How to Visit Avignon: A First-Timer's Plan for the City and the Day Out

Quick facts for a first visit

• The palace: open every day of the year, 9 am to 7 pm from 1 March to 1 November and 10 am to 5 or 6 pm in winter, with last entry an hour before closing.
• The bridge: the same seasons, with last access 30 minutes before closing, and about 35 minutes to walk it with the free audioguide.
• Under 10s: free at both.
• The tourist office: 41 cours Jean Jaurès, +33 4 32 74 32 74, open Monday to Saturday 9 am to 6 pm and Sundays 10 to 5 until 31 October 2026, with shorter winter hours after that.
• World Heritage: the historic centre has been on the UNESCO list since 1995.

What you pay for, and what is free

This shapes every budget. The streets inside the walls cost nothing, and so do the Rocher des Doms garden above the river and the cathedral of Notre-Dame des Doms beside the palace. The paid doors are few, and the prices changed on 1 August 2026, so treat these as correct in September 2026 and check again before you travel.

The combined ticket is valid on the day and the next, one entry per site, which makes it the easy choice for a two-day stay. The City Pass adds other monuments in Avignon and across the river in Villeneuve, with transport and parking options, so it pays only if you plan a full sightseeing day. The visitor guide sets out the reduced rates, and the palace page covers booking a time.

Getting there, and getting in

Most plans go wrong at the station. Avignon has two. High-speed trains from Paris, about 2 hours 40, stop at Avignon TGV, 6 km out of town; a regional shuttle train runs from there to Avignon Centre, which sits two minutes from the walls and about 15 minutes on foot from the Palais des Papes. Avignon's own airport has no scheduled flights, so fly to Marseille, Nîmes or Montpellier instead.

If you drive, park outside the walls. The old town is almost entirely pedestrian, access to the centre is restricted after 11 am, and the two park-and-ride car parks are free with a free shuttle in. How to get to Avignon has the car parks, the shuttles and the coach station.

What you cannot bring, and what to wear

Two rules catch people out at the palace. Pets stay outside, except assistance dogs, and the building is neither heated nor air-conditioned, so in July bring water and in January a warm layer. The route has many stairs. Photos are allowed everywhere except the three painted rooms, where the camera goes away. At the bridge, dogs on a lead are welcome, and a free, supervised left-luggage means you can come straight from the train with a case.

How long to allow

A first day fits the palace in the morning, lunch, the bridge and the garden above the river. Two days let you add a walk or a day out. Les Halles, the covered market on place Pie, is worth a morning: it opens from 6 am to 2 pm, to 3 pm from Friday to Sunday, and it is closed on Mondays.

When to go

July is the festival month: the 2026 festival ran from 4 to 25 July, the town fills, and Météo-France gives Avignon an average July high of 31.5 °C. For the monuments, a weekday morning is quietest, and the palace asks you to book online in high season. Late spring and early autumn give you the long 9 am to 7 pm opening without the heat. The best time to visit goes month by month.

Which kind of tour to book

• A walk inside the walls, $29 to $80: the story and the back streets. Only the walk with the palace ticket ($80) takes you inside. Compare the Avignon walking tours.
• A food walk, $98 to $108: the Taste Avignon walk starts on the palace steps. See the Avignon food tours.
• A wine half day, $91 to $126, or a full day at $203: the full Châteauneuf-du-Pape day stays in one appellation. See the Avignon wine tours.
• A villages day, $92 to $114 for a half day, $136 to $196 for a full one: the highlights day makes seven stops. See the day tours from Avignon.

What to combine on foot

Everything worth seeing is walkable. From the palace square, climb to the Rocher des Doms for the view over the Rhône, drop down to the bridge, then cross town to the market or rue des Teinturiers. The Petit Palais, the bishops' palace begun in 1317, now a museum of Italian painting of the Middle Ages, stands at the head of the square. Avignon attractions gives each its price and time.

Next, walk through the palace room by room before you go in, or weigh a wine day against a villages day for the day out.

Tours that suit a first visit

Enchanting Historical Walking Tour in Avignon

Ninety minutes to two hours on foot from Place Crillon, with whisper-box audio (bring 3.5 mm earphones) and two churches on the way. The palace ticket is extra.

From $29 per person

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AVIGNON ESSENTIALS: A Food and Wine First Taste

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

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Luberon, Roussillon & Gordes Half-Day Tour from Avignon

Five hours from the tourist office to a spring below a cliff, Gordes, a short abbey photo stop and an hour in Roussillon. Strollers and infant seats fine.

From $92 per person

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