Avignon's Best-Kept Secrets
From papal palaces to hidden chapels, from cobbled medieval lanes to quiet riverside walks - these are the places that make Avignon unforgettable. Each one hand-picked by locals who know the city inside out.
Iconic Architecture & Landmarks
Ceccano Livery
The Ceccano Livery is a former 14th-century cardinal's palace that once served as a Jesuit middle school and now functions as Avignon's municipal library and media library, providing free public access to its historic architecture.
Notre-Dame-des-Doms
Notre-Dame-des-Doms, also known as Avignon Cathedral, is a 12th-century Romanesque basilica located next to the Palais des Papes that serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Avignon.
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest surviving Gothic palace in Europe, which served as the fortified residence for seven successive popes during the 14th century.
Saint-Bénézet bridge
The Pont Saint-Bénézet, famously known as the Pont d'Avignon, is an iconic 12th-century bridge and symbol of Provence that originally spanned the Rhône with 22 arches, though only four remain today after the others were washed away during the Middle Ages.
Saint-Pierre Basilica
Saint-Pierre Basilica, also referred to as Saint Pierre Church, is a historic landmark in Avignon that showcases a unique blend of architectural features dating from the 14th, late 15th, and early 16th centuries.
Ancient Footprints & Hidden History
Chapelle Saint-Nicolas
Located directly below the Pont d'Avignon next to the quay, the Chapelle Saint-Nicolas consists of evocative crumbling walls built in 1731 that offer a unique glimpse into the city's historical struggle with the floods and water challenges of the Rhône River.
Couvent des Cordeliers
The Couvent des Cordeliers is the historic site of a once-vast 14th-century Franciscan monastery where today only a tiny chapel, a picturesque façade, and a crumbling bell tower remain after the rest of the complex was confiscated and sold during the French Revolution.
Place de la Mirande Roman Ruins
Located below ground level on the left-hand side of the square, the Place de la Mirande Roman Ruins consist of ancient stone blocks dating back to the 1st century CE that offer a rare glimpse into the city's origins as the Roman settlement of Avenio.
Square Agricol-Perdiguier
Square Agricol-Perdiguier is a peaceful green haven in Avignon's historic center that features the medieval remains of the Saint-Martial monastery-college and was once the site of a Benedictine Abbey's garden and cloister during the Middle Ages.
The Municipal Archives
Housed in a 17th-century building that was once a silk works and the oldest pawnshop in France, the Municipal Archives preserve the historical records of the City of Avignon.
Arts, Traditions & Local Flavors
Chambre du Cerf
Dating from approximately 1343, the Chambre du Cerf is a private room within the Palais des Papes that features an expansive aristocratic panorama of hunting and fishing scenes, providing a unique look into the daily rituals and tastes of the medieval papacy.
Les Halles d’Avignon
Les Halles d’Avignon is a century-old traditional covered marketplace and a lively local landmark famous for its high-quality fresh produce, regional delicacies, and literary mentions by authors like Peter Mayle.
Place de l’Horloge Statues
Guarding the 19th-century Opéra Grand Avignon in the lively Place de l’Horloge are the statues of legendary playwrights Molière and Corneille.
Theatrical Trompe l’Oeil
Created by artists Dominique Durant and Marion Pochy, Avignon features some fifty theatrical "painted windows" that depict iconic characters such as Hamlet and Scapin, serving as a permanent tribute to the city's deep connection with its world-famous theatre festival.
Scenic Trivia & Curious Finds
Clocher des Augustins
The Clocher des Augustins is a 14th-century stone bell tower on Rue de la Carreterie that is known as Avignon’s own "leaning tower" and serves as the final remnant of an ancient Augustinian convent.
Clos d’Avignon Vineyard
The Clos d'Avignon is a tiny vineyard nestled within the Rocher des Doms park that provides stunning views of the Pont d'Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, though despite looking like it has been there for centuries, it was actually planted in the 1990s.
Free Rhône river shuttle
The free river shuttle in Avignon provides a scenic crossing of the Rhône to Île de la Barthelasse, offering passengers exceptional views of the city's ancient ramparts and access to peaceful green spaces across the water.
Maison aux Ballons
The Maison aux Ballons, located at 18 Rue Saint Etienne, is the historic residence where Joseph de Montgolfier first conceived the idea for the invention of hot-air balloons.
