Every visitor to Avignon sees the Palais des Papes. Most of them see the bridge, the ramparts, and the view from the Rocher des Doms. Then they get back in their car and drive to the next stop.

I get it - when you only have a day or two, you stick to the headlines. But the Avignon I fell in love with is not the one on the postcards. It is the city you discover when you wander without a plan, turn down the wrong alley, and end up somewhere that makes you stop and sit for an hour.

Here are nine of those places. Some are inside the walls, some are just outside. None of them appear in the standard guidebook itinerary, and that is exactly the point.

Part one: The quiet corners

1. Place des Trois Pilats

Most visitors walk straight past the entrance to this square without noticing it. Place des Trois Pilats is one of those tucked-away Avignon spaces that feels like someone’s private courtyard - secluded, intimate, yet just seconds from a main street.

What makes it special is the canopy of enormous plane trees that transforms the square into a natural shelter. In the summer, when the heat inside the walls can be brutal, this is where the shade is. The trees are so mature that their branches interlock overhead, creating a green ceiling that drops the temperature by several degrees. Pull up a chair at one of the cafes, order a cold rose, and let the city disappear for a while.

How to find it: That is half the fun. It is somewhere in the old town, hiding in plain sight. Wander, and you will be rewarded.

2. Place des Corps-Saints

If Place de l’Horloge is where the tourists sit, Place des Corps-Saints is where the locals go. This wide, tree-lined square in the southern half of the old town has a completely different energy - relaxed, unpretentious, and genuinely neighbourhood-focused.

The cafe terraces fill up in the early evening with university students, families, and people who have lived here for decades. There is no one trying to sell you a laminated menu in four languages. Prices are reasonable. The noise level is conversation, not tout.

When to go: Late afternoon for a coffee or aperitif, when the westering sun warms the stone facades. It is also a lively spot during the Festival d’Avignon in July, when Off performances pop up on every corner.

3. The Jardin Ephemere

At the very top of Place du Palais, just below the Jardin des Doms, the forecourt of the Musee du Petit Palais hosts an inspired piece of urban landscaping - the Jardin Ephemere. This temporary garden brings greenery and shade to the vast stone expanse of the palace quarter, right where the monumental staircase meets the museum.

Take a moment to sit here. The view is magnificent: the Palais des Papes rising behind you, the Petit Palais ahead, and the open sky above. Most visitors walk straight through on their way to the Rocher des Doms without stopping. Their loss.

Tip: Combine this with a visit to the Petit Palais museum itself - admission to the permanent collections is free, the collection of Italian primitives and medieval paintings is world-class, and it is almost never crowded.

Part two: The cultural secrets

4. Musee Angladon

Avignon has the only Van Gogh painting on permanent public display in Provence, and almost nobody knows about it. The Musee Angladon is a small private museum housed in an 18th-century mansion, built around the extraordinary collection of the Parisian couturier Jacques Doucet.

The rooms contain works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso, Degas, and Modigliani - not reproductions, not minor sketches, but significant pieces in an intimate setting that feels more like visiting someone’s private home than a gallery. You could spend two hours here or twenty minutes, and either would be worthwhile.

Practical details: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 1 PM to 6 PM (April to October). Tuesday to Saturday only in winter. Closed Mondays and throughout January. Admission is around eight euros.

5. The Livree Ceccano

This might be the most unexpected building in Avignon. The Livree Ceccano is a 14th-century cardinal’s palace - Cardinal Annibaldo di Ceccano built it between 1329 and 1350 as his personal residence during the papal era - that is now the city’s public library.

You can walk in for free. And you should, because the two grand rooms on the upper floors still have their original medieval murals on the walls and painted wooden ceilings. Most tourists do not realise they can simply enter a public library and find themselves standing in a 700-year-old cardinal’s private chambers. It is jaw-dropping, and it costs nothing.

Best for: A rainy day, a Mistral day, or any day when you need to escape the heat. The thick stone walls keep the interior wonderfully cool.

6. Rue des Teinturiers

This is arguably the most beautiful street in Avignon, and yet most visitors never reach it because it sits in the southern quarter, a ten-minute walk from the Palais. Rue des Teinturiers follows a tranquil channel of the Sorgue river, lined with ancient waterwheels, weeping willows, and weathered stone facades.

