How to spend a week in or near Avignon

Do you need to use public transportation or will you want to rent a car?

We spent 2 nights in Avignon on our France My Way tour last September. I really think Arles is a must see. It's an easy train ride from Avignon. We spent 4 hours there and could easily have spent twice that. Check out You Tube videos for both Arles and Avignon and, of course, Rick's episodes on that area.

mcontrar2,
Avignon is not my favorite city in this area. I would choose Arles as a base. In Arles there is the wonderful Roman arena (sometimes offering entertainment), other Roman ruins and the Van Gogh connection, to name a few. Good day trips from there (with a car) are Nimes, the Pont de Gard, St Remy de Provence, Les Baux, the Camargue, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon (for a half day with maybe lunch there), visits to vinyards. (If some of these are not convenient day trips from Arles, I hope other forum members will pop in and correct me.)
I recommend renting a car for flexibility and freedom. If you don't have a car, I have read that you would have more options for guided tours or public transportation from Avignon than from Arles.

My husband and I love Avignon and have just spent a total of about nine days there over the past three months. We stayed both times at the Mercure Palais de Papes. It is not fancy, but it is very nicely located and the staff there are all engaging, helpful, polite, and very friendly.

It is very easy to walk from the train station to your hotel. We found the main street of the town to be lively and busy, with some nice boulangeries along the way.

Avignon was a good base for us to visit Arles, Nîmes, and Aix en Provence. We also visited several museums in Avignon, walked out on the half bridge, and did Rick’s two walks through the city. We particularly enjoyed the Angladon Museum.

We enjoyed tea at La Mirande, in a beautiful, light filled atrium, with some amazing cheesecake 😀. Note: there is a cat that apparently lives in the hotel and wanders about during tea time. It’s a perfectly nice cat, but my husband is severely allergic to cats, so this was an issue for us. We’d love to go back someday, but probably won’t be able to because of the cat.

Anyway, we really like Avignon a lot and would be happy to go back. The city itself is enjoyable and it is very easy to get around the area from Avignon by bus or train.

I did forget to add that I would prefer public transportation - train or bus - rather than auto.

We also loved Avignon, but only stayed three nights, at Le Horloge, right opposite the Palace of the Popes, in fact our terrace had a great view.

We had one day wandering the town and another hired a private driver to take us around the region.

Do not miss Pont du Gard!

We could have happily spent a week.

We also enjoyed Avignon and easily spent a couple days just enjoying the town, but were there for more than a week and staying in an Airbnb. From the walled old town, the train station is a very easy walk. Avignon is a rail hub. We made day trips to Arles (15 minutes on the train), Marseille (about 30 minutes on the train), Nimes (30 minutes on the train), Pont du Gard (had to take a bus), Orange (15 minutes on the train) and Isle sur la Sorgue (also about 30 minutes) Aix is a little further afield at 2 hours on the train.

The eternal Arles vs Avignon debate is reignited. I, personally, much prefer Arles to Avignon but Avignon is pretty little city and is the hub for the transportation in area so it is a good choice for a base. Avignon has some interesting areas to explore, several restaurant areas and a good permanent Les Halles market. Depending on your interests I agree that Nimes is a good day trip by train as is Pont du Gard (bus) is that is something that would interest you. You're also deep in wine country if you want to arrange a tour in the area.

My favorite town in the area is St Remy which is charming and has a fantastic market day and is surrounded by interesting things to see - Glanum, Les Baux, van Gogh asylum, etc. You would need a ~45 minute bus from either Arles or Avignon to get to St Remy.

If I was putting together a trip for a week I would look at 3 nights in Avignon, 2 nights in Arles and 2 nights in St Remy. If this is too much moving around or you're bus averse I would do 4 in Avignon and 3 in Arles exploring from both. Make sure you hit at least one good market day since it is part of the Provence experience. Arles is good and St Remy is remarkable (and busy) do check which day is market day and plan accordingly.

My $.02, have a great trip,
=Tod

Loved staying within the historic, walled city of Avignon earlier this spring. It’s very walkable and many restaurants, shops, cafes, and history to experience. I loved wandering through the streets and discovering hidden gems. I was fortunate enough to attend opera one of my nights there - such a beautiful venue.

Have a wonderful trip!!

We just returned from Avignon, staying there after our river cruise. We loved exploring the city and trying different restaurants. We stayed at Hotel Medieval. It is not fancy, but the location is great. And all the staff were welcoming and helpful.

We celebrated our anniversary at Fou de Fafa. The food was wonderful. The hostess/server was so welcoming and pleasant. Her husband is the chef. Make a reservation there by email, two weeks prior to your date.
We took a food and wine tour with Zahra of Avignon Bespoke Tours. It was very unique and lots of fun. We learned so much from Zahra and made a new friend. I would definitely do this again.
If you are interested in Roman history, Nimes is worth a visit. Also, see the Pont du Gard aqueduct. There are tours that leave from Avignon to see these sites. Be sure you get a tour with a guide who is experienced and who will share information with you, not just be a driver. I hope you have a great visit to this area of France.

I also stayed at the Hôtel de l'Horloge in Avignon. It is a definite winner!

Another vote for Hotel de l’Horloge. The staff was wonderful, they serve a great breakfast and I found Avignon a great base for day trips.

Thank you all! This has been very helpful. FYI, apparently the Hotel de l’Horloge is closed for remodeling until spring 2027.