Avignon

Attention, quiz fans: name the city where the pope lived during the early 14th century. Answered Rome? Bzzz: sorry, wrong answer. For 70-odd years of the early 1300s, the Provençal town of Avignon was the centre of the Roman Catholic world, and though its stint as the seat of papal power only lasted a few decades, it's been left with an impressive legacy of ecclesiastical architecture, most notably the soaring, World Heritage–listed fortress-cum-palace known as the Palais des Papes.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Palais Des Papes, Avignon, France. (Photo by Marka/UIG via Getty Images)

    Palais des Papes

    Avignon

    The largest Gothic palace ever built, the Palais des Papes was erected by Pope Clement V, who abandoned Rome in 1309 in the wake of violent disorder after…

  • The Avignon Papal Palace (Palais des Papes) and the Avignon Bridge (Pont d'Avignon or Pont St-Bénézet) illuminated at night under the deep blue sky reflecting in the still waters of Rhone river. ; Shutterstock ID 609704714

    Pont St-Bénézet

    Avignon

    Legend says Pastor Bénézet (a former shepherd) had three visions urging him to build a bridge across the Rhône. Completed in 1185, the 900m-long bridge…

  • Facade of the Petit Palais from Place du Palais in Avignon 1441868949

    Musée du Petit Palais

    Avignon

    The archbishops' palace during the 14th and 15th centuries now houses outstanding collections of primitive, pre-Rennaissance, 13th- to 16th-century…

  • Place du Palais

    Place du Palais

    Avignon

    This impressive vast square surrounding the Palais des Papes provides knockout photo ops. On top of the Romanesque 17th-century cathedral stands a golden…

  • Musée Angladon

    Musée Angladon

    Avignon

    Tiny Musée Angladon harbours an impressive collection of realist, impressionist and expressionist treasures, including works by Cézanne, Sisley, Manet,…

  • Musée Lapidaire

    Musée Lapidaire

    Avignon

    Housed inside the town's striking Jesuit Chapel is the archaeological collection of the Musée Calvet, newly displayed since 2015. There's a good display…

  • Collection Lambert

    Collection Lambert

    Avignon

    Reopened in summer 2015 after significant renovation and expansion, Avignon's contemporary-arts museum focuses on works from the 1960s to the present…

  • Musée Calvet

    Musée Calvet

    Avignon

    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…

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