Rocher des Doms Viewpoint
The Rocher des Doms is a scenic hilltop park that offers visitors a stunning 360-degree panoramic view of the historic city center, the winding Rhône River, and the iconic arches of the Pont d'Avignon.
Rue des Teinturiers Water Wheels
The water wheels of Rue des Teinturiers are historic landmarks located along one of the city's most picturesque streets, following a tranquil channel of the Sorgue river that provides a serene setting for visitors to explore.
Museums & Galleries
Collection Lambert
The Collection Lambert is one of France's most important contemporary art museums outside Paris, housed in two stunning 18th-century mansions in the heart of Avignon. Founded by the legendary Parisian gallerist Yvon Lambert, it features major works by Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Sol LeWitt, Nan Goldin, and Christian Boltanski.
Le Grenier à Sel
Le Grenier à Sel is a monumental 18th-century salt warehouse on Avignon's ramparts, now transformed into one of Provence's most striking contemporary art and digital culture venues. Admission is free. Its vast stone vaults, once used to store salt for the royal gabelle tax, now host immersive exhibitions, digital art installations, and performances during the Festival d'Avignon.
Maison Jean Vilar
The Maison Jean Vilar is the only permanent site in the world dedicated to the history of the Festival d'Avignon and the legacy of its founder, the visionary theatre director Jean Vilar. Run jointly by the Association Jean Vilar and the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF), it offers free access to a treasure trove of performing arts archives, original costumes, historic posters, and over 1,800 video recordings of landmark theatrical performances.
Musée Angladon - Collection Jacques Doucet
The Musée Angladon is a private fine arts museum in the heart of Avignon, housed in an elegant 18th-century mansion. It holds the only Van Gogh painting on permanent public display in Provence, alongside works by Cézanne, Picasso, Degas, and Modigliani - all from the personal collection of Parisian couturier Jacques Doucet.
Musée Calvet
The Musée Calvet is Avignon's primary fine arts museum, housed in the magnificent 18th-century Hôtel de Villeneuve-Martignan on Rue Joseph Vernet. Admission is free. Its encyclopaedic collection spans five centuries of painting - from David and Manet to Cézanne, Soutine, and Bonnard - alongside sculpture by Camille Claudel and a beautifully restored 18th-century garden.
Musée des Bains Pommer
The Musée des Bains Pommer is Avignon's newest museum, a Belle Epoque public bathhouse frozen in time for over 50 years before reopening in 2025 as a cultural venue. Admission is free. Original wooden cabins, enamel bathtubs, and antique plumbing machinery create a hauntingly atmospheric backdrop for contemporary art exhibitions.
Musée du Petit Palais
The Musée du Petit Palais is a UNESCO World Heritage site at the top of Place du Palais, housing one of the most important collections of medieval and early Renaissance painting in Europe. Admission to the permanent collections is free. Its Italian primitives - including a Botticelli Madonna - and Avignon School masterpieces make it an unmissable stop alongside the Palais des Papes.
Musée Lapidaire
The Musée Lapidaire is the archaeological department of the Fondation Calvet, housed inside a magnificent 17th-century Baroque Jesuit chapel on Rue de la Republique. Admission is free. Its collection of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Gallo-Roman antiquities includes the famous Tarasque de Noves - one of the most important pieces of Celtic sculpture in existence.
Musée Louis Vouland
The Musée Louis Vouland is Avignon's only museum dedicated entirely to the decorative arts, tucked inside an elegant 19th-century private mansion near Rue Joseph Vernet. Its intimate rooms display exceptional 17th and 18th-century French furniture, Provencal faience, tapestries, and silverware - offering a rare glimpse into the domestic life of French high society.
Museum Requien
The Museum Requien is Avignon's free natural history museum, founded in 1840 by the celebrated botanist Esprit Requien. Housed in an elegant 18th-century mansion next door to the Musée Calvet, it holds over 1.2 million specimens spanning geology, palaeontology, zoology, and one of the most important historical herbaria in France.
Palais du Roure
The Palais du Roure is a magnificent 15th-century Florentine mansion in the heart of Avignon's old town, now a free municipal museum dedicated to Provencal culture, language, and traditions. Named by Nobel laureate Frederic Mistral himself, it houses one of the most beautiful Renaissance courtyards in the city and a rich collection of regional ethnography, historic bells, and Provencal archives.