Top 10 Things to Do in Avignon — a Local's Honest Ranking

Search “things to do in Avignon” and you will find the same list everywhere: Palais des Papes, the bridge, Place de l’Horloge, the end. It is not wrong — but it is a list written by people who do not live here.

I do. Damien, inside the walls, and I rent three apartments in the historic centre to travellers all year round. So I spend my days answering the same question: “we have two days, what should we do?” Here is my honest answer.

Our ranking, honestly: this is not a popularity contest. It is what we would tell a friend arriving for the first time — with the right timing, the honest verdicts (“skip this at noon”), and a few gems the tourist lists forget. From number 1 to number 10.

1. The Palais des Papes

It is the obvious choice, and for once the obvious choice is right. The largest Gothic palace in the world is not just a postcard: it is a stone vessel you lose yourself in, with vertiginous ceremonial halls and the famous frescoes of the Stag Room. The local tip: go in at opening, around 9am. The groups arrive around 11am and the great halls lose all their solemnity. Take the Histopad (an augmented-reality tablet, usually included) — without it, many empty rooms just look… empty. The honest take: plan about two hours, not three. Finish on the terrace, which has a sweeping view. Our full Palais guide covers hours and tickets.

2. The Rocher des Doms gardens at sunset

If we could keep only one moment, this would be it. The Rocher des Doms is the rocky promontory above the city — a shaded park, a pond with ducks, and above all a panoramic terrace over the Rhône, the bridge and Villeneuve. The local tip: walk up in late afternoon, an hour before sunset. The light gilds the stone, the heat eases, and it is free. The honest take: at midday in high summer it is just a sloping park where you get hot. The right time slot changes everything. Bring something to nibble — it is our favourite apéritif spot.

3. The Pont Saint-Bénézet (best looked at, not necessarily paid for)

The famous Pont d’Avignon, the one from the song, stops in the middle of the Rhône — a flood carried away the rest in the 17th century. The honest take, and it matters: paying to walk on four arches that lead nowhere is genuinely optional. What is worth it is seeing it — and the best view is free. From the Rocher des Doms, from the Île de la Barthelasse, or from Villeneuve, the bridge sits within its river-and-ramparts setting. The local tip: if you want it for the photo and the song, the combined ticket with the Palais is the smartest buy.

4. The Les Halles covered market

Here is the gem most tourists miss — and the one locals actually use. Les Halles, on Place Pie, is forty stalls under a living green wall: greengrocers, cheesemongers, fishmongers, the best bread in town. The local tip: come in the morning between 8am and 11am, ideally at the weekend for the atmosphere. On Saturdays around 11am some stalls offer tastings. The honest take: Les Halles closes around 1–2pm (often closed Mondays) — this is not an afternoon activity. For open-air markets, see our round-up of the Provençal markets around Avignon.

5. The rue des Teinturiers

Our favourite street in the whole city. A canal diverted from the Sorgue, century-old plane trees, waterwheels still turning, café terraces perched over the water. This is medieval, artisanal, quiet Avignon. The local tip: come in late morning or early evening, when the light filters through the plane trees. The honest take: this is not a “sight” to tick off in five minutes — it is a street where you should sit down, have a drink, and do nothing. That is the whole point. We loved it enough to write a whole article about it.

6. The ramparts walk

Avignon is one of the few cities in Europe still entirely encircled by its medieval ramparts — more than four kilometres of walls and towers. The local tip: do not walk the full circuit (it is long and uneven). Pick the stretch between the Porte de l’Oulle and the Rocher des Doms, the most picturesque, late in the day. The honest take: some sections run alongside busy roads and are less charming — do not force yourself to do it all. The point is to understand the city: the entire historic centre fits inside this ring of stone, and you can only enter through seven gates.

7. Place de l’Horloge and Place Pie

The two living hearts of Avignon. Place de l’Horloge has the opera house, the theatre, the carousel, the big café terraces — the buzz. Place Pie, younger and more local, comes alive mostly in the evening. The local tip: enjoy Place de l’Horloge in the morning for a quiet coffee, or late at night. The honest take: at midday in summer, the Horloge terraces are tourist traps — patchy service, inflated prices. For a proper drink we head instead to Place des Corps-Saints, shaded by plane trees, or to the rue des Teinturiers.

8. The Collection Lambert or the Musée Angladon

Avignon is not just a frozen medieval town — it is a genuine city of art. The Collection Lambert shows contemporary art inside an 18th-century mansion, a striking contrast. The Musée Angladon, more intimate, holds the only Van Gogh on view in Provence, plus Degas, Picasso, Modigliani. The local tip: the Angladon takes a comfortable hour — perfect on a rainy or scorching day. The honest take: if you must choose, take Lambert for the experience and the boldness, Angladon for the concentrated masterpieces. Both are usually closed on Mondays.

9. Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, across the Rhône

The best springboard for a half-day escape — yet only a fifteen-minute walk across the Pont Daladier. Villeneuve has the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction (one of the largest charterhouses in France), the Fort Saint-André and its tower, and above all the finest view there is of Avignon: from the far bank, the Palais and the bridge line up in the Rhône’s setting. The local tip: climb up to the Fort in late afternoon for that golden view. The honest take: it is technically another town (and another département), but do not treat it as a far-off excursion — it is the natural extension of Avignon.

10. The Île de la Barthelasse, at apéritif hour

Our final gem, the one we save for guests who stay a little longer. The Barthelasse is the largest river island in France, right opposite the city. You reach it by the free shuttle boat or on foot across the Pont Daladier. The local tip: go in the late afternoon. The Avignon-facing riverbanks offer the postcard — ramparts, Palais, bridge — with a drink in hand and the sun setting into the Rhône. The honest take: this is not a monument, it is a state of mind. It is also the best place to understand why we love living here. For another hidden gem, read our piece on the Bains Pommer.

From our apartments

Everything in this ranking is a few minutes’ walk from our three apartments, which share the same building at 13B rue du Bon Martinet, in the Teinturiers quarter — inside the walls:

• Lavande Évasion — bright and compact, ideal for a couple on a city break.
• Lavande Dorée — warm and central, perfect for slowing down.
• Cinéma Provence — the most spacious, designed for families and arty stays.

Staying inside the walls changes everything: the Palais on foot in the morning, the Rocher des Doms for apéritif, Les Halles for breakfast — without ever getting back in the car. That is exactly how we live Avignon, and it is what we wish for our travellers.

Book direct — no middleman commission, and our local tips thrown in.