Sights in Avignon
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Palais des Papes
The immense Palais des Papes is the world’s largest Gothic palace and is a UNESCO world-heritage site. Built when Pope Clement V abandoned Rome in 1309 to settle in Avignon, it was the seat of papal power for 70-odd years. The immense scale, cavernous stone halls and vast courtyards testify to the popes' wealth; the 3m-thick walls, portcullises and watchtowers emphasise their insecurity.
Today, it takes imagination to picture the former luxury of these vast, bare rooms, but PDA-style audio-video guides introduced in 2012 show 2- and 3D imagery of the once sumptuous furnishings. Even without, you can see the splendour in the 14th-century chapel frescoes, painted by…
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City Walls
Wrapping around the city, Avignon's ramparts were built between 1359 and 1370. They were restored during the 19th century, minus their original moats - though even in the 14th century this defence system was hardly state-of-the-art, lacking machicolations (openings in the parapets for niceties like pouring boiling oil on attackers or shooting arrows at them).Within the walls are a wealth of fine museums - the Avignon Passion booklet lists the whole gamut.
The Avignon Passion pass entitles you to 20% to 50% discounted entry on your second and subsequent visits to museums and monuments (the equivalent of student prices), as well as reduced prices on the tourist office…
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St Bénézet's Bridge
The fabled Pont St-Bénézet (St Bénézet's Bridge) was completed in 1185, a bridge linking Avignon with the settlement across the Rhône that later became Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. The 900m-long wooden structure was repaired and rebuilt several times before all but four of its 22 spans were washed away in the mid-1600s.
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Trompe l'Œil Portrait
To peek at Avignon's nine popes in their fashionable garbs of the day, seek out their trompe l'œil portrait on the side of the conseil général (general council) building.
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Les Trains Touristiques d'Avignon
Trundling a 40-minute circuit around town, the little tourist trains Les Trains Touristiques d'Avignon are a winner with kids and adults alike.
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Pont St-Bénézet
According to legend, pastor Bénezet had three saintly visions urging him to build a bridge across the Rhône. Completed in 1185, the bridge linked Avignon with Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, controlling trade at this vital crossroads. It was rebuilt several times, before all but four of its spans were washed away in the mid-1600s.
Don't be surprised if you spot someone attempting a dance. In France, Pont St-Béezet is known as the Pont d’Avignon, from the chirpy nursery rhyme: 'Sur le pont d’Avignon / L’on y danse, l'on y danse...' (On Avignon Bridge, all are dancing...).
If you don't want to pay to visit the bridge, you can see it free from the Rocher des Doms…
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Place du Palais
A golden statue of Virgin Mary (weighing 4.5 tons) stands on the dome of Romanesque Cathédrale Notre Dame des Doms (built 1671–72), her outstretched arms protecting the city. Next to the cathedral, hilltop Rocher des Doms gardens provide knockout views of the Rhône, Mont Ventoux and Les Alpilles; there's also a playground. Opposite the Palais des Papes, the much-photographed building dripping with carvings of fruit and heraldic beasts is the former 17th-century mint, Hôtel des Monnaies.
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Notre Dame des Doms
The Romanesque Notre Dame des Doms has stood here since the 12th century, but has had flanks, wings and bits added on ever since - the gilded Virgin statue, poised and glistening at the top of its western tower, dates from the 19th century. Inside the small but richly decorated cathedral are works of art, including a 14th-century mausoleum of Pope John XXII.
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Synagogue
Avignon's neoclassical synagogue was first built in 1221. A 13th-century oven used to bake unleavened bread for Passover can still be seen, but the rest of the present round, domed neoclassical structure dates from 1846; a fire destroyed the original edifice in 1845. Visitors must be modestly dressed and men's heads must be covered, as is the custom.
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Musée Angladon
Tiny Musée Angladon harbours impressionist treasures including Van Gogh's Railway Wagons – look closely and notice the ‘earth’ isn’t paint, but bare canvas. Also displayed are a handful of early Picasso sketches and artworks by Cézanne, Sisley, Manet and Degas; upstairs are antiques and 17th-century paintings.
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Musée du Pont St-Bénézet
At the entrance to the Pont St-Bénézet, via cours Châtelet, is the new Musée du Pont St-Bénézet where you can make your own DVD of the song. Dreamy (if distant) bridge views unfold from the Rocher des Doms, Pont Édouard Daladier and across the river on the Île de la Barthelasse.
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Parc d'Astronomie, du Soleil et du Cosmos
Across the river in Les Angles, planets loom large at the Parc d'Astronomie, du Soleil et du Cosmos, an astronomy park where young masterminds can follow a 1½-hour trail through garrigue to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Call ahead to check what workshops/guided visits it has that day.
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Promenade des Papes
From the Romanesque Cathédrale Notre Dame des Doms (1671-72), the Promenade des Papes (signposted along rue de Mons) leads to the Verger d'Urbain V, gardens - since gravelled over - where the popes grew sweet-smelling plants and herbs and kept exotic animals in cages.
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Couvent des Cordeliers
Rue des Teinturiers follows the course of the River Sorgue through Avignon's old dyers' district, where you'll find the former Couvent des Cordeliers, Avignon's largest convent when it was founded in 1226. Inside lies the grave of Laura, the muse of Italian poet Petrarch.
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Musée Lapidaire
Museum buffs on a budget will appreciate the Musée Lapidaire, with a random but interesting collection of Egyptian, Roman, Etruscan and early Christian pieces. They range from large sections of marble statuary and hieroglyphics to delicate vases and bronze figurines.
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Musée du Petit Palais
The bishops' palace during the 14th and 15th centuries houses outstanding collections of primitive, pre-Rennaissance, 13th- to 16th-century Italian religious paintings by artists including Botticelli, Carpaccio and Giovanni di Paolo – the most famous is Botticelli’s La Vierge et l’Enfant (1470).
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Chapelle des Pénitents Gris
Rue des Teinturiers follows the course of the River Sorgue through Avignon's old dyers' district - busy until the 19th century. Some water wheels still turn. Beneath plane trees stands the 16th-century Chapelle des Pénitents Gris.
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Musée Calvet
The elegant Hôtel de Villeneuve-Martignan (built 1741–54) provides a fitting backdrop for Avignon's fine-arts museum, with 16th- to 20th-century oil paintings, compelling prehistoric pieces, 15th-century wrought-iron, and the elongated landscapes of Avignonnais artist Joseph Vernet.
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Université d'Avignon
Université d'Avignon, founded by Pope Boniface VIII in 1303, resides in all its splendour inside Porte St-Lazare, the gate linking the eastern part of the walled city with the modern world.
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Collection Lambert
Avignon's contemporary art museum, Collection Lambert, showcases photography, video, and minimalist, conceptual and land art from the 1960s and '70s.
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Collection Lambert
Avignon's contemporary-arts museum showcases works from the 1960s to present – from minimalist and conceptual, to video and photography – in stark contrast with the classic 18th-century mansion housing them.
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