Palace · UNESCO
Palais des Papes
Avignon, France
Gothic palace and fortress of the 14th-century popes.
City · France · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Avignon
Walled papal city with an enormous palace, a broken bridge and a summer theatre festival.
about 5 h
For storytellers
Why Avignon matters
In the 14th century, popes lived in Avignon rather than Rome, and the city still wears the evidence: a vast Gothic palace and tall ramparts. A famous half-bridge juts into the Rhône, cafés fill the squares, and every July the city becomes a stage for a theatre festival.
Talking points
- The popes lived here in the 1300s instead of Rome.
- The old bridge ends mid-river after floods destroyed arches.
- Provence villages and the Pont du Gard are easy day trips.
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What to see in Avignon
Bridge · UNESCO
Pont du Gard
Avignon, France
Three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon river.
Bridge · UNESCO
Pont Saint-Bénézet
Avignon, France
The famous Avignon bridge, which stops halfway across the Rhône.
Festival or event
Festival d'Avignon
Avignon, France
Major theatre festival that takes over the city every July.
Also nearby
Within about 40 km, closest first.