Where to stay in Avignon comes down to one choice: inside the walls or outside them. Every tour meets at a kerb in the old town, so the closer you sleep, the less you travel each morning. Here are the bases, measured against where your avignon private tours or group day starts.
This is the base that suits most visitors. Every monument and every tour kerb is a walk away, and you step out of your door into the old town. The walled town has two ends, and it is worth choosing between them.
The station end, along cours Jean Jaurès, is where most day tours leave: the tourist office, Hôtel Le Bristol and the post office. The palace end, around Place de l'Horloge, is where most walks start. The two are about 15 minutes apart on foot.
Just outside the walls by the station, you are a 2-minute walk from the historic centre. It suits you if you arrive and leave by train, or if you drive and want a car park close by: the Gare Centre car park has 778 spaces.
From here the tourist office kerb is a stone's throw away. It is the handiest spot in town for a wine day or a Provence day that leaves from cours Jean Jaurès.
The TGV station sits 6 km south of the centre, with hotels round it. It suits a late arrival and an early train out, and little else. Every tour starts in the old town, so you would ride the shuttle into Avignon Centre each morning.
If you travel in a van, it can stay overnight in a closed car park in the Courtine area, near the TGV station.
The Île de la Barthelasse, across the Rhône, has campsites, a youth hostel and a campervan area. You cross to the walls on the free shuttle boat from Quai de la Ligne. It suits you if you travel by bike or with a van.
Villeneuve lez Avignon lies beyond the island, on the far bank. It is a quieter base, with its own monuments on the City Pass. You cross the river each morning, so check your tour's kerb and allow the time.
Start from the tour you most want, then find your bed near its kerb. This table gives you the walk from each base to the two ends of town:
| Where you stay | Station end kerbs | Palace end kerbs | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside the walls, near the station | A few minutes' walk | About 15 minutes | Day tours from the tourist office |
| Inside the walls, near the palace | About 15 minutes | A few minutes' walk | Walks and food walks |
| By Avignon TGV | The shuttle train, then the walk | The shuttle, then 15 minutes | A late arrival and an early train out |
| The Île de la Barthelasse | The shuttle boat, then the walk | The shuttle boat, then a few minutes | Campers and cyclists |
| Villeneuve lez Avignon | Across the river | Across the river | A quiet base with a car |
No tour picks up at a hotel, so this matters more than it would elsewhere. A wine day may leave at 2 pm from the tourist office; a food walk may meet on the palace steps. Check your kerb before you book the room.
Compare the tours that start near it, with the meeting point on every card.
If you drive, park in a car park at the walls and walk in. Street parking inside the walls stops at 4 hours. The Palais des Papes, Gare Centre and Les Halles car parks charge €19.30 for 24 hours, €26.80 in July and August, and a 7-day pass costs €50.
Ask your hotel how to reach it by car before you arrive: access to the centre is restricted after 11 am. Underground car parks take vehicles up to 1.90 m high, so leave a van on the island.
In July the Festival d'Avignon fills the town, and rooms go early. Book first, then plan your shows. Rue des Teinturiers is the busiest street in town that month, so look a little further out if you want quiet.
A base by the station is still inside the life of the festival, and closer to the day tours. The island and Villeneuve lez Avignon are quieter, with the river between you and the crowds.
Stations, car parks, fares and the island come from Avignon's tourist office, checked 28 September 2026. Each tour's meeting point and departure time come from its own listing.
Three and a half hours from the palace steps at lunch or in the evening: the covered market, the old streets and the equivalent of a full meal, with wine for over-18s.
From $98 per person (minimum 2)
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Nine and a half hours from the tourist office: a spring below a cliff, Gordes and the abbey, Roussillon, Saint-Rémy, Les Baux and the Roman aqueduct.
From $168 per person
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Five hours from the tourist office at 2:30 pm to three small wineries north of the city, ending with two hours in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Tastings on the list.
From $104 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see every kerb on the Avignon map, plan the journey on how to get to Avignon, or compare every tour on Avignon Tours.