Photo gallery
About the City
Avignon is one of the major cities of Provence, in Southern France. It is the main city of the department of Vaucluse, and is located on the banks of the Rhone river. It had an estimated mid-2004 population of 89,300 in the city itself and a population of 290,466 in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census.
City Areas
The main areas to visit in Avignon are of course those around the Palais des Papes, in the La Balance quarter. This is the main and most attractive part of the city and two of the main attractions can be found here: the Palais de Papes and the Saint Benezet bridge, on which the famous song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” is based.
Attractions
Avignon is a very popular town, mainly due to the song about its bridge. But beside the Saint Benezet bridge, Avignon is also home to the famous 14th century papal fortress, the Palais des Papes(Palace of the Popes).
Transportation
Like any other city with an airport, Avignon is mainly accessible by plane. Although in recent years the city has become a popular TGV route, as well as being added to the Eurostar high speed train route which links Avignon to London by a mere 6 hour train ride.
Events
Main events in Avignon include the well known Festival d’Avignon as well as the lesser known Avignon Film Festival. But although the city doesn’t host that many events it is still the place to be, especially during the summer months, as Avignon is host to one of the best jazz festivals around.
History and Civilization
Avignon has been continuously inhabited since the stone age, when troglodyte inhabitations were built in caves in the Rocher des Dames, a massive outcropping of rock rising over the banks of the Rhone. Today, a public park with benches, views over the surrounding countryside, a café and playground is located on top of the Rocher.
Restaurants & Nightlife
The city of Avignon prides itself with some of the best and inexpensive French restaurants in the region. Dining out will be a real treat for your taste buds and fortunately not much of a stretch on your wallet.
“Sur le Pont d’Avignon”
The Avignon bridge, under its original name of Saint Benezet bridge, became famous due to the popular 16th century song. Today the song remains popular as well as its source of inspiration, the bridge, which is a landmark of Avignon along with its neighbor the Palais des Papes.