The street gets its name from the dyers (teinturiers) who worked here for centuries, using the river to wash their silk and wool. Today, small theatres, bookshops, and restaurants have taken their place. During the Festival in July, this becomes the beating heart of the Off programme - every doorway hosts a performance, every terrace is full.

When to visit: In the morning for quiet beauty, or during the Festival for atmosphere. On an ordinary day, grab a table at one of the terraces and watch the waterwheels turn. It is hypnotic.

7. Caffe Roma

Every visitor eats somewhere, but very few eat well. The tourist axis along Place de l’Horloge and Rue de la Republique is lined with restaurants that are, to be diplomatic, adequate. Caffe Roma is the opposite of that.

Tucked away at 4 Rue des Escaliers Sainte-Anne, literally at the foot of the imposing Palais des Papes, it is run by Italia Palladino and Davide Vozzo - two people who are genuinely, almost unreasonably passionate about their food. Every dish reflects that obsession: seasonal ingredients, creative French-Italian fusion, and a wine list curated by Davide that deserves its own evening. The restaurant is Gault&Millau listed, and rightly so.

In summer, the terrace is magical - dining beneath the floodlit walls of the largest Gothic palace in Europe. In winter, the cosy interior is just as good.

My recommendation: Go for dinner. Book ahead. Let Davide guide you on the wine.

Part three: Beyond the walls

8. The Chemin des Canaux

This is my favourite recommendation for anyone who has spent two days inside the walls and needs to breathe. The Chemin des Canaux is an 8-kilometre greenway that starts just outside the ramparts and follows the banks of the Canal de Vaucluse all the way to Montfavet and the open countryside.

It is a proper pedestrian and cycle path - flat, shaded, safe, and completely separated from traffic. And it is where Avignon comes alive as a real city rather than a museum. Walk here in the evening and you will see local kids fishing in the Sorgue, elderly ladies from the neighbourhood enjoying the cool air on benches, joggers and cyclists savouring the freedom of a car-free track, and families picnicking in the parks that line the route.

No monuments. No entry fees. No queues. Just life.

How to get there: Exit the ramparts near Porte Saint-Michel and follow the signposts for the Via Rhona. The path starts within minutes of the old city. You can walk, run, or rent a bike.

9. The Barthelasse sunset

I have written about this in the mistakes article and it bears repeating: the single best view of Avignon is not from Avignon. It is from the Ile de la Barthelasse, the large river island on the far side of the Rhone.

Cross the Pont Edouard Daladier on foot (five minutes from the old town), turn right along the riverbank, and walk until the full panorama opens up in front of you - the ramparts, the Palais rising above, the broken bridge reaching across the water, and the golden Virgin on top of Notre-Dame-des-Doms catching the last light. At sunset, it is one of the most beautiful urban views in France.

If you do not fancy walking, take the free river shuttle from the quay near the Pont d’Avignon. It runs regularly in spring and summer and is a small adventure in itself.

What to bring: A bottle of Cotes du Rhone and something to sit on. This is the Avignon moment that no selfie in front of the Palais can match.

At a glance

#	Hidden gem	Type	Cost	Best time
1	Place des Trois Pilats	Quiet square	Free	Summer afternoons
2	Place des Corps-Saints	Local square	Free	Late afternoon / aperitif
3	Jardin Ephemere	Garden	Free	Any time
4	Musee Angladon	Museum	~8 euros	Afternoon (opens 1 PM)
5	Livree Ceccano	Library / palace	Free	Rainy or Mistral days
6	Rue des Teinturiers	Street / area	Free	Morning or Festival
7	Caffe Roma	Restaurant	Dinner	Summer terrace / winter inside
8	Chemin des Canaux	Greenway	Free	Evening
9	Barthelasse sunset	Viewpoint	Free	Sunset

These are the places I take friends when they visit. Not the attractions that appear on every “Top 10” list - the spots that make them text me afterwards and say “Why didn’t anyone tell us about this?”

Now someone has.

Planning your visit? Start with our day-by-day guide to how long to spend in Avignon and make sure to read the 8 mistakes to avoid before you go.

Beyond the Palace: Avignon's best hidden gems