Papal Palace in Avignon

What line? Get them at the entrance.

I've been there several times in the height of summer and have never experienced lines or crowds for the palace. If you can get there before the end of the festival your teenager would love it! So much going on in the streets that is visually interesting, entertaining and creative!

No lines when we were there in Summer. It is a sadly underwhelming empty pile of stone.

I wasn't going to say anything as I try not to be negative, but janettravels44 has it right. The palace has been stripped of almost everything; when I was there, the only thing of interest inside were photos of past Avignon festivals, showing stars like Jeanne Moreau and Gerard Phillipe in their youth. And the audiotour is the worst I've ever had. It has lots of details about things like how many pounds of apples were used in a dessert or how much silver was used in each fork, but absolutely nothing of the intrigues behind the structure. If there was any discussion of things like the Pope and the Antipope, I had long since tuned out before I could hear it.

Again, I usually don't discourage people from visiting something they're interested in. But do be aware of what you're getting into, to avoid disappointment. And unless your teenager has a special interest, I think it will be even more disappointing for him/her.

The entertainment in the streets was more worthwhile than the empty Papal Palace. Calibrate expectations accordingly.

I'll 3rd janet and Harold. We went in 2012...mostly disappointed - considering the cost. After getting home, I was watching one of Rick's travel tips shows that he does on the internet (I think you can find them on youtube), and when discussing Avignon, he said to not bother going in, as it's mostly empty. How I wish we had taken that advice...

And...more advice - watch out for the 'deaf and dumb petition girls'. They are neither deaf nor dumb, they try to get you to sign a petition then demand money. I had come across this in Venice (fell for it in 2008 to the tune of a few euro - but this was a petition 'against drugs'?!?) and Florence in 2012.. (hubby forget and fell for it outside the train stn), so I was aware of the scam and just put my hands up and walked away. They were a little more aggressive with hubby - grabbing his shoulder and saying (yes - deaf and dumb girls talking!) 'You sign! You sign!' They were hanging out in the courtyard...there were even signs in the gift shop of the palace warning you it was a scam.

There were a couple of things I found interesting inside the palace. One was the hole in the floor where the papal treasury was stored. The other was...Hmm, I can't recall now. I can't imagine a teenager being interested at all.

We enjoyed the Place de l'Horloge area south of the Papal Palace, and there's some nice, reasonably-priced shopping streets off of that area in a car-free zone. Do you know about the Pont du Gard & some of the Roman ruins in Nimes? Both of those areas are just a bus or quick train ride from Avignon. If interested, you can rent a canoe to go underneath the Pont du Gard.

Isn't there a little stub of a bridge at Avignon as well that a lot of people go see?

I visited the Palace several years ago and agree that it's not much of a site. You can walk out on what's left of the bridge and the market/shopping area is very nice. Take time to see the Pont du Gard and the arenas in Arles and Nimes.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the suggestions and found the recommendations against the palace especially amusing. As a teacher of medieval history, I often forget that not everyone appreciates a pile of rocks like I do :) Happy travels all!

I usually love ruins. From the US southwest to Angkor, I loves me an old ruin. But this one really left me cold for some reason. Perhaps because i have seen so many European old castles and this added little. Or maybe an off day, but I thought it a bore. The Bridge at Avignon is nearby and you can walk out and hear the little children's song about the bridge being played over and over.

Well, Rick does give the palace only one star (in a range of zero to three). Like some other important historical places, knowing and/or caring about the history is half the battle to finding meaning in the site.

P.S. Another forum user recently commented that the audio tour was what helped the palace come more alive for them.

I'll add a vote in favor of the Papal Palace - my 21yo daughter and I, both history fans, enjoyed it last summer. We did get the audio tour which gives a LOT of information; I particularly enjoyed some of the church music in one part of the tour. If you teach medieval history, go for it! but get the audiotour. There's a little café in one of the towers, with a nice view over the square, if you need to restore yourselves after the tour [generally a good idea I found when travelling with a teen].

We also enjoyed lunch up high, at the Jardin du Rochers des Doms, featuring a pond with ducks, and afternoon tea at Hotel La Mirande, very close to the Papal Palace. Plan on a light dinner [or none] after that scrumptious tea!

We also liked the Papal Palace. We did have the audio guide and found that the Palace has a very interesting history. The Rocher des Domes is a beautiful park nearby with great views, especially of the Pont d'Avignon, which you can walk on later. We were there in March so there were not too many tourists and we just bought our tickets there. I think there was a combo ticket which covered the bridge as well. Hope you enjoy it!