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The Palais des Papes: The 14th-century palace of the French popes, with its 150-foot towers, parapets and crenelated battlements, dominates Avignon as well as the countryside for miles around. The chronicler Froissart once called it Europe’s most beautiful and powerful château. Today, it is an enormous maze of deserted rooms, corridors and chapels, with only a few surviving murals, tapestries and paintings suggesting its sumptuous past. Exhibitions are held throughout the summer and fall, and guided tours (in French) are available every half-hour during the summer.
Follow Rue de la Républic north from the SNCF station and across the Place de l’Horloge. If you can resist the many shops and shady cafés along the way, a narrow passage at the northern end of the square will lead you into the Place du Palais and the Palais des Papes.
Open from 9:30 am to 5:45 pm, November 2 to March 31; 9 am to 7 pm, April 1 to August 2; 9 am to 8 pm, August 3 to September 30. Late opening to 9 pm during Avignon Festival.
Admission of €7 includes the Palais des Papes and exhibitions as well as the Pont St. Bénézet.
Tip: Pick up a free Avignon Passeport for discounts of between 20% and 50% on admission to more than 16 museums and historic monuments, including the Palais des Papes and the Petit Palais, as well as reduced fares on local tour buses. Just ask for the pass after paying the full admission at any of the participating sites. Then enjoy the discount on admission to all the museums you visit that day. |
