The 10 addresses that make Avignon

We know it for its theater festival and the splendor of its Palais des Papes, its narrow streets lined with mansions and museums that offer an impressive shortcut through culture, from the Middle Ages to contemporary art. Avignon is all this, but more... It's also a city that celebrates a generous and lively art de vivre.with a profusion of exquisite restaurants, ultra-creative boutiques and galleries, and even a small island where you can recharge your batteries in a miraculously preserved natural environment. To be discovered as soon as possible...

Where to stay in Avignon?

La Mirande

In the heart of Avignon, a place that sums up the city's history. This mansion was once the residence of cardinals, before becoming a refuge for several aristocratic families. Purchased in the 1980s by a German couple, the Steins, it has now been restored to its former glory. Eighteenth-century fabrics, chandeliers and paintings, a dining room with Napoleon IIII wood panelling, a Chinese cabinet... Everything here infuses a timeless refinement, including the 26 rooms and suites with their Jouy canvases and bathrooms with Carrara marble bathtubs. Equally spectacular, the Salle Cardinalice (where the popes used to dine), houses the gourmet restaurant, while Le Mirage takes its place in the medieval spaces and La Table Haute, in the former servants' quarters. A rare address, a veritable time machine...

• Double room from 472 euros, breakfast included.
• 4 Place de l'Amirande 84000 Avignon. Tel: 04 90 14 20 20
• More information on La Mirande

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Le Prieuré Baumanière

A five-minute drive from the center of Avignon, this relais-Châteaux has been converted into a XIVᵉ century Priory that has miraculously preserved its luminous serenity. Here, you can put down your suitcases in one of the 39 rooms and suites, with their ancient stonework and furniture mottled by Jean-André and Geneviève Charial, owners of the premises (and of the famous Ousteau de Baumanière in Le Baux-de-Provence). The former cloister and gardens are just as bucolic, with a profusion of wisteria in the shade of lime and plane trees, all cooled by the large swimming pool where you can do your laps before relaxing on a deckchair.

• Double room from 287 euros.
• 7 Place du Chapitre 30400 Villeneuve-Avignon. Tel: 04 90 15 90 15.
• Further information on Le Prieuré

Where to eat, drink and dine in Avignon?

La Mirande

Here's the review of this 4-toque Gault&Millau restaurant: "The supreme sense of simplicity usually only touches chefs who have been whitewashed. Florent Pietravalle seems to have achieved this Grail on a number of occasions." Read more

• Score : 17/20
• 4 place de l'Amirande, 84000 Avignon

Here's the review of this 2-toque Gault&Millau restaurant: "The charm of the inner city is all in this exemplary restaurant run by Anne and Julien Gleize. A warm Provencal welcome, an ideal terrace overlooking the pretty square, a cuisine that is both refined and gourmet, so expressive of the seasons and the region." Read more

• Score : 14/20
• 21 place des Corps Saints, 84000 Avignon

Le Violette

After the (obligatory) discovery of the Hôtel de Caumont, home to the Lambert collection, you can't help but be drawn in by this magnificent interior courtyard shaded by immense plane trees. Here, you can enjoy the Asian-inspired cuisine of Nicolas Samurkas, or simply sip a glass of organic wine or a cocktail, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The HQ for all locals at aperitif time.

• 5 rue Violette 84000 Avignon
• Tel: 04 90 85 36 42

Things to see and do in Avignon

Le Rocher des Doms

This is where it all began! The cradle of the city, this garden overlooking the city of the Popes is also home to all its treasures. The starting point for an extraordinary stroll, it leads first to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-des Doms, Avignon's oldest building (XIIᵉ century) and perhaps its most beautiful, with its sparkling Madonna. A look then at the impressive ramparts and four towers of the mythical Palais des Papes... Emblem of the city, this Gothic palace (the largest in the world) is also one of the most spectacular, with its immense main courtyard where the festival takes place every year. Don't miss the Grand Tinel room, where the popes used to hold parties and banquets, their private apartments with glazed tiles in the bedrooms, and the incredible hunting scenes in the chambre du cerf (stag's room), used as an office. Last but not least, the Chapel of St. John, with its sumptuous frescoes by Sienese artist Matteo Giovanetti.

