Come visit Avignon with me and find out what to see and do in this medieval town in the south of France. Talk a walk along the cobblestone streets and discover this charming city and the Avignon bridge.

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After a quick stop visiting the Pont du Gard, Yann and I made our way further south to Avignon.

He’d wanted to show me the Pont d’Avignon, which from his memories of when he’d visited long ago, was nice but not amazing. Still, he knows that I was down to experience anything and everything and it was also on the way down to one of our final destinations in the Cote d’Azur, so why the heck not!

Avignon

Avignon is actually an ancient fortress city which I thought was very cool. Driving along the roads into the city, I found it almost enchanting that the entire old medieval town was surrounded by the large fortress walls.

 

As per usual, we spent a short amount of time simply walking around to get a feel of the town and explore a little. I will, however, have more information on what there is to see an do in Avignon at the end of this post. So read on for my experience or skip to the end to go straight to the goods.

We found parking along the street within the city walls and proceeded on foot, first towards the “infamous” bridge.

Le Pont d’Avignon

While I must say it was a nice looking bridge, there really wasn’t anything super special about it. Especially coming from visiting the Pont du Gard, this bridge was so small in comparison. But the backstory, I’ll admit, is pretty interesting.

The Pont d’Avignon is one of the few things to see in Avignon that is still considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The bridge, also known as the Saint-Bénezet Bridge, was built in the 1100s and while it once connected both sides of the river, the bridge now stops halfway across. Originally having 22 arches, it now only has 4 left after damage from the war and flooding of the river.

You can click here to learn more about the bridge.

Tire swing shenanigans

I was thrilled to see a tire swing hanging from a tree on the walk to the bridge and immediately wanted to have a go.

Onto the swing I went ready to have the time of my life and re-live a bit of my childhood years swinging back and forth, but let me tell you just how uncomfortable that thing was! Haha.

The tire dug into my thighs and my hips were WAY too big to squeeze in there.

Still, I swung back and forth a few more times before calling it quits. Hopping off the swing I had some tire indents in my thighs that probably didnt go away for a full 20 mins haha.

Worth it though and it did make for some nice photos 😛

After taking some more photos of the bridge, Yann and I continued strolling along, this time in the direction of the city.

Walking through the city

We entered the walls from a different “gate” and walked through the cobblestone streets taking in the sights.

The architecture in Avignon is a little different than some of the other cities we visited, but it was just as interesting.

One of the most recognizable buildings in Avignon is the Palais des Papes.

It is located along the biggest and busiest square in Avignon, the Place du Palais, and is a UNESCO Heritage Site.  UNESCO actually said that it is one of the most magnificent edifices of Gothic architecture of the 14th century.

It’s a massive structure that almost looks like a castle and gazing at it I legit felt like I’d been teleported back to a time when I was a princess ruling in my castle….oh wait…that never actually happened…

But for real, walking through this city really made me feel like I’d stepped into another world where kings and queens once ruled.

While there isn’t as much to do in Avignon as in other cities around France, I definitely think it’s worth a visit.

So if you find that your thinking about adding this fortified city to your list, here are a couple of other things you can see on your visit.

Things to do and see in Avignon

~My first and favourite to list, always, is to simply walk around and explore the city by foot. 

~Hop on the free ferry across the Rhône River and watch the sunset over the Pont d’Avignon 

~Try some French cuisine at Les Halles Market

~Stroll along the giant square, Place du Palais, which overlooks the Palace of the Popes, also a UNESCO Heritage Site

~Talk a walk across the Avignon bridge

~Stroll around the Parc Rocher des Doms

~Browse through Renaissance paintings at the Musée Du Petit Palais

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It’s time to start planning that trip to the south of France now, wouldn’t you say?! Don’t forget to add a visit to Avignon, you won’t regret it!

Until next time, Stay blessed ♡

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We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

~Jawaharial Nehru

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