Avignon in 2 days: the palace, ramparts and the river side

Avignon is compact, and two days cover its core with room for a half day outside the walls. The Avignon travel guide explains the setting. For the wider region, see the Provence travel guide, and for the country overview start with the France guide.

The plan assumes you sleep in or near the old town; the where to stay in Avignon guide compares the four bases. It assumes you visit between April and October, and it shifts the walking to the morning and evening in July and August, when the midday sun is punishing. Check the official pages for the palace and the Pont d'Avignon before you go, since hours and ticket types change by season.

Estimates are walking times and typical visit lengths. The old town is flat and easy to walk, so you can swap blocks if the weather changes. If you arrive by TGV, remember that the TGV station is about 6 km outside town, and add time for the short TER ride to Avignon Centre.

Start at the Palais des Papes at opening time. The palace is a huge Gothic fortress built in the 14th century, when the popes lived in Avignon, and it dominates the old town. Walk the main courtyard, the great halls and the chapels, and use the Palace's free app, which comes with admission, if you like detail. Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours, and see the section on tickets below for how to avoid queues.

After the palace, climb to the Rocher des Doms, a hilltop park beside the cathedral. The path winds past a pond and ends at a terrace with a view over the Rhône, the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the countryside beyond. It is shady, and it is the best place to cool off in the late morning. Walk down through the lanes, and stop at the cathedral if it is open.

For lunch, head to Les Halles, the covered market, where stalls sell cheese, olives and ready-to-eat dishes. Check the open days, because it is usually closed on one day a week. If you prefer a sit-down meal, the side streets have fixed-price lunches that cost less than the terraces on the main square. After lunch, rest during the hottest hours, then walk along the Rue des Teinturiers, a lane lined with plane trees and old water wheels along a small canal.

In the late afternoon, walk a section of the ramparts. The walls run for about 4 km around the old town, and you can follow them on foot, entering and leaving by the gates. Finish at the Pont d'Avignon, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the broken medieval bridge that ends in the middle of the river. It is sold as part of a combined ticket with the palace, and the view back to the palace is the classic one. Check the opening hours and any weather closures on the official page.

For dinner, book a table in summer. Provençal menus run to stews, grilled fish and vegetables with olive oil, and the Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are produced nearby. Ask for a regional wine by the glass, and eat late if the heat has been high.

Day two depends on your taste and your transport. The easiest option without a car is to cross the river to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, which sits on the opposite bank and has a hilltop fort, a former monastery and views back over Avignon. A bike, a shuttle or a taxi reaches it, and the walk across the river on a bridge is possible but long in the heat. Allow a morning, and check the opening hours of the fort and the monastery.

If you prefer a Roman day, take a regional train to Arles or Nîmes. Arles has an arena and a theater and sits about 20 to 30 minutes away by train. Nîmes has an amphitheater and the Maison Carrée temple, about 30 minutes away. Orange, with its Roman theater and arch, is also a short train ride. Our Avignon day trips guide compares the options, and the Arles travel guide has a plan for the day.

If you have a car or want a guide, a wine half day to Châteauneuf-du-Pape or a drive into the Luberon villages fills the day. A tour with a driver is easier than driving yourself if you plan to taste wine. Compare the options for your date, and check what is included. Heat and parking make a car less attractive in July and August, so a tour or the train can be the better choice.

For the evening, return to the old town for a long dinner, or if you are staying across the river, enjoy the quiet and the view of the lit ramparts. If you leave the next morning, check the TGV time and the route to the TGV station, and give yourself 30 to 40 minutes from your hotel.

The Palais des Papes is the main sight, so tickets are the main logistics. On the palace's official site the price list dated 1 August 2026 shows two adult options: 19.50 euros for the palace, the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the gardens together, and 16 euros for the palace and the gardens only. Children aged 10 to 17 pay 12 euros or 10 euros, and under-10s are free.

Hours change in school holidays: the palace lists 10am to 6pm for 7 to 28 February and for 19 December to 3 January, and 10am to 5pm from 5 January to 6 February. Read the official Palais des Papes site before you go, since prices and hours are set per season. The site also says admission includes a free app in six languages instead of a traditional audio guide, free baggage storage and a buggy check, which helps if you arrive by train with luggage.

Since 1 May 2026 the palace has been opening revised exhibits and rooms that were not open before, with work running through 2027, so a visit now may differ from older guidebook descriptions. If you want to skip the queue, book online for an opening slot. In July and August queues build by mid-morning, and in spring and autumn you can often buy at the door. Do not buy on look-alike sites that charge more; use the official palace page or a reputable seller.

If you prefer to go without a ticket plan, go at opening time on a weekday, and carry water. The palace is cooler inside than the streets, which makes it a good midday option in summer.

Avignon works in the rain better than most Provence towns, because its main sight is indoors. Swap the order: start at the palace at opening, take the market for lunch, and keep the Rocher des Doms and the ramparts for a dry hour. The Pont Saint-Bénézet is the one stop that suffers in bad weather, since it is exposed and the view is the point. If the mistral blows hard, the ramparts and the bridge are unpleasant, and the lanes and the palace courtyards give shelter.

With only one day, do the palace first, the Rocher des Doms second, a market or lunch third, and the bridge last when the light is softer. Skip the museums, the second church and the long walk along the Rue des Teinturiers. If you arrive by TGV, count about 20 minutes for the TER and the walk, which puts the palace at opening only if you start from a hotel in town.

Skip the ramparts as a full circuit if the day is hot. The walk is flat but exposed, and you see the same stone from the same angle. Choose one stretch near the river instead. Skip the cafés directly on the main square at lunch if you can, since the side streets and the market usually give better value. Skip a day trip on the same day as the palace, since the two together make a long, hot day with little time to eat.

The one thing not to skip is the evening. Avignon is at its best after the day-trippers leave, when the squares fill with tables. A quiet dinner and a slow walk to the river is a better use of the second evening than another sight.

July and August are very hot in Avignon, with highs often above 30°C (86°F). Plan sightseeing for the morning and evening, rest in the middle of the day, and drink water. Hats and sunscreen help. The ramparts and the Pont d'Avignon have little shade, so go early.

The Festival d'Avignon takes over the old town for much of July, with theater and performances in squares and courtyards. It is a good reason to visit, and the main reason that rooms fill. If you are not there for the shows, it is easier to go in May, June or September. If you are there for the festival, book rooms and tickets early, and expect crowded streets in the evening.

Avignon has two main stations. Avignon TGV serves high-speed trains and sits about 6 km from the center, and Avignon Centre serves regional trains and sits by the walls. A TER on the Carpentras line links the two in a few minutes. The TGV from Paris takes about 2 hours 40, according to the tourist office, and from Marseille or Aix about 30 to 40 minutes. See Aix-en-Provence if you are planning a pairing, and our getting around Europe page for rail choices.

If you arrive from outside Europe, the EES explained page covers registration at your first Schengen entry, and the Schengen 90/180-day rule covers how your days count. Add an eSIM for France for maps and tickets, and compare travel insurance for France for cancellations and heat-related changes.