Two Days in Avignon - What to See?
Jun 22nd, 2006, 06:04 AM
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Two Days in Avignon - What to See?
This September we'll be spending a Sunday and Monday in Avignon. I know about the Palace and we plan to visit that, but we also want to get a sense of the place so hope to do a lot of wandering. We're staying inside the wall. Any strong recommendations for things to see and do?
Jun 22nd, 2006, 07:32 AM
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Assuming you don't have a car...
walk across the bridge and visit Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and the Fort Saint Andr See the Benezet bridge ( "sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse....")
Visit the Tourist office and take a tour to the Pont du Gard... or Les Baux and St. Rémy
If you have a car, on Sunday visit l'Isle sur la Sorgue for the market and antiques market (if that interests you, of course).
walk across the bridge and visit Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and the Fort Saint Andr See the Benezet bridge ( "sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse....")
Visit the Tourist office and take a tour to the Pont du Gard... or Les Baux and St. Rémy
If you have a car, on Sunday visit l'Isle sur la Sorgue for the market and antiques market (if that interests you, of course).
Jun 22nd, 2006, 07:33 AM
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Assuming you don't have a car...
walk across the bridge and visit Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and the Fort Saint André See the Benezet bridge ( "sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse....")
Visit the Tourist office and take a tour to the Pont du Gard... or Les Baux and St. Rémy
If you have a car, on Sunday visit l'Isle sur la Sorgue for the market and antiques market (if that interests you, of course).
Patricia
walk across the bridge and visit Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and the Fort Saint André See the Benezet bridge ( "sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse....")
Visit the Tourist office and take a tour to the Pont du Gard... or Les Baux and St. Rémy
If you have a car, on Sunday visit l'Isle sur la Sorgue for the market and antiques market (if that interests you, of course).
Patricia
Jun 22nd, 2006, 07:33 AM
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Cageym,
While September is a lovely time of year in Provence tourist activities dodiminish. In my opinion, Palais du Pape is a bore. It was gutted during the Fench Revolution and looks it. Worth an hour.
Here are a few esoteric suggestions:
-Visit Pont du Gard and the extraordinary Roman aqueduct.
-Take autoroute to Aix en Provence (about 45 minute drive).Visit Cezanne's atelier, take Cezanne walking tour--Inquire Tourist Bureau. Consider lunch at the Hotel Piggonet.
-We stay in nearby St. Remy each year,. Drive over there (fifteen minutes away). Nice village to wander through. Check in Avignon if anything special going on in St. Remy when you are in town.
-Take TGV speed train to Lyons (half hour away.. Great walking city. Look up in guide book; on Fodor's. Dine on quennelles at a bouchon.
While September is a lovely time of year in Provence tourist activities dodiminish. In my opinion, Palais du Pape is a bore. It was gutted during the Fench Revolution and looks it. Worth an hour.
Here are a few esoteric suggestions:
-Visit Pont du Gard and the extraordinary Roman aqueduct.
-Take autoroute to Aix en Provence (about 45 minute drive).Visit Cezanne's atelier, take Cezanne walking tour--Inquire Tourist Bureau. Consider lunch at the Hotel Piggonet.
-We stay in nearby St. Remy each year,. Drive over there (fifteen minutes away). Nice village to wander through. Check in Avignon if anything special going on in St. Remy when you are in town.
-Take TGV speed train to Lyons (half hour away.. Great walking city. Look up in guide book; on Fodor's. Dine on quennelles at a bouchon.
Jun 22nd, 2006, 07:48 AM
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The Antiques Market would be a huge hit for us, but we are not going to have a car while there. I've been told we'll also have trouble finding things to do and places to eat on Sunday, though as I've researched restaurants there seem to be many open Sunday.
Jun 22nd, 2006, 09:00 AM
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So, Powell, there's nothing particularly worthwhile to do or see in Avignon itself? I sort of suspected that based on a short visit years ago, when we stayed nearby, but until now have never run up against anyone who admitted it.
