($53 USD) per night for a standard room. The hotel was just around the corner from the Palais des Papes, plus within walking distance of every other main site, including the train station.

Overall, I really enjoyed our stay here. The staff were friendly, the wifi was strong and so was the shower. The room was a little small, so maybe next time I’d upgrade to a slightly larger room.

Note that parking is not included, but they do offer a discount if you park in the nearby public parking lot.

Book your room at Kyriad Avignon – Palais des Papes here!

Is Avignon, France worth visiting?

Yes, I do think Avignon is worth visiting. While there isn’t a ton you must do, I think the top three things are enough to fill 1-2 days and interesting enough to make the trip worth it.

We actually spent four nights in Avignon, but really only gave ourselves one day to see the city (the rest of the time we were on day trips). From my research and time spent there, I think 1-2 days is all you need to see the main sights of Avignon.

The Palais des Papes was the highlight of Avignon for me. I loved being transported back in time and was totally blown away by the enormity and beauty of the place.

In better weather, I think I would have liked walking around Avignon a bit more to discover more of the old city streets. But walking from the bridge to the market still gave me a great taste of Avignon.

Overall, I would recommend visiting Avignon. Besides the city itself, Avignon makes a great base for day trips visiting the rest of Provence.

We did our day trips independently via rental car but you can also join private or small group day tours. Stay tuned for a post on the best day trips from Avignon coming soon!

I’d love to know: Have you been to Avignon? If not, is it on your to-visit list?