The best time to visit Avignon is May, June or September. The monuments keep their long hours, the days are warm rather than hot, and the town is calmer than in July. If lavender or a festival is the reason you are coming, the dates below tell you when to book your avignon lavender tour day.
Each season gives you a different town. Pick the one that fits what you want to see, then check the table for what changes month by month.
Highs climb from 17 to 24 °C, and the palace moves to its long hours, 9 am to 7 pm, on 1 March. The Mistral blows most in these months and in winter, so pack a layer. It is a good season for the walks and the villages.
Hot and dry: July averages 31.5 °C by day and is the driest month. June brings the lavender, July the festival. Book the morning tours and carry water; the palace has no air conditioning.
September is still warm, at 26 °C, and the walking weather returns. The rain comes back, about 90 mm a month from September to November. Winter hours start on 2 November.
Mild days of 11 to 12 °C, cold nights, and the wind. The palace and the bridge still open every day of the year, with shorter hours. You have the monuments almost to yourself.
| Months | Avignon by day | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| January-February | 11-12 °C | Short monument hours, 10 am to 5 or 6 pm; the Nativity scene at the cathedral until 2 February |
| March-May | 17-24 °C | The palace and the bridge open 9 am to 7 pm from 1 March; April is wetter than March |
| June | 29 °C | Lavender starts flowering in the low areas from mid-June |
| July-August | 31 °C | The festival in July; 20 or more days over 30 °C |
| September-October | 21-26 °C | Warm days back to walking pace; the rain arrives, about 90 mm a month |
| November-December | 11-15 °C | Winter hours from 2 November; the tourist office closes most Sundays |
July belongs to the Festival d'Avignon and the OFF. In 2026 both ran from 4 to 25 July, and the 2027 dates are not yet published. The town fills with theatre, and rooms go early.
Come in July if the shows are the reason for your trip. If they are not, come in June or September, when the monuments keep the same summer hours and you have the streets to yourself.
Lavender flowers from mid-June in the lowest areas, the Rhône Valley and the Luberon, and on to the end of July on the high plateaus. The lavender day and the villages days that stop at the fields run in that window. No one publishes the 2027 bloom ahead of time, so book in June or early July and keep the free cancellation.
The wine days are not tied to a season: you taste in the cellars whatever the weather. Check each day's calendar when you book, and take a jacket from September, when the wetter months begin.
Compare the lavender day with the other days out to the villages.
From 2 November the palace and the bridge close at 5 pm, then 6 pm over Christmas. Last entry to the palace is an hour before closing. The tourist office keeps shorter hours too, and closes on most Sundays until spring.
| Dates | Palace and bridge | Tourist office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 March-1 November | 9 am-7 pm | April-October: Mon-Sat 9 am-6 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm; festival weeks differ |
| 2 November-18 December | 10 am-5 pm | Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5; most Sundays closed |
| 19 December-4 January | 10 am-6 pm | Closed 25 December and 1 January |
| 5 January-6 February | 10 am-5 pm | Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5 |
| 7-28 February | 10 am-6 pm | Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5 |
Winter is the quiet season, and the monuments are open every day. Check each tour's calendar before you plan around a day out, and bring a warm coat for the Mistral.
Temperatures and rain are Météo-France's normals for Avignon, the monument hours are the palace's own, and the office hours and festival dates come from Avignon's tourist office, checked 28 September 2026. The lavender window is from the Routes de la Lavande.
Eight to nine hours from Hôtel Le Bristol to the lavender fields, Roussillon and Gordes, with a picnic of farm produce in the fare. Abbey entry extra; adults only.
From $138 per person
Check Availability
Nine and a half hours from the tourist office at 9 am to seven stops, from a spring below a cliff to the Roman aqueduct. Bottled water in the fare; strollers fine.
From $150 per person
Check Availability
Three hours on foot from Place de l'Horloge through the covered market and the squares, with food tastings, a wine tasting and lunch or dinner in the fare.
From $102 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: go month by month on Avignon weather, see the July dates on Avignon festivals, or compare every tour on Avignon Tours.