Avignon with Kids: Ages, Prices and the Days That Suit a Family

Is Avignon worth it with children?

For most families, yes. Inside the walls you walk everywhere, the distances are short, and the two big monuments cost nothing for anyone under 10. Ages 10 to 17 pay a youth rate: €10 at the palace, €4 at the bridge, or €12 for both. A family of two adults and two small children sees both for €39 in all.

What children love most

• The bridge that stops in the river. The Pont Saint-Bénézet ends in mid-Rhône, the free audioguide is handed to children from 8, and it takes about 35 minutes.
• The stag room in the palace. Hunting dogs, a ferret, fish in a pond and people up in the trees: the Chambre du Cerf is a picture book on a wall.
• The garden above the river. The Rocher des Doms sits 30 m above the Rhône, a green stop between the palace and the bridge.
• A free boat. The little shuttle boat from Quai de la Ligne crosses to the Île de la Barthelasse, a farmed river island with towpaths and picnic tables, and it costs nothing.

In the school holidays the palace also runs family workshops and a guided visit told for children and adults together; its family page has the dates. Outdoor activities covers the island and the cycle paths.

What to prepare for

Heat. July averages 31.5 °C by day, with 22 days of 30 °C or more, and the palace is neither air-conditioned nor heated. Do the monuments in the morning and keep the afternoon for shade. The weather by month shows how quickly it cools in September.

Stairs and pushchairs. The palace has many stairs, so a baby carrier beats a pushchair inside. The bridge has a lift for pushchairs; phone +33 4 32 74 32 74 before you go to check it is working. The cobbles inside the walls are fine with a sturdy buggy.

Age limits. This is what catches families out. Wine is poured only from age 18, but several wine days go further and take no children at all.

The best tours for families

The Taste Avignon food walk is the easiest family choice inside the walls: three and a half hours of small plates from the palace steps, with child fares from 6, pushchairs welcome and soft drinks instead of wine. Out of town, the highlights day takes children from 5, with infants on a lap and infant seats available, and its longest stop, 90 minutes in Roussillon, is long enough for the ochre trail. For older children who can ride, the Luberon e-bike day takes them from 12.

A half day out that suits small children

A full day in a minivan is long for a five-year-old, and nine and a half hours is what the highlights day takes. With young children, a half day is often the better trade. The Luberon half day leaves the tourist office at 9 am and is back after about five hours, having stopped at the spring below the cliff, Gordes and Roussillon. It takes pushchairs, and infant seats are available, from $92 a person. The walk from the village to the spring is 15 to 20 minutes each way on a sloping, stony path, so a carrier is easier than wheels there.

Older children who like a story do well on the Van Gogh half day, from 4 years, with the entry to the asylum at Saint-Rémy in the fare. For teenagers, the e-bike day is the one they talk about afterwards.

Eating out with children

A long day out and a late dinner rarely mix with small children. The covered market is the answer at lunch: it opens at 6 am, and everything in it can go into a picnic for the garden above the river. The food walk works as an early family meal if you book the lunch walk. It serves a meal's worth of small plates, vegetarian options are available, and children get soft drinks. Guests with severe or life-threatening food allergies cannot take part, so for a child with an allergy, plan your own table instead.

Practical tips for a family day

• Book the monuments for opening time. From 1 March to 1 November the palace and bridge open at 9 am; the first hour is the coolest and the quietest.
• Use the combined ticket over two days. It is valid on the day and the next, so the bridge can wait for a fresh morning.
• Leave the cases. The bridge keeps luggage free while you visit.
• Picnic at the market. Les Halles opens at 6 am and closes by 2 or 3 pm, and the garden above the river is a short walk away.
• Check the kerb. Almost no tour picks up at a hotel; the map of the start points shows where each one leaves.

What to combine it with

A good family plan runs over two days. Day one: the palace at 9, the garden, lunch from the market, and the bridge in the afternoon if the heat allows. Day two: a half day out with a pushchair-friendly minivan, back by mid-afternoon for the boat to the island. Where you stay makes a difference with small children; where to stay weighs the old town against the station end and the island.

For the monuments themselves, read how to plan a first visit, and to choose the day out, a wine day against a villages day.

Days out that take children

Luberon Hill-top Villages Small-Group Day Trip from Avignon

Eight and a half hours from the central post office to four hilltop villages, two hours in Roussillon. Children from three; strollers and infant seats fine.

From $139 per person (minimum 2)

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Highlights of Provence in One Day

Nine and a half hours from the tourist office to seven stops, from a spring below a cliff to the Roman aqueduct. Strollers and infant seats fine.

From $168 per person

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Full Day Ebike Tour in the Luberon Region from Avignon

Eight hours: a minivan from the tourist office to the Luberon, then electric bikes through Bonnieux, Lacoste and Ménerbes. Bike and helmet included; from age 12.

From $184 per person

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