Fort St-André


King Philip the Fair (aka Philippe le Bel) wasn’t messing around when he built defensive 14th-century Fort St-André on the then border between France and the Holy Roman Empire: the walls are 2m thick! Today you can walk a small section of the ramparts and admire 360-degree views from the Tour des Masques (Wizards' Tower) and Tours Jumelles (Twin Towers). You can also tour the Abbaye et Jardins de l’Abbaye.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Abbaye et Jardins de l’Abbaye

0.02 MILES

The resplendent vaulted halls of this 10th-century abbey, within Fort St-André, can only be visited by guided tour. The stunning terrace gardens, however …

2. Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction

0.16 MILES

Shaded from the summer's heat, the three cloisters, 24 cells, church, chapels and nook-and-cranny gardens of the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction make up…

3. Musée Pierre de Luxembourg

0.27 MILES

Inside a 17th-century mansion, this museum's masterwork is Enguerrand Quarton’s The Crowning of the Virgin (1453), in which angels wrest souls from…

4. Tour Philippe-le-Bel

0.52 MILES

King Philip commissioned the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, 500m outside Villeneuve, to control traffic over Pont St-Bénézet to and from Avignon. The steep steps…

5. Pont St-Bénézet

0.89 MILES

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…

6. Porte du Rhône

0.94 MILES

Porte du Rhône is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the northwestern edge of the walls, near Pont St-Bénézet.

7. Musée du Petit Palais

0.97 MILES

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

8. Porte de la Ligne

1.04 MILES

Porte de la Ligne is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the northen edge of the walls, near the River Rhône.

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