The old town and its shopping addresses

With its winding streets, secret churches, shady squares, medieval and Renaissance mansions, the old town of Avignon is a unique architectural ensemble, but these old quarters are also the city's liveliest. Ideal for combining history and shopping, our stroll begins at Les Halles, where we stock up on olive oil and calissons, local cheeses at Nathalie Francoz and charcuterie at Maison Filière.Then head to rue de la Petite Fusterie for Hervé Beaume's wrought-iron furniture and photophores, rue Limas for design gallery Galerie 567 with its impressive selection of XXᵉ century objects, or Vox Populi, rue de la Bonneterie, for designer Pascale Palun's showroom. Along the narrow streets, don't miss (among the many treasures) the facade decorated with birds and garlands of the Hôtel Madon-de-Château-Blanc, the Hôtel Galéans des Issards, with its interior gardens and four flights of stairs, or the Palais du Roure, built in 1469 and now a Mecca of Provencal culture...

• Halles 18 place Pie. 84000 Avignon. Open every day except Monday.
• Ateliers Hervé Beaume 26 rue Ferruce 84000 Avignon. Tel: 04 90 86 37 66
• Vos Populi 33 rue de la Bonneterie 84000 Avignon. Tel: 04 86 65 59 08
• Hôtel Madon de Châteaublanc. Rue de la Banasterie. 84000 Avignon.
• Hôtel Galéans des Issards. 5 rue du Four. 84000 Avignon.
• Palais du Roure. 3 rue du Collège du Roure. 84000 Avignon.

Musée Calvet or Collection Lambert?

To each his own. Fans of contemporary art will discover the collection of Parisian gallery owner Yvon Lambert, housed in the beautiful Hôtel de Caumont. A true lesson in contemporary art, with works by the greatest names - Basquiat, Barcelo, Anselm Kiefer, Cy Twombly... and remarkable temporary exhibitions. For fans of the Renaissance, head for the Musée Calvet, housed in an 18th-century mansion that houses the collection of physician and art lover Esprit Calvet, with works by Flemish and French painters.works by Flemish and Dutch painters of the XVᵉ-XVIIIᵉ (sumptuous Bruegel), tapestries from Flanders and an exciting modern art room with Soutine, Bonnard, Vlaminck, not forgetting sculptures by Camille Claudel. Two must-see museums.

• Collection Lambert-Musée d'Art contemporain. 2 bis rue Laboureur. 84000 Avignon. Tel 04 90 85 15 59.
• Musée Calvet 65 rue Joseph Vernet. 84000 Avignon. Tel. 04 90 88 33 34.

Saint-Bénézet bridge

A symbol of the city and listed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 1995, this bridge, built in the XIIᵉ century, is the oldest structure built over the Rhône. It once consisted of 22 arches spanning 912 meters. Only four arches and the Philippe-le-Bel tower have been preserved, but the site retains its magic intact with these remains whose stones light up in the setting sun. Don't miss the museum area, with its many videos showing the bridge in 3D, the stages in its construction and the legends surrounding its birth.

The Jean Vilar Museum

In 1947, Jean Vilar, then director of the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) in Paris, agreed to have his troupe perform in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes to complement the contemporary art exhibition organized in the Grand Chapelle. It was a masterstroke. The performances were so successful that the adventure was repeated the following year, giving birth to one of the world's most prestigious theater festivals. Some of the world's greatest actors and directors performed at the IN festival, including Gérard Philippe, Maria Casarès, Michel Bouquet, Jeanne Moreau, Antoine Vitez and Ariane Mnouchkine... while the OFF showcased emerging talent. The Maison de Jean Vilar houses an exceptional collection of photographs, videos and costumes. Enough to make you want to get your tickets for the next performances as soon as possible.

• 8 rue de Mons-Montée Paul Puaux. 84000 Avignon.
• Tel: 04 90 86 59 64

An extra escape in Avignon

Barthelasse Island

In the middle of the Rhône and a stone's throw from the Palais des Papes, Europe's largest river island is a paradise of calm and unspoilt nature. Some 700 hectares are yours to discover by bike, along a profusion of vegetable gardens and orchards shaded by tall cypress hedges. The towpath offers sublime views of the ramparts and the Pont d'Avignon, before stopping off in the village of La Barthelasse to visit the Manguin distillery, which has been producing pastis and spirits of anthology since the 1950s, not to mention a delicious melon liqueur.

• 784 chemin des poiriers, 84000 Avignon
• Tel: 04 90 82 62 29