Palais des Papes

Lonely Planet review

Flanked by the sprawling courtyard cour d'Honneur, the Palais des Papes is the largest Gothic palace in the world. Its cavernous stone halls and extensive grounds testify to the fortune amassed by the papacy during the 'Babylonian Captivity'. Papal banquets held here were of fitting proportions. A feast to celebrate Clement VI's coronation in 1342 included 118 oxen, 1033 spit-roasted sheep, 1195 geese, 7428 chickens, 50,000 sweet tarts, 39,980 eggs and 95,000 loaves of bread.

Palace admission includes a multilanguage audioguide to direct you around 24 of the halls; the Grande Chapelle (Great Chapel), where temporary exhibitions are held; and the Musée de l'Oeuvre, with its collection of interactive maquettes, archaeological pieces, statues and other works illustrating medieval papal life; and a stroll around the wine boutique La Bouteillerie.