Resting alongside the Rhone River about 50 mi/80 km northwest of Marseille, the Provencal city of Avignon is known as the city of the popes—Pope Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon from Rome in 1309 and commissioned the construction of the Palais des Papes, the papal palace.
The city's old town is a spiderweb of narrow streets, belfries and towers surrounded by magnificent ramparts. Start your tour at the Place de l'Horloge. It's full of cafes, restaurants, street vendors and entertainers. Also in the square is a beautiful carousel whose sign proclaims Pour les petits et pour les grands (for young and old alike). See the remains of the 12th-century St. Benezet bridge (made famous in the song Sur le Pont d'Avignon), Doms Cathedral (where Pope John XXII is interred) and the Calvet Museum (wrought-iron and painting displays).
If time allows, spend a few hours walking the streets of Villeneuve les Avignon, just across the Rhone from the Palais des Papes. This delightful medieval village has many extravagant mansions built by cardinals in the 14th century. Avignon has a popular theater festival for three weeks in July.
There are a number of very interesting towns and tiny villages in the area surrounding Avignon. An incomparable Roman theater is the highlight of Orange, 15 mi/25 km north of Avignon and worth an overnight stay. Orange was the ancient Roman settlement of Arausio, and its theater is especially noteworthy—it's the only Roman stage extant that still has the standard high-wall backdrop. (The original statue of Augustus Caesar is displayed in its niche there.) In town, you can also see the triumphal arch, gymnasium, museum and Romanesque cathedral. A market is held every Thursday morning, with more than 300 exhibitors.
Vaison la Romaine, 30 mi/45 km northeast of Avignon, has been continuously inhabited for more than 2,000 years. Sights include a Roman theater, excavations of ancient houses and stores and the old Roman bridge (still the principal span over the Ouvese River). The upper town has 13th-century buildings and narrow—even by European standards—cobblestoned streets.
Set on a jagged cliff 15 mi/25 km south of Avignon, Les Baux de Provence merits a stop to stroll through the ruins of its walls and admire the views of the surrounding countryside. You can also browse in the many boutiques and galleries that sell the products of local artists and artisans. For lunch, buy a container of paella, for which the area is famous, and drive up one of the many dirt roads for a picnic overlooking the astonishing rock formations. If you're there at Christmas, see the Creche Vivante (Living Creche).
In Old French, the name of Aigues-Mortes means "dead waters" because it was built on salt marshes with no flowing water. An embarkation point for the Crusades, this small town 35 mi/60 km southwest of Avignon still merits a visit to see the 13th-century village center and surrounding ramparts. For a complete contrast, visit the nearby ultramodern resort town of La Grande-Motte.
Fontaine de Vaucluse, the home of the Italian poet Petrarch, is a charming little village 20 mi/30 km east of Avignon and full of surprises. Among them are ancient (but working) waterwheels and five museums. Visit the Ateliers d'Art et d'Artisanat (artists studios) and the Moulin a Papier, where luxurious paper, some of it embedded with herbs and wildflowers, is made by hand. In the summer, Fontaine de Vaucluse is crowded, so be sure to get there in the morning.
The delightful small town of Uzes, located 25 mi/40 km west of Avignon, is a well-preserved microcosm of Renaissance and classical architecture, notably the beautiful palace of the dukes of Uzes and the nearby Pont du Gard, a Roman bridge and aqueduct that carried water across the Gard River. Many consider the Pont du Gard the best-preserved Roman ruin in all of France. There is also a beautiful medieval garden dedicated to medicinal plants and their uses. Throughout June and July there are music and dance festivals, as well as a comic strip and short story festival.
