Home to nine popes during the 14th century and one of the most beautiful cities in France today, Avignon is a treasure house of palaces, museums and meandering lanes, surrounded by an old fortified wall that still protects it from modernization.
That is one of the beauties of a walled town in Europe: Not only did it protect the town from bandits and invaders during the Middle Ages, but in the 20th and 21st centuries the wall is protecting these historic centers from modernization. This is what the visitors want to see, and it brings in revenue for the city.
This city in the heart of beautiful Provence lays claim to dozens of historic monuments, especially the great Palace of the Popes which was gradually enlarged into an imposing fortification during the 60-year papal residency and is now a museum open to the public.
Begin your orientation with a look at the two main squares in the center of town, the Place de l’Horloge surrounded by cafes and bistros and the adjacent Place du Palais containing the city’s most important and historic structure, The Palace of the Popes.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered the largest Gothic palace in all of Europe and a priority place to see in Avignon, although its original furniture is gone and the cavernous rooms are mostly empty.
There is also a wine shop inside the Palace, and if you choose not to pay admission to go see the Palace, by all means go into to the wine shop and the gift shop because their admission is free, and sometimes they have selected wine tastings in the wine bar, and it’s a very good place to purchase wine.
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