Park at Parking Palais des Papes near the St Benezet Bridge. No problem.

I've parked in the garage below the Palais des Papes/main square area and it certainly does get quite full and there can be problems getting a space at times. I've been there in July where you had to drive round and round and I did finally get a space, but was about to give up, actually. So it does get full in peak tourist period. In April, I don't think you should have a problem, but I haven't been there then to know.

But it isn't clear to me what garage you are talking about by being outside the walls. The one underneath the Palais des Papes is just the most obvious ones tourists would enter by driving and coming along the main road beside the river, it has directions and it would just be what you'd do. There are some open lots down on that road and near the river, as I recall, but then you'd have a bit of a hike into the main square, (and up a bit of a hill), but it's not that far, a lot of people do it. I don't think you'd be unable to find a spot in either location so that you'd need to park all the way in the TGV station.

I checked a map and if you are coming from Aix, you'd probably be coming in on the N7, the entrace to the Palais des Papes garage is off the road next to the Rhone river, so you'd have to take the N7 all the way west over that way and then go north on the N7 up the river side to see it. You'd actually go right by the TGV when doing that.

Coming from Aix, I would park in the covered garage at the old Avignon Centre train station - which is just outside the medieval walls.

Stu Dudley

Thank you both for your quick and helpful responses. Christina, I was thinking of L'ile Piot, which looks to be on a little island outside the wall, near a bridge called Pont Edouard Daladier. What you suggest sounds much more convenient, and hopefully parking won't be much of a problem on a weekday in April.

There's another free lot, Des Italiens, which is northeast along the river. That may be another option. Do you know anything about that?

Many thanks.

The parking problem will of course be pending the time you're coming to Avignon.... Piot is at reasonnable walking distance from the centre. Italien is much further away but there is a shuttle service.
If you intend not to stay for too long the best car park is the Jean Jaures one (entrance by the porte st michel). Nice and clean and easy to find on your way back. Account 13€ for a full day.
Hope this will help.

'Coming from Aix, I would park in the covered garage at the old Avignon Centre train station - which is just outside the medieval walls,

Query for Stu Dudley - sorry to piggy back on this link but could you give a more accurate address for this car park please?
We are also looking where to park from the direction of Aix.

Many thanks.

If you have a map, which you definitely should, it will have the Avignon centre train station on it, the garage is right there. It is called St Roch (and is on bd St Roch). YOu'd just take the N7 towards Avignon, but go into the center of Avignon at route 570 rather than keep going towards the river. bd St Roch is just off it (in fact, I think N570 turns into bd St Roch, not sure). N470 is also avenue St Ruf inside Avignon. The train station is to the west (or left).

I don't know if there are signs to the parking lot for the gare or not, but you get to it by a street running left (or west) off St Ruf just before you get to bd St Roch. It's a one-way street, also, so I'm not sure you can get to it from the other direction, but there might be an entrance on av Monclar, also. It's just past the rail tracks. The address is 7 ave Monclar.

Here's a listing of it on cityvox http://www.cityvox.fr/transport_avignon/parking-des-gares_42161/Profil-Lieu

There is also an outdoor lot at 40, bd St Roch (the outside lane or lane going east, that is a big street). YOu can see it on this map, as well as another lot by Neopark north of it. on cours Jean Jaures http://www.parking-public.fr/parkings-avignon/parking-gare-avignon-centre-a-1009-d-464

this is a map of the parking lot on av Monclar http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=avignon+parking+des+gares&aq=&sll=43.941417,4.808493&sspn=0.002101,0.003288&vpsrc=6&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=parking+des+gares&hnear=Avignon,+Vaucluse,+Provence-Alpes-C%C3%B4te+d%27Azur,+France&ll=43.94183,4.807146&spn=0.002101,0.003288&t=m&z=18&cid=9218712770652743960&iwloc=A

It is a large train station located at the south end of the medieval wall that circles Avignon - at 6:00. Any map of Avignon will show the location of the main Avignon train station. You really can't miss it. I don't have an address. It is either on Blvd St Roch or Blvd St Michel - or at the intersection of these two boulevards.

Stu Dudley

Great information! Thanks to all of you.

Parking in the lots surrounding the walls is free. I am a very early riser and easily find a parking spot before 9 a.m. even during the festival (which is the main time that I am there). Later in the day, it is a matter of patience and diligent circling back again and again and again...

Last September we took the TGV Paris to Avignon. Arrived about 4:30 PMish. Drove from the TGV station to the parking lot at about 8:30-9:00 on a map (west side of city). No problem finding parking; well marked, ample spaces.