Palais des Papes in Avignon: Tickets, Hours and What You See

The Palais des Papes is the palace nine popes lived in during the 14th century, and its own site calls it the largest Gothic palace. A ticket costs €16 and the visit takes about two hours. Here are the Avignon ticket prices, the hours, the rooms you see and the one walk that puts the ticket in its fare.

Palais des Papes tickets and hours

Prices changed on 1 August 2026. Under-10s go free, ages 10 to 17 pay the youth rate, and the reduced rate needs proof on the day. Avignon residents go free on weekends and public holidays.

The palace opens every day of the year. In the long season, from 1 March to 1 November, you have 9 am to 7 pm. Last entry is an hour before closing, so arrive by 6 pm in summer. Book online if you can; the palace recommends it.

Nine popes in one century

A quarrel between the French king and the pope put a French archbishop on the throne of Saint Peter in 1305. He came to Avignon in 1309, and his successors stayed. The palace counts nine popes: seven, then two of the Great Schism, when Rome and Avignon each had one for 39 years.

1. 1309, Clément V. The first pope to come to Avignon. He stays on and off and lodges with the Dominicans.
2. 1316-1334, Jean XXII. The former bishop of Avignon turns the bishop's palace by the cathedral into the first papal palace.
3. Benoît XII. Pierre Poisson builds him a fortress palace round a courtyard, with the Tour du Pape at its heart.
4. Clément VI, 1342-1352. Jean de Louvres adds the new palace: the Grande Audience, the Grande Chapelle above it and the Cour d'honneur. In 1348 the pope buys the city.
5. Innocent VI. He finishes the towers and starts the ramparts round the town.
6. Urban V. He leaves for Rome in April 1367, comes back in 1370 and dies soon after.
7. Grégoire XI. He returns the papacy to Rome early in 1377.
8. Clément VII, from 1378. The first Avignon pope of the Great Schism, elected against Rome's.
9. Benoît XIII. Besieged twice in the palace, he escapes in March 1403.

After the popes came legates and vice-legates, until the Revolution. The palace then served as a barracks, and it opened to visitors early in the 20th century.

The largest Gothic palace, built in twenty years

You are looking at two palaces joined together. Benoît XII's is the old palace: austere, built like a keep on the rock round a courtyard, with the Tour du Pape guarding the pope's rooms and the Church's treasure. Clément VI's new palace, the opus novum, is lighter, with rib vaults and carved stone.

Jean de Louvres ran the second site from 1342 to 1352, with some 600 men on average. He worked through the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death. Most of what you walk through today was built in those two reigns, in nearly twenty years.

What you see inside

You follow a set route, with a free Histopad tablet in seven languages or the new "Clefs du Palais" web app in six. These are the rooms people remember:

• The Cour d'honneur: the great courtyard, where the Festival plays in July.
• The Grande Audience: Jean de Louvres' great vaulted hall, the first work of the new palace.
• The Grande Chapelle: Clément VI's chapel, built on top of the Audience.
• The painted rooms: the Pope's Chamber, the Stag Room and the Saint John chapel. Matteo Giovannetti worked here for Clément VI. No photos in these three.
• The papal gardens: in your ticket, below the walls.

Plan about two hours. The palace has many stairs and is neither heated nor air-conditioned, so bring a layer in winter and water in summer.

The 2026-2027 works and the Lee Ufan exhibition

The works change the route, not the ticket. If a room you came for is closed, the Histopad still shows it as it was. A room can also close for an event, as the Grande Audience did from 23 to 25 September 2026.

Visiting with a guide, or on your own

Most walks show you the palace from the square and leave the ticket to you. That suits you if you want the town's story first and the palace at your own pace, with the Histopad.

One walk goes in. The 3.5-hour walk from 4 rue de la République, from $80 a person, has the palace ticket in its fare, and a glass of wine. Some other walks list the palace ticket as extra, so read the fare before you pick.

Access, comfort and what to bring

The classic route is partly out of reach for wheelchairs. A "parcours confort" route serves visitors with reduced mobility; ask at the desk. Pets stay outside, except assistance dogs.

Avignon Centre station is a 15-minute walk away, and the Palais des Papes car park sits under the square. Wear shoes for stone stairs. The Rocher des Doms garden, just behind, is the place for a rest afterwards.

Questions about the Palais des Papes

Where these facts come from

Every price, hour and room above comes from the palace's own pages, checked 28 September 2026. The popes' dates come from its history pages, and the walk's fare from its own listing.

• Prices and tickets (the papal palace's own site)
• Practical information (the papal palace's own site)
• Nine popes, and a Gothic palace (the papal palace's own site)
• Historic Centre of Avignon, World Heritage 228 (UNESCO)
• Avignon City Pass: how does it work? (Avignon Tourisme)
• Where can I park in Avignon? (Avignon Tourisme)

Guided ways into the palace quarter

Avignon Walking Tour including Pope's Palace

Three and a half hours from 4 rue de la République with a licensed guide, the palace entrance ticket in the fare and a glass of Côtes du Rhône to finish.

From $80 per person

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Avignon: Historic District Guided Food & Wine Walking Tour

Three and a half hours from the palace steps through the covered market and four or more tasting stops, with one glass of wine or a soft drink, ending by the bridge.

From $108 per person

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Hello Avignon: Private 2-Hour Intro City Walk with Local Guide

A private two-hour walk for your party only from the town hall on Place de l'Horloge, at your pace, with a tasting of a local product.

From $155 per person

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