Jun 22nd, 2006, 10:10 AM
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just returned from provence and spent 3 days in avignon while i was there.
as said earlier, the palace and the bridge are ok but don't put a lot of time into them. if you're there on a sunday, the I'lsle sur La Sorgue market is huge and worth it, also if you like antiquing, they have tons of antique (or Brocante) dealers. If you don't have a car, they're are short train rides you can catch.
if you want to go to a nice dinner, I went to La Piedoie on a suggestion. It was lovely, indoor and intimate (i only saw 6 tables) and all the service details. The food was delic. and my server was a lovely young guy who was so helpful. It was on Rue de Trois Fauchons. A map from the TI can help you find it. If you're a wine fan, I went on a "wine safari" with a gentleman who runs educational and fun driving tours and winery visits/tastings up in the Cotes du Rhone villages. He does half days and full days and he picks you up and drops you off at you're hotel. You can check his site at www.winesafari.net. You would have to contact him to see if Sun or Mon is available because i'm not sure if wineries are open on those days. Look for my Provence Trip Report in the next day or so, it will have details about my day with him, i'm trying to get it together.
as said earlier, the palace and the bridge are ok but don't put a lot of time into them. if you're there on a sunday, the I'lsle sur La Sorgue market is huge and worth it, also if you like antiquing, they have tons of antique (or Brocante) dealers. If you don't have a car, they're are short train rides you can catch.
if you want to go to a nice dinner, I went to La Piedoie on a suggestion. It was lovely, indoor and intimate (i only saw 6 tables) and all the service details. The food was delic. and my server was a lovely young guy who was so helpful. It was on Rue de Trois Fauchons. A map from the TI can help you find it. If you're a wine fan, I went on a "wine safari" with a gentleman who runs educational and fun driving tours and winery visits/tastings up in the Cotes du Rhone villages. He does half days and full days and he picks you up and drops you off at you're hotel. You can check his site at www.winesafari.net. You would have to contact him to see if Sun or Mon is available because i'm not sure if wineries are open on those days. Look for my Provence Trip Report in the next day or so, it will have details about my day with him, i'm trying to get it together.
Jun 23rd, 2006, 12:21 PM
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well, I don't agree with Powell. I think there are things to do in Avignon, and I for one don't understand the big interest on this board in places like St Remy or Isle sur la Sorgue, both of which I consider pretty boring.
The Petit Palais fine arts museum in Avignon is excellent, with a very nice collection of Medieval and Italian Renaissance art. Whether the palais was gutted or not, I still found it interesting to see for historical reasons, and the church on the hill is also interesting (Notre Dame des Doms) as well as the nearby park, the view, walking along the rue des Teinturiers quarter (the ancient dyers quarter, a cobblestoned street along the Sorgue canal), and the large main square (place de l'Horloge) is pleasant and fun, with a lot of activity.
This is like any place, if you don't bother to find out anything or do any research or buy a guidebook, you will say there is "nothing to do or see".
The Petit Palais fine arts museum in Avignon is excellent, with a very nice collection of Medieval and Italian Renaissance art. Whether the palais was gutted or not, I still found it interesting to see for historical reasons, and the church on the hill is also interesting (Notre Dame des Doms) as well as the nearby park, the view, walking along the rue des Teinturiers quarter (the ancient dyers quarter, a cobblestoned street along the Sorgue canal), and the large main square (place de l'Horloge) is pleasant and fun, with a lot of activity.
This is like any place, if you don't bother to find out anything or do any research or buy a guidebook, you will say there is "nothing to do or see".
Jun 23rd, 2006, 12:24 PM
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if you want to see what there is to do, I find this the best website:
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/a...ism/index.html
It discusses all the museums and "monuments" and has maps. the Rue des Teinturiers, for example, is in the "monuments" section for lack of a better one, I guess.
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/a...ism/index.html
It discusses all the museums and "monuments" and has maps. the Rue des Teinturiers, for example, is in the "monuments" section for lack of a better one, I guess.
